Jump to content

Terrible version of America


Recommended Posts

Complaints about bad behavior on the field while drum corps veterans engage in bad behavior online. Connection?

Whatever. As for me, I awoke the next day after Phantom's win wondering if it was all some strange dream. What's next? An announcement that cheap, efficient solar energy methods have been discovered, ridding the world of its dependency on petroleum? Sunni and Shiites, Israeli and Palestinians, Georgians and Russians, the Dalai Lama and the cadres in Beijing, Republicans and Democrats, all suddenly shake the scales from their eyes and ask themselves, "What was THAT all about?" And the inner troll within us all slinks off into some forgotten Web site, contained by impenetrable software walls, and spend eternity quietly tearing each other to bits safely away from the rest of the digital discourse.

"To dream, the impossible dream..."

Edited by hkhongkong
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 156
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

None of this is anything new or surprising. Different corps have always had different approaches to retreat, some considerably "looser" than others, and from the sounds of it not much has changed. Plus factor in that it's finals retreat (where "abnormal" retreat behavior was the norm), and you have the final product that was seen on Saturday. Look at old vids of retreat, see if you can spot all the "stuff" people bring on the field with them for the party (usually tucked in behind their feet).

I used to like what Cadets did on retreat, very disciplined, they did a free-form thing, sort of an extension of their performance. We were considerably looser at retreat, which was cool too. The worst "offenders"? A certain group that wins a lot, and maybe not the one you think. Man, they were funny, though.

My favorite was VK. Jolly Ranchers are yummy!

So, yeah, the retreat thing doesn't bother me much, especially at finals. Let 'em blow off a little steam, it's a long, hard season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I just saw a girl in Regiment with a camera hanging off of her mellohpone one year (forget which year, was recent) which kinda ruined their image for me as far as retreat goes. :worthy:

i did that (camera thing) in 2006. it wound up on the finals retreat dvd, which really surprised and amused me. i think that was the year (unfortunately) of champions fanfare. i have videos on my computer, perhaps worth posting on youtube if anyone is interested. i played it right except for one frack during the runs towards the conclusion, and a high F (which was definitely in tune, for what that's worth) to end the piece. i always played the right notes during retreat because in some really small way, i wanted to prove my musicianship to the corps next to me....and also, hear how well they knew it. i remember people in the cadets, scv, and the cavaliers playing it correctly and in tune with me during 2007 retreats. one of my favorite times was in denver with the blue knights in 2007....i was next to (taylor?) their mello soloist/the i&e winner, who played all the right notes throughout the piece. when i went to the high Eb at the end (it was in the arpeggio that year), he did the same thing, half a second later, and was perfectly in tune with me. if we weren't standing next to each other, we could have done some dignified bow of respect to each other, ala cavies '08. when we did it with BD in kalamazoo, some double Ab's were thrown in on behalf of around 3 or so people. the people who tried it did it well, and it made me and a bunch of other people happy. if you were in the audience that night and were offended, send me a PM about it or something.

america o canada or whatever the piece of the music in the finale is called, sucks every year. the piece just isn't played often enough anymore/instilled in people's memories like it used to be. thats a side effect of the lack of full retreats. it used to sound pretty decent in the 90's, but for whatever reason (and there's many to choose from), it doesn't sound nearly as respectable as it used to. most corps dont take it very seriously anymore, though some do. the better way to put it would be to say that MOST INDIVIDUALS dont take it very seriously, but some still do. there are only 2 or maybe 3 corps in which the entire hornline seems to take it seriously.

america isn't any worse off because the trumpets hang over at the end of the piece. it's definitely not a moment that's the least bit complimentary of drum corps' military roots, but the activity has clearly strayed away from it anyway. american ideals are nice and all, but there's an immeasurably tremendous amount of 'history' in the past century that i'm embarrassed to be the least bit associated with. hell, let's just use drum corps as a metaphor. while the american ideal is that the members of 12 drum corps play all the notes of the finale correctly, some do and some don't. while we "fight a war" in the middle east in the name of international justice, people take orders from higher ups, torture iraqis, and take pictures of it. many soldiers haven't killed innocent civilians in iraq and afghanistan, but some have.

people on dcp won't ever be able to do anything about kids, at the end of their season/dci careers, playing wrong notes in the finale. if youre horrified and disgusted seeing people making a mockery of something that you take incredibly seriously (aka our international reputation), do what i do when i read the news on the bbc's website. cringe, sigh, and distract yourself with something else.

hey america, no offense, but i'm just using you as an example.

Edited by Jared_mello
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And I bet it would of sounded much better if played before the scores were announced..Just a guess. But a good guess.
I 100% agree with you on this.

great point, and a good idea for the future. thanks for contributing something productive.....i agree with your suggestion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was absolutely appalled by the performance of America last night. That was the most unclassy performance of that I have ever seen. I for one believe they need to back to having retreats at every show and maybe there would have been less wrong notes. I also think corps staff need to hold there corps to a higher standard. That is a song that is meant to honor our wonderful country and that performance was awful. I am all for hitting the high note at the end but do it with some taste and not for the whole song. Also the over all tone quality was just bad. I am sure it was not all the corps of performers but those who were should be ashamed!

I just watched ATB, and the crowd LOVED it! I truly can't see or hear what you guys are referring to at all. The audience also gave a gigantic, ground-shaking "whoop" before and after it was done.

So apparently the crowd of tens of thousands wasn't "absolutely appalled" -- just a few people on DCP. Go figure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So apparently the crowd of tens of thousands wasn't "absolutely appalled" -- just a few people on DCP. Go figure.

hahah, welcome to the world of drum corps :worthy:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last night was the worst retreat I have seen at finals. I will always remember my first finals in 1997 and listening to the finale and it being one of the best memories I have of drum corps but last nights retreat will be remembered as one of the worst memories of mine in drum corps. I will say that most corps last night treated retreat with class but that was negated by the few corps that did not.

I'm not sure if the Cavies were poking fun at BD or not but I thought it was alittle over the top, but that didn't offend me as much as the playing of America. Cavies you did earn some respect back when you passed by Phantom that was a great gesture. I was sitting right in front of BD's block and my jaw hit the floor when I heard the trumpets missing notes on purpose and also the nasty sounds coming out of the baritones. I sa this knowing that I heard BD and Crown play this the best I heard it all year together so I know they know it very well. Also the mess at the end was totally uncalled for (not sure who it was). Then to watch Madison's bass line do what they did. I'm not sure what was up with that. It totally took attention away from Phantom who deserved the attention. then they waled across the field instead of the back side line not to mention out of step.

I will say that Phantom was a class act during the entire retreat. You guys fought for that championship and you deserved everything that you got.

I will say that this may have been the best top 12 I have seen and I would have expected the retreat to live up to the quality of performances that we saw on the field prior to that. Again it was only a few corps that ruined it but that's all it takes to take away from such a great night.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was quite embarassing if you ask me. It seemed to come somewhere from the Right of the 50 near the Bluecoats or someone.

Edited by Zeke
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was there last night and heard the BD trumpets playing wrong notes at the beginning, middle, and end of "America". Other fans around me heard it also, and were disgusted by it. I realize it was just a select few individuals, but it reflects poorly on the BD organization. It just does.

My fervent hope is that those last night that puposely sabotaged a piece of music while in uniform, and did the sabotaging before a paying audience are not Music Majors or Education Majors.

If they are Music Majors or Education Majors, my fervent hope is that they fail in their studies, never receive a degree in Music, nor set foot inside a classroom, nor a concert hall, nor play before a paying audience again. I would like to see them put their horn down now and walk away, and change their major at college to something else.

And let others more respectful of an audience, their fellow muscians, and the talent they have been blessed with, take their seat in that college classroom of musical aspirants.

Rule number one.... when you are before a paying audience, performing in a musical group, you do not puposefully sabotage a piece of music that others in your musical group are taking the piece and the paying audience seriously. You do your fellow musicians, the creator of this musical masterpiece ,and the paying audience the ultimate in disrespect by acting in this sabotaging fashion.

You violate this rule.... you need to find another hobby. And if you are in Music Education. You are not suited by temperment to set foot inside a classroom of aspiring young musicians who are looking to you for guidance on musical performance. You need to find another college Major. Seriously.

Edited by BRASSO
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure if this was sarcasm or not, but US service bands play national anthems and hymns of other countries all of the time. We consider it an honor.

It was sarcasm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...