street shark Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 With the exception of the West Side Story show, I don't remember the Raiders doing a show that would necessarily "appeal to the masses" when announced. The shows have, in my memory, been more classical oriented, sometimes to the point where I didn't know the tunes. But do you honestly think the people who do show up for the open class shows HAVEN'T been entertained by this corps? I competed against the Raiders for years. I always loved their shows. Even when show titles/selections are obscure, it doesn't mean the show is any less entertaining. Honestly, how many of you knew the music from Spartacus? You saw that Phantom was reusing a theme they once did and thought it was cool. This show concept MAKES COMPLETE SENSE, and the selections they have chosen are all amazing pieces. If the show is designed as we know the Raiders are capable of, it will be a pretty BA show.with that being said, in the open class forum, we know how memberships can fluctuate. Even while saying "I mean no offense to the members of the raiders" you are still capable of putting a sour taste in the mouth of a kid who could have potentially marched. Please be respectful. I can see your point of view, but as the saying goes, "it's not what you say, it's how you say it". The Raiders will once again have a wonderful, competitive show this season, whether 20,000 people show up for finals or 0. It's your choice, but it's closed-mindedness that is going to forever cloud the activity. Give it a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayormccheese Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 With the exception of the West Side Story show, I don't remember the Raiders doing a show that would necessarily "appeal to the masses" when announced. The shows have, in my memory, been more classical oriented, sometimes to the point where I didn't know the tunes. But do you honestly think the people who do show up for the open class shows HAVEN'T been entertained by this corps? I competed against the Raiders for years. I always loved their shows. Even when show titles/selections are obscure, it doesn't mean the show is any less entertaining. Honestly, how many of you knew the music from Spartacus? You saw that Phantom was reusing a theme they once did and thought it was cool. This show concept MAKES COMPLETE SENSE, and the selections they have chosen are all amazing pieces. If the show is designed as we know the Raiders are capable of, it will be a pretty BA show.with that being said, in the open class forum, we know how memberships can fluctuate. Even while saying "I mean no offense to the members of the raiders" you are still capable of putting a sour taste in the mouth of a kid who could have potentially marched. Please be respectful. I can see your point of view, but as the saying goes, "it's not what you say, it's how you say it". The Raiders will once again have a wonderful, competitive show this season, whether 20,000 people show up for finals or 0. It's your choice, but it's closed-mindedness that is going to forever cloud the activity. Give it a chance. Mr. Covington, you are entitled to your opinion as well. My contention is that Class A, Div II/III or whatever it's being called this year doesn't stand a chance unless is differentiates itself from the "big boy division" by creating its own unique identity. If the corps in this division want to do "heady" stuff instead of shows which are entertaining to the masses, they will continue to have no audience. The smaller corps are in a unique position to offer cheaper tickets to families who have never seen drum corps before. Once they get people to show up on a family pass, it would be a good business decision if they showed them such a good time that they wanted to come again. Watching shows like the ones in this thread aren't going to do the trick, in my humble opinion. This certainly isn't limited to the Raiders. I bought the DVD set from last year after not watching the small corps for quite a while. I don't expect these corps to have me sitting on the end of my seat, but I've gotta tell you... I watched the first two and totally lost interest after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayormccheese Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 This year the corps brought in one of the best brass instructors in the activity to work with the kids over the winter. Do you think Gino Cipriani would come and work with a small corps with a poorly selected show???? I'm not sure what the original post was trying to accomplish, but the bottom line is, these kids should learn a lot and have fun this year. Frankly, I would venture to guess that Mr. Cipriani probably had little to nothing to do with selecting the show. Further, I think he would likely show up wherever there was someone willing to pay his asking price. And who can blame him? It seems that the guy knows what he's doing, that's for sure. I'm sure they will learn a lot and I am sure they will have fun. That's what it's all about. I think they could have even more fun if they got standing ovations rather than polite applause, that's all I'm trying to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalTones2012 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 (edited) I think he would likely show up wherever there was someone willing to pay his asking price. Edited January 20, 2009 by MetalTones2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikehawk93 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Raiders staff are all volunteer, including Gino. A wise man once said, "“Do not speak unless you can improve the silence” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sizzlechoke Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 (edited) go raiders Edited January 21, 2009 by sizzlechoke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikehawk93 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 and i do believe he improved the silence, for that is a little known fact he stated. An inability to stay quiet is one of the conspicuous failings of mankind. ~Walter Bagehot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndzoneEric Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 and i do believe he improved the silence, for that is a little known fact he stated. He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool; avoid him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Never in a million years will I understand how corps choose their repertoires these days. It's almost as though they don't really care if the audience enjoys what they're doing or not. Even if it is really well performed, will anyone really CARE about this kind of stuff in the August heat, other than maybe a few BOA band directors? Yes - I will. One thing I have learned over the years is that the arranging and performing matters more than the source material. The cliche is true - even Mary Had a Little Lamb could rock your world, if skillfully arranged and convincingly performed. Having said that, I wish the kids marching with the Raiders the best. It's obviously not their fault that their management chooses to program these types of self-important shows. My criticism is not just limited to the Raiders, either. The last thing I want to do is go to a drum corps show to watch any A-60 corps do a show like this. Heck, I don't even like it when the big corps do it. At least they're loud enough to make it somewhat interesting. Don't try to educate me, for cripes sakes. Entertain me! Just by the titles alone, I don't really have any interest at all in sitting through this. Here's where you lost me. How can you pre-judge a show by the titles alone? And worse yet, why throw an entertaining work like Barber of Seville under the bus? Did your eyes roll when Velvet Knights announced they were playing it in '93? The original music is sufficiently versatile and appealing to serve as an effective cartoon soundtrack, and the piece has worked for corps running the gamut from Phantom Regiment to the aforementioned VK. The next time the directors of any of the smaller corps complain about no one wanting to get up to watch them at nats on a Saturday morning, they don't need to look much further than this kind of show selection to understand why brunch at the Steak n Shake is a much more tasty option. It doesn't all have to be "Strike Up the Band," "Sing, Sing, Sing," and "Big Noise from Winnetka," but it would seem to me that the more accessible a show is, the more people will support it, and the more youngsters will want to join the group. Well, more youngsters are joining the Raiders to play the show they just announced. Hard to argue with that. Thank you for listening. Again, I mean no offense to the members of the Raiders. I'll still plunk $20 into their fish bowl when I see their trailer at a show, since I won't be sitting in the stands to watch. And your support will be appreciated, in whatever form it comes. Let me make one suggestion, though. You are not the only one that cringes at the current trend of marching arts groups trying to impose "themes" over the several otherwise unrelated songs they choose for their show, and/or create some deeper meaning through oblique symbolic references that require a pre-season press release, three minutes of pre-show announcements and a libretto to explain. If you don't find those exercises entertaining, then don't read the pre-season repertoire announcements or the librettos....just go to the show and let the performers do the entertaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumno5 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Just by the titles alone, I don't really have any interest at all in sitting through this. Wow, you can tell whether a show is gonna be any good just by looking at the names of the tunes? Fantastic! There could be good money in a skill like that. Fred O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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