Tonight I felt like an old timer!

[Michael Boo]

great way to keep the business alive. that attitude is what has hurt drum corps

Thank you, Jeff. That's what I was trying to say when I mentioned it would be better to say nothing.

[Jeff Ream]

I don't know, I haven't experienced any 'ovations' in the last ten years in any audience I've been part of that equal the ones I experienced on the field IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OPENING TUNE! And we hadn't even gotten to the drum solo yet where people really went nuts for us.

I think if you haven't been part of the scene in 75 in Philadelphia, or 72 in Whitewater, or 71 at the U.S. Open, 84 in Atlanta, or 76 in Clawson, Michigan you have no comparitor, so the polite stand up and clap I see today (08 Phantom @ finals excepted) may seem like it's the bomb, but it really isn't.

I want an SCV 04 and 09 every year and every step off from every corps, not just from one corps every five years (I didn't see Phantom 08, it looks on dvd like I missed a really good one). I go to a show and want to lose a lung screaming and hurt my hand clapping, there's just isn't anything being offered to do that. Sure the technical stuff is mind blowing, but the lack of emotion grabbing 'design' all these 'designers' can't write is stunning.

I miss being yanked out of my seat by something that isn't 220 pounds and ugly. That said, I am in awe of what the corps are doing, for the most part. I do listen to the music in the off-season, I'm interested - but I also like going to classical music concerts too. That's where I want to sit and contemplate and wait until the end to applaud politely, not in a football stadium.

You say you hear the arguments, but are you listening to the core of what people are saying. It's isnt' the rule changes, or technical changes people really are disappointed with. Those are just symptoms people blame and those with the power to change pursue to recapture something lost. What is lost is a reason to throw babies. That can be done with any instrument in any venue when you think about it. It can happen with saxaphones, rattles and zithers.

Some of us miss being truly moved, that's all. And lets not forget the moving epxperience includes those around you and when they aren't moved either, there is no infection - get it.

Regards,

John

the last paragraph is

[wvu80]

"Revenge is a dish best served dead."

Drum corps, on the other hand, is an activity best seen LIVE!

As an old guy, you should know this.

+++

The FN is not the best vehicle for our activity. It is video and audio at internet quality, not broadcast quality. It feeds the need for us drum corps nuts, but it is truly not for the average person, or a good experience for a first time fan.

I even had my girlfriend, someone who has never seen a drum corp show, sit on the couch watching.

Big mistake, my friend. She must like you a lot to put up with drum corps just so she can spend "quality time" with you. Now you have to sit through a chick flick with her.

I hope it was worth it.

[Mellofello01]

I'll agree with you %100 on that one! No matter how big of screen I projected last nights show on, nothing compares to a live performance!

This!!

Definition of a Drum Corps dinosaur:

Aging out of an Alumni corps

[Jeff Ream]

Dear Freelancer 92 -

I agree with you - last night I was just watching clips on youtube from shows this year - and I have to agree - drumcorps doesn't appeal to me anymore - I enjoy following the scores and the standings, and it makes me happy to see certain corps do well - but even with my favorite corps, I'm really not interested in seeing or hearing what they are doing with their on field projections.

I aged out in 91 - we marched through the golden age of drum corps - that era is gone and will never return.

Corps designers are not interested in entertaining the audience - they are interested in impressing the judges and the top echelon of drum corps designers.

It's kind of an emperor has no clothes kind of a thing going on - people in the inner circle of course want to be accepted, so of course they say - yes! That's great! (even knowing that the new designs don't engage the audience)

I'm not going to gas and carp about this - you know what I mean and I agree with you - even if I could afford to go to shows, I wouldn't.

Since leaving drumcorps, I have gotten into traditional folk music like bluegrass and Irish traditional music - in these musical forms, the musicians appreciate and respect their roots - they are free to innovate but they always acknowledge the tradition and will perform the classic tunes.

I'm anxious to see what cesario's judging study says, because I have heard him at a clinic say exactly what you have bolded.

[Jeff Ream]

Thank you, Jeff. That's what I was trying to say when I mentioned it would be better to say nothing.

no problem. Look, i'm not saying the on field product makes me dance for joy the last few years. But, after the Januals, I have hope they're looking at some things, and can tke some feedback to the corps. In January, when most corps have picked their shows, it may be a little too late.

While seeing one show a year ( minus 08, there was 2) that had people throwing babies DURING the show isn't the best way to capture the paying public, it shows it's not dead yet either.

Do I have hope for change? Sure I do. Even when I ##### on here at my worst, I have some hope....after all, I'm returning to finals thisyear for the first time since 02, even tho i despise drum corps in a ####### dome.

I do see tho, all G7 stuff aside, people listening in the corps. I do see potential this year in terms of fan friendlier design that doesnt require a doctorate level reading course to get.

but I despise the attitude of "if you dont like it, go the #### away".

Why? Because too many people have been told that, and far too many walked away.

And that is stupid business, because with fewer corps, and kids not having the loyalty they used to, the numbers of fans to replace those who have walked or will soon walk is NOT enough to replace those already gone or on their way out the door.

[contrajedi8]

Personally, I'm finding 2010 a far more entertaining year than 2009.

2009 was a dreadful year for drum corps. Maybe the worst of the 200? decade.

I was entertained by 2 shows in 2009: Boston and SCV.

This year is much different. See below.

[chadwick]

I have to admit, I agree with the OP on some level. I wish there were more shows that had that impact that 08 Phantom had were you could feel the reaction of the whole stadium....everyone up well before the show.

But one of the things that just didn't sit well with me at the Gadsden show was the electronics. The synths/sound effects/vocals....it just really bothered me. But I did notice that all the high school/middle school kids LOVED it. They reacted more to cool sound effects than they did with great musical passages.

I'm still excited about going to the show tonight in ATL and going to Indy in a couple weeks though. I just don't feel that we have a show this year that really makes the crowd go nuts (haven't seen Madison yet though).

[joeybabay]

I have to admit for the first time in the 25 years I've been either participating or following this activity, I finally feel like one of those "old timers" who just dont get the direction of this activity. Im not talking about electronics, vocals, preshows, or any other of the rule changes that have taken place over the last 5 to 10 years. I dont see the diversity or passion written into the shows anymore. There is no question the kids in this activity are highly trained, extremely hard workers with a passion for perfection that many of our nations youth will never achieve.

There was not a single show tonight that grabbed me, threw me down in my seat and then made me jump up before the last notes screaming like a little school girl with goose bumps covering my entire body.

Probably not the answer you are wanting to hear - but even a spectator has to "grow" with the art form which this truly is. We would hear these same arguments in modern classical music, dance, art - whether at an art gallery or on a stage. It is part of pushing the envelope forward and trying new things on. There will be trends and fads - but when looking back there will be monumental steps taken. SO in that regard, you just have to allow yourself to be part of that process too rather than just a fan sitting in the stands expecting what you are already comfortable with.

That is where I see much criticism of the judges here. But both they and the current "fans" are digging in there and appreciating some fabulous new skill being tried with a sabre and handcuffs, or the movement that a battery can now do with a snare brace on their body, or how a horn line can continue to play while incorporating bizarre movement. Perhaps it is just an overwhelming sense of too much to watch or take in because it is out of our comfort zone? I know I am trying to strap myself around that with Blue Devils show this season: On first grasp you wonder what is the whole point? - but with patience and some scrutinizing you start to see the boundless possibilities that are presented to us and appreciate them for what they are. Open doors rather than close them.

[brassyNsassy]

Perhaps if you would read my post carefully before firing off a reactionary reply, you would have understood the following to be THREE different groups of people!

It would be impossible to satisfy you (the OP), the guys that want the 70's back (another group that wants something even more traditional) and today's audience (the vast majority of who goes to shows these days).

When people (lots of them, not just the OP) make statements like "There's NO passion in drum corps anymore" or "audiences don't react with enhusiasm anymore to ANY shows", etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. and on and on and on and on and on, I feel the need to point out that there are lots of people over 40 that still LOVE drum corps and still get goosebumps and still think that the corps are truly amazing.

From what I can see at the shows I go to, people are still showing up to watch. They cheer for the corps. The corps still amaze us time after time. IT IS STILL DRUM CORPS.

I think my post is pretty open minded. Maybe if I would have replace all the times I ued the word "YOU" with "ONE", you may not have thought I was talking only to the OP. His post has been seen here many times in different forms. My overall point is that longing for the good old days is a pointless endeavor. People have been doing it for all of drum orps history and things only continue to change. Whatever YOUR favorite era of drum corps happens to be, IT IS GONE FOREVER (unless it happens to always be "Tomorrow")

Sorry if I sound passionate about my opinion. Actually, no I'm not. Drum corps is a passionate activity that brings it out of me.

I see, so he doesn't have an open mind because he points out the obvious in DCI or wants the 70's back? Where in the OP does he even come close to saying that or even had MARCHED in the 70's? Again, if one TRULY had an open mind, instead of ranting how others do not, one would read and comprehend what he and others are saying. There is VERY little left that tethers current drum corps to the past (and it's history); be it the "experience" as some call it or whatever.