Fix Retreat

[Newseditor44]

Please start the shows earlier. Why are we getting out at 11pm-12am and then starting a final ride back to the hometowns. Also not good for attempting to get younger kids engaged, because it is so late.

Since we are in a dome, there is no reason not to. Wouldn't a 1:00 or 2:pm start time be awesome? I know it takes away from rehearsal time, but if you haven't got the shoe down by now, you shouldn't be performing on Saturday night.

Also, why can't we start semi's a bit earlier as well. Two hours earlier would mean the kids get to bed a few minutes earlier.

And while I am at it, Let's wait to announce the scores on Friday night until after all the corps compete. Makes for a little more excitement.

Edited August 10, 2009 by Newseditor44

[WestCoaster]

Rushed off? They had plenty of time to hang out and waste the fans' time after the Friday night retreat. Maybe we should switch the two nights around?

How was the fans time "wasted" exactly? Was there a performance that was delayed or something?

Just curious.

[IMcomguy]

How was the fans time "wasted" exactly? Was there a performance that was delayed or something?

Just curious.

He's talking about the age-out ceremony after Semis that everyone hung around for so they could hear the final two scores announced... an hour later.

[Grumpy]

I was extremely disappointed in the "retreat", or should I say lack of, at Finals. When I first started going to shows in the 80's, there was always a full retreat at the end of every show. Somewhere along the line, that dwindled to the DM only retreats that we see at local shows now; this year, instead of the tradition of the winning corps of local shows giving the encore, if there was one it was a pre-selected corps. Now we get to Finals, and instead of being treated to the spectacle of all corps coming out together in an Olympic-style retreat, we get our corps coming on one at a time, with smoke and pop and rap music. Sorry, but you really need to learn to "dance with the one that brought ya"...go back to the full Olympic retreat with the U.S. Marines Drum & Bugle Corps playing the corps out. Is it too much to ask to hear hundreds of horns mass together for "America the Beautiful/O Canada"? EVERY year that I heard this at finals, it was GUARANTEED goose bumps! For goodness sake, let the kids play themselves off the field...for some of us, this may be the only opportunity we have all year to hear Conquest, Send In The Clowns, Over the Rainbow (this year excepted-thanks Crown!), When A Man Loves A Woman, etc. ...you get the idea. What happened to the usual "special" exhibition this year? We know Star is organizing an alumni corps for next year, but you couldn't come up with ANYONE this year? And I also find it odd that the Spirit of Disney award just quietly disappeared and went away with no explanation. Can DCI not share this bit of news with us? Perhaps if we were aware that Disney was discontinuing their sponsorship and enough of us contacted Disney to express our displeasure, they might change their minds...a long shot, I know, but stranger things have happened.

[AlexL]

And I also find it odd that the Spirit of Disney award just quietly disappeared and went away with no explanation. Can DCI not share this bit of news with us?

Now we have the "fan network award", which i actually like better.

[Slides of Mass Destruction]

What happened to the usual "special" exhibition this year? We know Star is organizing an alumni corps for next year, but you couldn't come up with ANYONE this year? And I also find it odd that the Spirit of Disney award just quietly disappeared and went away with no explanation. Can DCI not share this bit of news with us? Perhaps if we were aware that Disney was discontinuing their sponsorship and enough of us contacted Disney to express our displeasure, they might change their minds...a long shot, I know, but stranger things have happened.

Yeah, so this is the first i'm hearing of DCI losing Disney...(didn't attend finals this yr) AND wow, I've always enjoyed the exhibition, I'm sry one didn't happen this yr.

So, lemme not waste board space.

I am a proponent of showing respect to the winning corps in some way shape or form. I would love for corps to play their own corps songs for the victors, but realistically, it might be easier for a salute of some kind as the corps leave the field.

To make room for corps to play their songs, I also promote starting the venue earlier. I understand this would be costly, but with DCI's prices being where they are, I don't really see how adding an hour or 2 to the start of the program can be much of a problem.

[LSU GRAD 82]

Pardon me for being rude about this DCI, this is getting ridiculous. Knock the krap off and return the activity to its roots. It changes every year and fans, and performers are getting sick of it.

-Let the kids play themselves off the field. We're in a dome, late night noise shouldn't be an issue anymore. It's the last night of our season, let the kids have some fan and let the fans hear a bit more from the kids one more time.

-Nix the smoke and lights. This isn't WWF

-Give the kids a few moments to take some pictures and shake hands with some of the other performers. They've earned it. It's tradition. Stop f**king with tradition!

You have the power to fix it... do something right for a change.

The abomination that's become DCI is alienating a higher and higher % of fans with each passing year. The "Delicate Genius's" are venturing into no man's land and are just about to reach the point of no return. If they continue on the present course, the stands are going to be sparsely populated with mostly high school/college marching band kids, recent DCI age-outs and parents/relatives of current Corps members...........

[mello_laurel]

With the current finals week schedule, World Class finals can't start that much earlier, as Open Class finals started at 10 am, ended at about 2 (ish?), then the Marine D&BC rehearsed, the doors opened at 4:30, and the show started at about 5:30.

I thought the retreat was atrocious. The lighting, fine, but the music coming from the speakers? Not ok. I thought that it was disrespectful and belittling to all of the work the kids put in this summer. Have someone march them on, PLEASE... open class champ? Marine D&BC (although I did love hanging out with someone with whom I marched, who is now there)? The drumline who came into finals with the highest score?? SOMEONE?

Edited August 11, 2009 by mello_laurel

[G-Rott]

Well...while we're discussing Finals week...here are my thoughts...even though they aren't all specific to retreat:

1) There needs to be a way for the fans to access the souvie stands the whole time. I only had tickets for finals, and was not permitted into the souvie area before Saturday because I needed a ticket and my ticket was only for Saturday. I had actually purchased the Crown VIP tickets and was told to pick them up at Crown's Souvie stands on Thursday. I didn't have a ticket for Thursday's show. I had to leave my handicapped wife with security as collateral in order to permit one person to go in and get our stuff...and this was after considerable convincing at the gate...Not right...

2) Although I like the souvie area inside...I did feel it was kinda cramped compared to other finals.

3) I loved the fact that I could walk from my hotel to the stadium. It really felt like a drum corps town..

4) $125 per seat to sit on the 5 yard line...??????

5) Thank you for putting railings in the seating area...it makes it much easier for my wife who has difficulty walking.

6) And while we're on the subject, to get to our seats we were directed to the elevator near the souvie stands....it wasn't working...so we had to take the escalator up the first flight. My wife has alot of difficulty with escalators. Then to get to the next level...the escalator AND working elevators were at the other end of the stadium. It just wasn't marked well and we didn't think it was designed well for people with handicaps. The event staff were nice and all, but the signage wasn't good...

7) I was generally ok with the closed dome stadium. I wasn't a fan of the sound...I had trouble hearing the brass over the percussion. Of course..being on the 5 yard line in the $125 seats may have hindered the brass sound a bit. :-(

8) I loved all the TV's in the concession areas...

9) What was the purpose of that noise they were playing on the sound system while the corps came in for retreat? I was fine with the dimmed lights, spots, smoke, even with one corps at a time...but that music? Please.....

10) As with everyone...I'm sure...I did not totally agree with all of the judges placements of the corps...

[TerriTroop]

Please start the shows earlier. Why are we getting out at 11pm-12am and then starting a final ride back to the hometowns. Also not good for attempting to get younger kids engaged, because it is so late.

Well, I'm going to go against the grain on this one. I have a 5 year old, and I'm a music teacher at a private school. I teach in grades 3-12, so it's not that I have a bias against children. I just believe that Finals is not the place to try to get younger kids engaged. A lot of the people at finals spent a lot of time and effort to save the money to fly there from far-flung places. Finals night in particular is an event that I wouldn't bring my daughter to. While she is very well-behaved and knows her audience manners, it's just not fair to her or to the grown ups around me to tempt fate just in case she has an off night.

Instead, take them to a local show so you can easily bail if a child is just not into it or is disruptive. Take them to the lot at quarters or semi's. Take them to the earlier portions of the shows at Quarters or Semi's. But my strong preference is to have younger children (I'm assuming 8 and under, or so) stay home on Finals night.