Audience Comments!

[bstar82]

In both 2004 and 2005, I found at San Antonio the loudest sections (talking-wise) during the shows to be the area roped off for the corps staffs. Clearly, cheering for your corps is fine - those are your kids. But there's no need to have a full-on loud conversation during the entire performance. This may be your 100th time seeing the show, but it was my one and only.

Mike

Funny how you mentioned San Antonio. I appreciate that they actually rope off a section for the staff members. But it doesn't end there. I usually have seats between the 45's every year and close to this area and some staffs are so huge, there isn't enough room for all of them. One reason is they are all not staff members. I have recognized many recent local age outs of each corps hanging out with the staffs in this section and that's part of the problem. Which leads to my next point. I have witnessed a hall of famer ( name withheld) sit in what looks like an empty seat near the staff area only to be confronted by a paying fan that he is in their seat. This "hall of famer" has the audacity to flip out his staff lanyard and proclaim, "I can sit anywhere I need to to watch my corps". He told him to find an empty seat close by while his corps was performing. I stood up for the old guy who looked as shocked as everybody else within hearing distance. I asked the instructor," Are you f#@^&*g kidding me? Who do you think you are kicking somebody outta their seat because you're in the hall of fame and some sort of bad a## instructor"? The old man had called his bluff and grabbed an usher and he made the same bombastic claim to the usher at which point the usher told him, " You can either get where you belong or I'm going to have the off duty police escort you off the premises". Well Mr. I'm better than any of you moved where he was told. Sad that it had to come to that, for somebody who represents any corps and DCI that has to act that way to a paying customer is beyond me.

[relmquist]

sounds like this guy is trying to brainwash the audience members by telling them what to think about george hopkins...

i never understood the problems with the "hashmark incident" - if any other director would have said something everyone would have been like "that makes sense, every corps deserves a fair playing field" but since it was george we might as well have had another ice age right then and there cause the world came to an end... as i performer it sucks not have hash marks as a check point.. if you can see that one form ended up 2 steps too far forward of the hash and have to move backwards after that set, you know you have to compensate to make it back far enough. without those guides moving at the speed the cadets do people can get hurt really quickly (i dont see any other corps do swinging gate type moves into 1 step interval company fronts at 200 bpms) but if there is nothing to go off of...

You obviously weren't there.

This was a live telecast.

I've seen them practice without hashmarks.

Enough said.

[BRASSO]

You obviously weren't there.

This was a live telecast.

I've seen them practice without hashmarks.

Enough said.

Then what was George Hopkins motivation to do what he did with his Corps ?

Edited March 1, 2010 by BRASSO

[relmquist]

He is a polarizing figure.... a lightening rod..... but hasn't Mark Arnold of the Blue Knights ( and a few others ) been even MORE of an advocate for much more progressive ( others would say radical ) changes to take place in what becomes allowable on the field for competition ? Even more so than Hopkins ?

You left out the Blue Devils! They never get blamed by the anti-progressive crowd and they are always at the forefront of change.

[MikeN]

In Mark's defense, remember the RAMD petition against Bb's in 2000? He was the one (the only one, IIRC) willing to take it to the Board meeting / vote, at least until some of the more ... militant... folks who added to it caused him to rethink that stance.

Mike

[MikeN]

Then what was George Hopkins motivation to do what he did with his Corps ?

From the way I saw it, yes, the crowd overreacted, but again, it was less to do with the hashes than with a decade's worth of emotion. Either way, it wasn't pretty, and nobody came off looking good. Well, except The Cadets - their show was pretty good.

Mike

[relmquist]

Then what was George Hopkins motivation to do what he did with his Corps ?

He is the only one who can answer that.

I actually like George's devotion to his corps and have told him this.

In this situation though, he made a bad call. He should have understood the feelings in the crowd and decided not to press their buttons. He knew what the popular feeling was and still made the choice. It was the wrong call.

[jjeffeory]

You left out the Blue Devils! They never get blamed by the anti-progressive crowd and they are always at the forefront of change.

That's very true. I wonder why that is? Blue Devils have a better marketing team? I'm serious.

[Richard]

Funny how you mentioned San Antonio. I appreciate that they actually rope off a section for the staff members. But it doesn't end there. I usually have seats between the 45's every year and close to this area and some staffs are so huge, there isn't enough room for all of them. One reason is they are all not staff members. I have recognized many recent local age outs of each corps hanging out with the staffs in this section and that's part of the problem. Which leads to my next point. I have witnessed a hall of famer ( name withheld) sit in what looks like an empty seat near the staff area only to be confronted by a paying fan that he is in their seat. This "hall of famer" has the audacity to flip out his staff lanyard and proclaim, "I can sit anywhere I need to to watch my corps". He told him to find an empty seat close by while his corps was performing. I stood up for the old guy who looked as shocked as everybody else within hearing distance. I asked the instructor," Are you f#@^&*g kidding me? Who do you think you are kicking somebody outta their seat because you're in the hall of fame and some sort of bad a## instructor"? The old man had called his bluff and grabbed an usher and he made the same bombastic claim to the usher at which point the usher told him, " You can either get where you belong or I'm going to have the off duty police escort you off the premises". Well Mr. I'm better than any of you moved where he was told. Sad that it had to come to that, for somebody who represents any corps and DCI that has to act that way to a paying customer is beyond me.

Being moderately familiar with the types of egos on some DCI instructors, this unfortunately doesn't surprise me.

You left out the Blue Devils! They never get blamed by the anti-progressive crowd and they are always at the forefront of change.

lulz. When it comes to show design they routinely get lambasted.

Edited March 1, 2010 by Richard

[boxingfred]

You obviously weren't there.

This was a live telecast.

I've seen them practice without hashmarks.

Enough said.

When did you see them practice without hash marks? I was with them all summer.