fick Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 I, myself, am stuck in the late 80's / early 90's - why not? That's the era I marched. Back then people had similar opinions about similar issues and now that everyone can look back, some of those opinions on the same issues have changed drastically. Perhaps what this thread discusses now is the penalty of living in the moment. Personally, I don't look too much into the plot/design/flaws of a show - any show (movie, DC show...) if I like it, I do - if I don't, I don't - but I still look up to the kids that are laying it out on the line every show. Granted, this is an entertainment activity, but it isn't about me anymore (not like it was in 91-94). Perhaps some of the opinions will change in a decade when you rip out an old DVD and watch some of this stuff. Perhaps we should find a way to have the kids themselves contribute more to show design? Even if some designs are/were/will be 'interesting', I try to make an effort in keeping the kids in mind. That's what DC is about to me. Heck, now that I think of it, that reminds me of my Corps' Song... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronsell Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 It's June... it takes time to clean that high velocity stuff. It's always dangerous to generalize. Yet, there definitely is, I sense after seeing Drum Beauty and the Madison show last night, a lack of really exciting show designs this year and generally in the past several years. While there are some very good performances already and some neat moments, there simply aren't any screaming crowd responses. Last night at Madison there was one, only one genuine standing ovation. Perhaps you have to be an "old timer" to remember how a particular corps show brought you screaming to your feet several times in a the 11 minute show. Do the new designers not care? Are they incapable of writing an exciting show? Or are they simply not interested in the crowds response. That clearly is the attitude of Hopkins and his Cadets. What a shame that the hard work and talent of all those young people should be in the hands of someone who uses them to further his own agenda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
washingtoncorpsfan Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 I thought 2007 was a spot on year, personally. We can do without the things you've mentioned, but I think all of them, to a point, can enhance a show. Amps for the front ensemble, little props, all that. It's all about finding that happy medium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BozzlyB Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 just to reiterate, I'm NOT talking about talent or quality of the corps themselves, just show design in general. Thank you for the comments though... There are good and bad shows every year, but overall I think design is at a higher level of quality than ever. I just think you don't care for it, therefore it must be horrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanjrusMcRynky Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Though its not all on the field yet, I think SCV's show is up there with one of their best designs to date. Plus judging by the shows I've been to so far and the video from Walnut, crowds really seem to be digging it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 I'm not qualified to speak to the most specific areas of your post - i.e. the things that work or don't this year, and for whom, but just a couple of quick observations if I might - the impact of your title - Worst Year Ever? It seems to relate back to a frame of mind. I have found over the course of years that a time comes for each of us where we just sort of "get off the bus." My younger brother felt like nothing good ever happened in drum corps after 1974. I know other people who set the date earlier, and obviously many later. It's possible that you need to ask yourself, a) are you still on the bus? b) should you be? Maybe it's just your time. (I swear I'm not trying to be a smart ### here - you actually seem like you're in some psychic distress over this. It's a youth activity that we all (presumably) love, but it's just drum corps. It shouldn't cause you pain. Finally - at this time in 1984 I thought the Cadets' West Side Story was a mess - tics were gone, and their show was completely full of ticks - if anyone had been out there with a pencil they would have scored a minus 4 at this time of the years. Almost nothing worked, and the show had little or no cohesion. By Atlanta, at Georgia Tech, I think I cried from about two thirds of the way through to the end of the show, and screamed for another five minutes. They were magnificent, as were Blue Devils that same night. It was exhausting. It was also 10 years after my brother got "off the bus" and nothing good ever happened again in Drum Corps. None of this is intended to sound condescending. I swear. I love this activity like you can't believe. Yes, like you, when corps do a trite park and bark with the flatted fifth in the mellos I sigh and add it to my cliche count on my abacus, but this is where the activity is. Don't let it rip at you. By the way, there is life, and a pretty good life, after the bus stops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Here are a few specific things that I think need to be done in order to reverse this trend of vapidity and save DCI from destroying itself:- NO MORE AMPS. period. Yes, there have been corps that have used them tastefully, but this narration crap has to end NOW. So what you really want is no more narration. - MORE MEMORABLE MUSIC. No more of this arcane and abstract crap that seems to go on forever. Maybe it will impress a bunch of highs choolers, but it's growing old on me. Also, no more shot notes every 5 bars, and no more drum breaks that last forever while the horn line is off in the back corner doing choreography just for the sake of doing choreography. If you pick music that people are familiar with, the will be able to relate to it more. You can still do a lot of crowd pleasing stuff without sacrificing difficulty. Excuse me- have you listened to Carolina Crown this year? If that program isn't memorable, then I don't know what is! Tell ya what- while you're gazing into your crystal ball, why don't you tell me (and ONLY me) who's going to win this year so I can call my bookie and place a few bets! I'll make it worth your while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaviesFan1 Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 are you kidding? worst year ever!!! that's just stupid!!!! On the field pass it was stated (by someone, not potter, who knows A WHOLE LOT more about drum corps than you). that this is the "most exciting year in a very long time" I agree. The talent is way up. The shows are I think better than last year. I can't believe someone would say this!! I think just the opposite is true. Wierd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dciguy01 Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 (edited) Is it just me or has the quality of DCI declined significantly in the past two years? To me it doesn't seem to be the level of talent among the members of the corps that is lacking, but in the the designs of the shows themselves. It is especially apparent this year in the top 6 or 7 corps (Cavaliers, Blue Devils, Cadets, etc...). The narration in the Cadets' show is an unmitigated disaster, the level of sophistication in the BD and Cavalier shows is that of a high school marching band. The only two shows I saw with any sort of potential were SCV and Bluecoats, but even their shows have significant design flaws. - MORE MEMORABLE MUSIC. No more of this arcane and abstract crap that seems to go on forever. Maybe it will impress a bunch of highs choolers, but it's growing old on me. Also, no more shot notes every 5 bars, and no more drum breaks that last forever while the horn line is off in the back corner doing choreography just for the sake of doing choreography. If you pick music that people are familiar with, the will be able to relate to it more. You can still do a lot of crowd pleasing stuff without sacrificing difficulty. What does everyone else think? One thing I definitely believe is leading to the decline of DCI is the lack (or lesser degree of) recognizable music. I don't know about you, but the first time I saw Glassmen 2001, I was thinking to myself "WTF is this?" It got 5th place and the show may have deserved it for being clean, but I was just golf clapping it off the field. A bunch of music I'd never even heard of. I'm not bashing the '01 Glassmen members by any means, just the show choice. Edited June 30, 2008 by dciguy01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_S Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Funny, Glassmen's closer in 2001 was a repeat of what Cavaliers played in 1996. I actually go the other way, I love when a corps plays new music and I'm disappointed when I read a show announcement that contains music I've already heard on the field. I think about all the great music I've been introduced to thanks to drum corps, and I'm convinced that the more new music corps play the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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