Audience Comments!

[corps-mudgeon]

Orlando, 1997. Damien, I know you worked just as hard as everyone else in the Glassmen. But I got to sit next to your family at finals. Your extended family:

Is this Damien's group?

No, he is with the Glassmen. They go on in a little while.

Is this Damien's group?

No, he is with the Glassmen. They might be next. I'll check the program.

Is this Damien's group?

No, he is with the Glassmen. Like it says on your tee-shirt. And your seat cushion. I'm not sure who this is.

Is this Damien's group?

No, he is with the Glassmen. Right here in the program it says they are next.

Is this Damien's group?

Yes, this is the Glassmen.

It's Damien! It's Damien! Which one is Damien?

He plays baritone.

Is that a big instrument?

Yes. He's right there on the 45 yard line.

No, that's a girl.

Behind the girl, moving to his left.

IT'S DAMIEN!!!!!!!!! Where did he go now? Why are the flags in the way?

He's on the 40 now, to the 35, and he's stopped there (standing and pointing now) right there.

WOW, THEY WERE GREAT! I can't believe how much better they were than everybody else. They are so going to win.

I wonder what Damien's doing now. He was SO GREAT.....

Shhhhhh. The next group is playing now.

But they were AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

Shhhhhh. The next group is playing now.

I don't think this group is better than Damien's group.

This was funny. And oh so true! lol.

[CuriousMe]

For some perspective on how Drum Corps marchers btw. the ages of 18-22 are treated :

This weekend, in every state in America, some 18-22 year old college basketball player ( an amateur as well ) will get off a team bus on a college campus and will be immediately heckled, booed, hissed, ridiculed, called names.

That 18-22 year older will next enter the arena,.. and will be heckled and booed once again. They will do their warm ups, and be heckled. Then their personal NAME will be called out over a loud speaker, and profanity laced catcalls will be PERSONALLY brought down on them. When they sit on the bench, the catcalls will continue.

This is all before the game even starts. Once the game begins, it gets worse. If they miss a short, howls of laughter will rain down on that player. Personally. That player will hear his mother, father, sister, etc called every obscene thing immaginable. They will call out his name in loud ridicule. When he attempts to take a foul shot, the crowd will try and distract him with arms waving, and with more catcalls and derision. The booers will not be seated and far away. The booers will be standing, and in some cases, no more than a couple of feet away from the player. Some players will be spat on. After the game, whether the team loses the game or not, the player will exit the arena. As they exit, the player will need in some cases to duck their heads so as to not have popcorn, beer, coke, water, rain down on their heads. Security personnel will try as best they can to minimize the harrassment, but to little avail. Security will consider a success, getting the player and coaches and teamates safely out to the team bus and in one piece. Once the player gets to the team bus, sometimes the team bus has been known to have objects like eggs and water balloons, coke bottles, and worse, thrown at it as it fnally exits the campus with the middle finger extended by booers to the player as he looks though the bus window exiting the campus parking lot...... and it's only months away now from Spring college football season..... and for this basketall player ?..... he'll do it all again in less than 72 hours.

Now,.................... what was it we were talking about that happened again to a Corps regarding some boos they heard that happened around 1993, I believe ?..... or in a movie theatre a few years ago about 1500 miles away from where the Corps was taking the field ?

right, but by parents? You're talking about college basketball....the audience, for the most part, is made up of college students (yes, I know there are others there as well) but most of the behavior you're speaking of will be performed by students from the opposing college.

I think that a stadium full of folks closer to 60 yrs old than 20 yrs old is a completely different situation.

[BRASSO]

right, but by parents? You're talking about college basketball....the audience, for the most part, is made up of college students (yes, I know there are others there as well) but most of the behavior you're speaking of will be performed by students from the opposing college.

I think that a stadium full of folks closer to 60 yrs old than 20 yrs old is a completely different situation.

Yes, the highly unusual, and exceedingly rare, smattering of quick boos at Drum Corps shows is entirely different than what same age ( 18-22 ) college athlete amateurs encounter on the road. It's like night and day. For the most part, audiences in Drum Corps rarely are hostile to the Drum Corps " performer- athletes ". 18-22 year old college athletes are routinely subjected to the worst of behaviours on the part of fans. Yes, most of the hostility with the booing, catcalls, ridicule, derision, profanity,etc is received predominantly when the visiting player goes on the road. But we all know what happens when the player is havng an off game at home too. That player can get the business from many of their own home town fans too, where quite a few of them will turn on that player in a heartbeat....... thus, there is no question that, on the whole, Drum Corps audiences treat the Corps marchers WAAAAAY better than the typical 18-22 year old amateur college athlete is treated by audiences. And kudos to the Drum Corps audiences too. So far, on the whole, they have been very respectful to the Corps marchers and have almost never degenerated into that level and degree with a full aresenal of bad behaviours we see daily exhibited on college campuses at just about all the college athletic competitions.

Edited March 8, 2010 by BRASSO

[MissionImpossible Scout]

Ive never heard these but Ive heard the stories. I love all the times announcers have asked the crowd to quiet down after a Madison Scouts performance so they can introduce the next corps

[CuriousMe]

And THAT is my biggest beef with the direction DCI took. While I appreciate the major artistic accomplishments and the physical training of todays "select few", I wince at the thought of the hundrends of thousands of kids who were left by the side of the road, ( or thrown under the bus). Was it / is it, worth leaving all those kids behind for the sake of pushing the talent level as far as it could be ? To me, thats "THE" tarnish we must live with and I feel that far outweighs booing Hopkins. For the record, I don't cut any kid from my program no what their talent level. Some of the biggest impacts we can make as teachers are on the kids who are LD. ( not to mention the screwed up kids that remind me of myself )

Let's watch the stereotyping there. Some of us "kids who are LD" did audition and march in competitive corps, even back in the day. LD and talent have nothing to do with each other. LD and intelligence don't even have anything to do with each other.

[CuriousMe]

Yes, the highly unusual, and exceedingly rare, smattering of quick boos at Drum Corps shows is entirely different than what same age ( 18-22 ) college athlete amateurs encounter on the road. It's like night and day. For the most part, audiences in Drum Corps rarely are hostile to the Drum Corps " performer- athletes ". 18-22 year old college athletes are routinely subjected to the worst of behaviours on the part of fans. Yes, most of the hostility with the booing, catcalls, ridicule, derision, profanity,etc is received predominantly when the visiting player goes on the road. But we all know what happens when the player is havng an off game at home too. That player can get the business from many of their own home town fans too, where quite a few of them will turn on that player in a heartbeat....... thus, there is no question that, on the whole, Drum Corps audiences treat the Corps marchers WAAAAAY better than the typical 18-22 year old amateur college athlete is treated by audiences. And kudos to the Drum Corps audiences too. So far, on the whole, they have been very respectful to the Corps marchers and have almost never degenerated into that level and degree with a full aresenal of bad behaviours we see daily exhibited on college campuses at just about all the college athletic competitions.

Hmmmm...wondering if you chose to completely ignore my point or if I really just did that poor of a job explaining it.

My point was that the demographics of the two audiences are vastly different. The college basketball crowd is a MUCH younger crowd (ie many, if not most are 18 - 22 yr olds themselves). This doesn't excuse rude behavior, but it does explain it.

The demographic at a drum corps show (particularly finals) is a whole lot closer to the parents of corps members, vs. 18 - 22 yrs old.

An audience full of folks old enough to parent marching members (and older) booing a bunch of 18 - 22 yr olds....well there's no excuse.

[BRASSO]

Hmmmm...wondering if you chose to completely ignore my point or if I really just did that poor of a job explaining it.

My point was that the demographics of the two audiences are vastly different. The college basketball crowd is a MUCH younger crowd (ie many, if not most are 18 - 22 yr olds themselves). This doesn't excuse rude behavior, but it does explain it.

The demographic at a drum corps show (particularly finals) is a whole lot closer to the parents of corps members, vs. 18 - 22 yrs old.

An audience full of folks old enough to parent marching members (and older) booing a bunch of 18 - 22 yr olds....well there's no excuse.

True. The demographics of Drum Corps shows is typically an older crowd than a college game with more of a college crowd. And booing is not appropriate at any age, but especially the older one becomes, as more civil behaviour should come to the fore as one matures.

Edited March 8, 2010 by BRASSO

[Jeff Ream]

Yes, the highly unusual, and exceedingly rare, smattering of quick boos at Drum Corps shows is entirely different than what same age ( 18-22 ) college athlete amateurs encounter on the road. It's like night and day. For the most part, audiences in Drum Corps rarely are hostile to the Drum Corps " performer- athletes ". 18-22 year old college athletes are routinely subjected to the worst of behaviours on the part of fans. Yes, most of the hostility with the booing, catcalls, ridicule, derision, profanity,etc is received predominantly when the visiting player goes on the road. But we all know what happens when the player is havng an off game at home too. That player can get the business from many of their own home town fans too, where quite a few of them will turn on that player in a heartbeat....... thus, there is no question that, on the whole, Drum Corps audiences treat the Corps marchers WAAAAAY better than the typical 18-22 year old amateur college athlete is treated by audiences. And kudos to the Drum Corps audiences too. So far, on the whole, they have been very respectful to the Corps marchers and have almost never degenerated into that level and degree with a full aresenal of bad behaviours we see daily exhibited on college campuses at just about all the college athletic competitions.

yeah....LOL, try sending them into Duke's arena and let em deal with the Cameron Crazies once.

[Perry S]

Hmmmm...wondering if you chose to completely ignore my point or if I really just did that poor of a job explaining it.

My point was that the demographics of the two audiences are vastly different. The college basketball crowd is a MUCH younger crowd (ie many, if not most are 18 - 22 yr olds themselves). This doesn't excuse rude behavior, but it does explain it.

The demographic at a drum corps show (particularly finals) is a whole lot closer to the parents of corps members, vs. 18 - 22 yrs old.

An audience full of folks old enough to parent marching members (and older) booing a bunch of 18 - 22 yr olds....well there's no excuse.

I agree and when folks start booing I usually have no Issue standing up and letting the know they are acting out like children.