tell me if I'm wrong and why

[jbentley0025]

I'm with you on that one Jim. The concert number gave you a chance to bring your "A" game instead of having to march ALL the time. It was a nice break in the action and quite entertaining. I kind of miss it.

Yeah, but I'm so glad there are more people in drum corps who can sound as amazing on the move as they do standing still. It really is a tangible culture among horn players to pride themselves in their ability to play and move with equal emphasis. It really is about what's fun for the performer to me. I know that's selfish, but they pay a lot more per individual than any fan. I guess that's the nature of my whole feeling about the fan/performer relationship. Every year, I see kids work and develop their understanding and tastes, and hear 'fans' ask for the same vanilla ice cream they had when they were little. I'll fully admit to being a product of a different time, but I love that drum corps is still evolving (albeit slow).

J

[Tom Brace]

I'm with you on that one Jim. The concert number gave you a chance to bring your "A" game instead of having to march ALL the time. It was a nice break in the action and quite entertaining. I kind of miss it.

I don't. It never stopped the show for me, but it certainly slowed it to a crawl. Same with the park and bark sections in later era selections. Move people! Concerts are for stages.

[MikeD]

If you mean the "concert" number at times that was one of the most interesting parts of the show. Corps could open up and try things that they couldn't do while marching. Or at least have the music arranged in a way that wouldn't be butchered to fit in the movement. BITD it gave more ideas of what was possible with horns and drums instead of following same old, same old.

I never cared for concert numbers overall, with a few exceptions, of course. I liked the idea of fitting music and drill together. That to me was the point of drum corps shows. And it WAS pretty much the "same old, same old"...just standing still.

[JamMan]

And oh yean! you're bound to have more fun when you're 15 or so on your way to a place you've never been as opposed to now - fun was different back then because every road trip was not precluded with an internet search. It was "adventure" fun. Not "I hope I don't get a STD or pregnant" fun.

Really? The Laws of Nature have somehow changed since you've marched? Pretty sure I know someone who got a girl pregnant on tour BITD. And nowadays, no one. I'm not just saying "kids will be kids", but when you join a corps, sex is not the first thing on your mind. Or second.

Only when playing at a horse track, town square, or victory concert. And maybe an early season show where the drill for that piece wasn't finished. Noting how tours used to last 3 months-ish.

As opposed to modern corps where the drumline tacets and sits down during the ballad. Or over half of your corps doesn't march at all in the massive pit. Not that I've seen many modern corps, generally by the time it gets to the top six, I've since left the stands to shop for souvies or to hang out with folks out of view of the field. I think I've been to two or three shows where BD were performing, but still haven't actually seen BD since 1993. Oh wait, I did manage to catch them at DCI finals 2007.

"Massive pit"? All 12 of them? Boohoo. 12 less people in the hornline. I guess they have nothing better to do than to contribute to a more completely orchestrated experience. Well, the monotone bassline of yesteryear has turned in the the polyphonic bassline of today. The trio and flubs have turned into the tenorline. The snareline's the same. The cymbal line, timpani line and marching xylophone and bells have moved to the front. Same amount of people, different location. "Massive pit" indeed.

Also, if you've been going to the souvies for the Top 6, you must have missed BD '00, '03 and '04; my faves from the past decade. If you watch the older stuff, then those, you can really appreciate how time has aged drum corps. Even '05 and '06 are great. Give drum corps a chance.

Music may have gotten "tougher" since the early 90's (or maybe easier, since before they were playing in G), but it's much less melodic.

"Less melodic" because nowadays they're "arrangements" instead of "transcriptions."

Why not? We never stopped moving to do the macarena like todays corps do.

You just stopped to play a whole tune.

You should listen to more than just the hornline. I'm pretty sure I've marched for 6 years where the corps played the whole time.

[jdostie]

I'm with you on that one Jim. The concert number gave you a chance to bring your "A" game instead of having to march ALL the time. It was a nice break in the action and quite entertaining. I kind of miss it.

It gave the Contra from North Star the opportunity to sit down and play a solo!

[Piper]

I guess that I just prefer the music over the motion - but that's just me.

[Puppet]

Really? The Laws of Nature have somehow changed since you've marched? Pretty sure I know someone who got a girl pregnant on tour BITD. And nowadays, no one. I'm not just saying "kids will be kids", but when you join a corps, sex is not the first thing on your mind. Or second.

I hazard a guess that my BITD preceeds your BITD by at least 10 years?

Fourteen and fifteen year old people in the mid sixties were quite different from eighteen and nineteen year old people in the seventies and eighties.

And sure there may have been a few cases as you describe among the older kids; yes you're right. But we didn't have sex thrown at us from every every possible venue simply because we didn't have those same venues.

There were, BTW quite a few references about pregnancy on a recent thread concerning hygiene while on tour just a few weeks ago.

All I was trying to convey was that 4 decades ago, people thought differently.

That young people today don't understand or even question the idea that at one time there were no ATM machines, there was only the "Bank Of Dad."

Portable music was re-played on cassette machines; pay 'phones were our cell 'phones.

When I was 13 the very idea of a personal computer was 2 decades in the future.

It was different - everything was different.

Not worse, not better ... just different.

Puppet

[JimF-LowBari]

I never cared for concert numbers overall, with a few exceptions, of course. I liked the idea of fitting music and drill together. That to me was the point of drum corps shows. And it WAS pretty much the "same old, same old"...just standing still.

For the most part they were a needed evil like having to put in a Color Pre even if it didn't fit the show. The ones that stick out for me were the ones that could not be marched to due to tempo changes, very slow (only one I can think of and that was Bolero ca 1955), and just plain WTF. Had to be some that you'd miss the complexity of the arrangement unless the corps was right in front of you but can't think of any examples right now.

My two favorites were just fun to watch and/or listen to so no way in Hades would they be considered in todays mentality of trying to impress with complexity. Both were from 1974, Troopers 800 versions of "Yellow Rose of Texas" (seemed like 800 versions in 2 or so minutes) and Yankee Rebels (Sr) "Minstral Show" (still hoping for a vid of THAT).

Maybe tomorrow I can come up with a better rebuttal but my brains (and EARS) are still ringing form the Harrisburg concert last night, the PADCHOF breakfast this morning... and 3 hours of practice this afternoon..... ugh.......

Edited April 20, 2009 by JimF-3rdBari

[Puppet]

For the most part they were a needed evil like having to put in a Color Pre even if it didn't fit the show. The ones that stick out for me were the ones that could not be marched to due to tempo changes, very slow (only one I can think of and that was Bolero ca 1955), and just plain WTF. Had to be some that you'd miss the complexity of the arrangement unless the corps was right in front of you but can't think of any examples right now.

My two favorites were just fun to watch and/or listen to so no way in Hades would they be considered in todays mentality of trying to impress with complexity. Both were from 1974, Troopers 800 versions of "Yellow Rose of Texas" (seemed like 800 versions in 2 or so minutes) and Yankee Rebels (Sr) "Minstral Show" (still hoping for a vid of THAT).

Maybe tomorrow I can come up with a better rebuttal but my brains (and EARS) are still ringing form the Harrisburg concert last night, the PADCHOF breakfast this morning... and 3 hours of practice this afternoon..... ugh.......

Hey,in '71 people used to call our 206 versions of Three Blind Mice In Symphony Hall Concert just fun to listen to. Judges didn't like it much.

And that was no resting piece, either.

Just wanted to hop OT for a bit. And while I'm here just wanted to mention that true theme shows for Juniors in DCI weren't really perfected to their complete fullest IMHO until the '91 Rome Show by Star. Of course they did take it out of Earth's orbit in'93 with that mind bending Medea show.

Puppet

[soccerguy315]

As opposed to modern corps where the drumline tacets and sits down during the ballad. Or over half of your corps doesn't march at all in the massive pit.

back to 4th grade math with you!