Terrible version of America

[WestCoast7]

yes, kids will be kids. The Blue Devils did make obnoxious sounds. And I watched one of their staff rip their tubas a new one when they finished, so don't believe for a minute that it wasnt addressed. The cavaliers, I believe, were engaging in seppuku, the ritualistic suicide committed by samurai warriors. I also saw their staff go thru the block and put a stop to it.

Those kids get giddy out there and do immature things. They're teenagers. I'd take pranks and jokes over the full corps brawls I always hear of in the 60s and 70s though......

[brassboy]

You guys crack me up ... Last year at this time everyone was talking about how BD was the class act of all times, winning with grace and sharing their moment with a couple of Marines about to ship out.

Now one guy fraks a note and everybody is ready to declare this National Dump on Devils Week.

Frankly, the biggest objection I had to "America" last night, is that I've heard it played at every show this season, and for I-don't-now-how-many seasons before this. It's old, tired, and needs to be retired, at least for a while.

Now, as for the performance. I was sitting right next to the freshly-resurrected Conductor (apparently he was only MOSTLY dead) leading the piece. From where I was sitting, all I thought about after "here it comes again" was just how frikkin' awesome hearing somewhere in the neighborhood of 900 brass (give or take) sounded as my face began to melt. Maybe I was too busy looking for a baby to throw (they were hard to come by about half way through Regiment's show) to notice the BD gaff, maybe I was just diggin' too heavily on the LOUD, and maybe I was just too blown away by having just seen, what is certain to go down in the books as the greatest DCI Finals of all time, to give a rat's hind quarters. Like I said, I was sitting on the 50, not just left of bitter.

They were all class acts on the field last night. Lighten the hell up already!

And I think *this* is the best post of this thread. It's all perspective, opinion and tolerance levels.

Edited August 10, 2008 by brassboy

[pianolover1]

Amen to all of that. Just wanted to add they didn't cut off with the conductor at the end. How disrespectful and rude.

Drum corps is supposed to make them more mature and grow. You are not a musician, if you can't follow that one basic rule I taught to my beginning band students!!!!!!!!!!!

########!

I don't usually post here but I couldn't keep quiet after reading this.

As a musician, the first thing I learned about ensemble playing is that you play what is written and nothing else.

As a musician, I learned that if you aren't sure of the notes, you DON'T PLAY.

As a musician, I learned that every performance may be your last and you owe it to yourself, your fellow performers and the audience to make it your best performance ever - even if it is a concert B-flat major scale.

If this is the best that DCI World Class Corps have to offer, that DCI and corps management allows it, and people make excuses for it, then the whole image of DCI is - and should be - tarnished.

(And now I know why I don't even bother reading this forum most of the time.)

[pianolover1]

I played America/O'Canada about over 50 times during the '95 and '96 seasons. I played exactly what was written- until finals night 1996, my last retreat. I have to admit, I didn't care and I played the last few bars as loud as I possibly could. I remember feeling something pop and thinking I might have hurt myself.

I've been there. They're kids, the season is over, and they were just letting loose. Keep in mind that I'm typing this without hearing what was going on last night.

Grow up and save it until after you are out of the stadium. It is still a performance and it can be awe-inspiring......not the crap I heard last night.

[MoonHill]

I would hope DCI does not include that performance on the DVDs and has it removed from youtube. If so, how will the thousands of high school and college band directors explain it to their students when they are initially told that they watch the DCI videos to be inspired, motivated, learned, and guided.

Of your entire post, tigger2, I can only take any issue at all with this particular point. If DCI doesn't decide to censor the retreat, then the band directors all over the country will explain it to their students the way adults are supposed to.

I'd have no problem with DCI not including the retreat on the DVDs, but removing the videos from YouTube? The former is just an editorial choice; the latter smacks of denying reality.

[pianolover1]

I agree totally. Even if you were given a simplified arrangement of "Mary had a Little Lamb"....you do your best. Save all those other emotions for the bus or parking lot or the next day.

What if DCI had brought in some strangers to drum corps....possible sponsors........possibly new supporters.......what would they have thougt???

I always said Drum corps was like a professional marching band. That person(s) could have the best chops in the world, but if I had known he had done that.....no job for him.....or if I were the corps director.....no slot for him next year and would call all of the other directors and warn them. They aren't middle schoolers.

So you're saying that that these corps that are comprised of individuals that are mostly of an age at which they can vote for this country's leaders, die for its people and many of whom can consume alcohol are KIDS?! Even at 12 years old, one can become aware of what it means to have great pride in what you do and pride for your nation and your organization. That is a great message to send "well you've worked sooo hard all summer long....so why don't you go ahead and completely counteract all that you have accomplished. When I played America/Oh Canada I remember it being an extremely emotional performance and one in which I was filled with pride and honor and no one that I knew would dream of tarnishing this. They are well old enough to know better and to have a high level of respect for themselves and each other.

Edited August 10, 2008 by pianolover1

[TerriTroop]

You know, I'm sorry but this excuse of "kids get giddy" etc. is just bull####. If a bunch of 14-21 year olds in one corps uniform can be taught to show some respect for the process, for the audience, and for the MARINES (thank you!), then everyone else can suck it up and learn that stuff, too. It's not like it's complicated. Shut up, stand still, do your job, then go to the parking lot and josh it up with your friends. End of story.

[brassboy]

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.

[year1buick]

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.

I've even seen individuals from a couple of the corps in your list do similar things during Finals retreat. (Cameras, etc) This comes up time and time again, usually when someone either wants to use it as a reason for their corps being better than the rest or when someone wants to use it as an excuse to bash a corps that they don't like.

[pianolover1]

Well said!!!

After marching with Cadets for 8 years (00-07), I can say that on finals night 07 I only considered for a split second messing around with America/O Canada or whatever it ended up being called for my last little "hoo-rah" of the season. After that split second, I decided that it would be the most UN-Cadet thing to do, as I wanted to age-out with as few blemishes in my mind as possible.

Also, Cadets pride themselves on being able to be disciplined through all the chaos that goes on during finals retreat (and any other retreats, when they existed). We are there with a job to do, an image to uphold, and a history to represent. And we hold that true all the way back to the parking lot.

Michael Terry

Cadets baritone 2000-2007