Fix Retreat

[Dave]

That's very strange...I wonder why they decided to do that.

[corpsreps]

That's very strange...I wonder why they decided to do that.

So that the performer would have a larger audience.

[Tom Brace]

So that the performer would have a larger audience.

except it didn't work so well on Semis night...most of the crowd was long gone just after BD played.

[MBbabe]

I have to say some of the comments on here are "interesting". I find it interesting that all the complaints being made are from the "previous generation" if you will. Keep in mind I'm 41, so I can say some of this because well, I'm a member of that! LOL

I have yet to see any complaints about retreat by corps MEMBERS, if I missed one/some, my bad, but come on folks, retreat is for THE CORPS. Maybe they don't want to play their instruments anymore, maybe the want to be brought onto the field with "today's music" maybe they like the smoke and lights. I just don't like that SPECTATORS want to change things that let's face it, is not for them/us. All these "kids" have worked the back sides off the entire summer, don't they deserve a little fanfair, don't they deserve what THEY like?!

You must be forgetting about the spectators who in some cases had to pay $125 a seat to sit on the 5 yard line. It's still the spectators that pay to see corps compete. Maybe it would be ok if the stands were empty and they got to play the music the corps members liked. Wouldn't that be great in your mind?

[Powderkeg]

The retreat issues as I recall began back in the era when they hosted back to back championships (96, 97, and 98?) in Orlando. It was then that I noticed that it was suddenly OK to have the staff, bus drivers, cooks, and everyone else for that matter hang out in the back of the field while the scores were announced. Over a period of a couple of years there was a transition from the corps members only on the field to a small army which in turn caused disorganization and delayed the corps from exiting the field in a timely manner.

Eliminating the corps playing one last piece of music whether it be SCV "Clowns," Madison "You'll never Walk Alone," Phantom "Amazing Grace," or whatever, as I see it was a way to cut the program short, when keeping order and removing those from the field that did not belong there in the first place was the true solution. Looking back this was a major mistake, and took away a sense of nostalgia, along with a tremendous marketing opportunity for not only the corps members, but the fans.

The last finals that I recall done right was 1994 in Boston when they closed the season out with the 27th Lancer alumni corps on finals night. It was the last of DCI (along with George Bonfiglio) truly understanding how to market the activity to the masses. As I recall Drum Corps World's championship edition had the headline "Blue Devils win DCI, 27th Lancers Alumni steal the show." It was a night for all drum corps fans young and old. Those of us that were in the stands will never forget it. It was in a great drum corps town, and was a welcome relief from the disaster in Jackson Mississippi the previous year.

This year was cheesy and has brought DCI one step closer to the band activity. It has also made it painfully obvious to me just how out of tune DCI is with the fans, and how far off the track DCI is.

Sorry state of affairs if you ask me.

[AlexL]

someone should tell him that most recent alumni cannot pay to fly across the country, 3+ nights in a hotel, and $300 for tickets to the show for 3 days.

I bet the majority of recent alumni who are there get in for free by volunteering with their old corps.

not entirely true. There are a lot of corps within driving distance, and thus, a lot of recent alums within driving distance. I stayed at a house of a recent alum that crammed in over 20 recent alums finals night (about 10 semis night) to save money. A lot of corps alums in the indiana area id bet, so id bet we werent the only place that happened. And im sure a lot more crammed into hotels 'drum corps style' and crammed 8 people in a room (i did that for the san antonio regional)

And getting in by volunteering isnt as easy as you think. Each corps only gets a certain amount of staff badges and wristbands, and by finals week there are an overabundance of people wanting to volunteer sometimes. From my experience in 07, we didnt have enough to cover some of the volunteers who just jumped on finals week. They get divvied out based on who did the most over the summer.

[tommyfromhowardst]

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 ####### with tradition!

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

Agreed.

And while they're there, it would be cool if all 12 corps could learn one tune and play it all together once before they play themselves off the field. Audience too. 1200 musicians and 30,000 vocalists performing the Flintstones theme or MacAurther Park etc. Everyone's already standing there, might as well.

[DheereCrossing]

I have to give a +1 for the idea of bringing back the retreat of the late 1980's. Bring 'em all out as a group (fun to see who is the longest...), announce the scores while the corps pose in the background. Let them be dismissed in reverse order, playing a bit and then saluting the winner of the show as they leave with some show of respect and major crowd appreciation.

[skewerz]

I like that theyre trying new things. What they did lighting-wise was cool... and honestly, i have no problem with the smoke and such. A lof of you are like "but wgi does it" (so of course it must be bad)... but wgi does it because OTHER big name events do it. For an organization that brands itself as "marching music's major league", its good to see them acting like a major league activity. The lights and the ring-board worked very well. The smoke was almost a dud, but could work well if the kinks were worked out. Lets keep in mind this is year one in this stadium. Since we're at the same one theyll be able to tweak it and make the best product knowing what works in that stadium better.

Then again, i'm a brass guy... i come to see great brasslines and the 'whole package' that shows put together. I dont get much out of watching a drumline play cadences for 30 minutes while everyone gets on the field. I actually liked that they were adding some music. Would i have chosen different music? Most definitely. And they probably couldve cranked the subs a bit.

As to the miley song in the finals sum-up video... i dunno, it worked for me. I mean, go look at the lyrics to 'the climb' and tell me how that cannot apply to the experience marching a season.

However, I defintely would have liked to see something played at retreat. Whether that be a mass-brass piece or it be corps playing mini-encores.

it's not "well, wgi does it so it must be bad"...it's that DCI has to copy anything and everything there is, and change what used to be a unique activity into something that already exists. When drum corps is finally and irrevocably changed into a combination of BOA and WGI, what will be the use of going to a drum corps show?

let drum corps be drum corps...

[bluehull]

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 ####### with tradition!

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

I agree with what you say.... It has turned into a slam bam thank you maam affair. Let the corps play themselves off the field rather than the unrelated blather that is being forced fed down our throats. Who are the ones responsible for the continuous departure from what this activity used to be.? forty % of the fans care who wins!, the other sixty are cheering for everyone, and are looking for the pagentry and show that retreat used to be. The parking lot seems to be the site of actual retreat these days. Bluecoats on the field without horns.. Who's idea was that?