The Kids work hard, but I still don't like it.

[luvs me sum mello!]

Remember, kids, Star of Indiana used to be artistic elitist BS back in the day. ;)

[MikeD]

To me, the CDs are more important than the DVDs - the music is more important than the drill - no matter what decade.

To that end, the past few years of DCI have.. not impressed overall...

(Shrug)

Why? I find the visual and audio to be equally important, and that goes back to my first exposure to corps, 1964. That's why I was ecstatic to find out about the Haas videos.

[MikeD]

But just as many actually do

No, in reality one more film score than half the total does not stand on it's own, so I win!

[TooMello]

Couldn't you say, on the same token, since you didn't march in the 2000's decade (like me), that you don't have a reference point for today's drum corps?

Ahem... I must correct you... he most certainly did march in the 2000's.

[massmike]

DarrenE you are my friggin hero! I marched in drum corps for 16 years, I marched in the late 60's, most of the 70's and in a senior corps in the late 80's and early 90's. My first 5 or so years were in a Class C corps which was a feeder corps for our Class A corps. Then I marched in the Class A corps for 9 years, I think I'm pretty qualified to an opinion here!

I have been going to Allentown for the last maybe 32 years, this year I saw a lot of things that I didn't like, along with a lot of things that a lot of other people in the stands around me didn't like. I know some of the amps out on the field were way too loud! When you can't hear a world class corps hornline or tell when it was the hornline blasting or if it was the amps, they are too loud. There were a few corps who used the synthesizers, (I know, I probably spelled it wrong, so shoot me,) for some pretty cool sounds, but they were few and far between. I really liked Teal Sounds show, but do they really need a couple of people playing bad guitar music when guitars aren't really what Drum Corps is about. If you think that the normal Drum Corps fan likes electric guitars in a Drum Corps show then you weren't sitting in the stands anywhere near me. People were shaking their heads and saying things to their friends and people around them like, "This don't belong in Drum Corps" and Electric Guitars in Drum Corps Sucks. I'm not making this up, just telling you what I saw and heard in Allentown. If the World Class Corps don't care about the fans soon, there won't be any fans in the stands, hence, there won't be any friggin World Class Corps and you can all go to Bands of America shows. I'm not dissing bands, but they aren't Drum Corps! As far as the music, how many of you out there can hum or whistle many of the songs that the corps are playing, not me! I hate to say in the old days we would know the whole show of what most of the corps were playing, I didn't know just about any this past weekend in Allentown. If the shows don't change at least some, fans are going to keep drifting away from DCI Drum Corps, which I think will probably benefit DCA corps greatly. I know a bunch of you will have a bunch of crap to write about what I have said, but it was a lot of peoples opinion this past weekend in Allentown, I was there for both nights, hung out in the lots for about 5 hours each night prior to the shows and after the shows, and talked to a lot of people and drum corps veterans, dinosaurs as some of you call us, and there were a lot of disgruntled Drum Corps Fans in the house!

[The Other Mike]

No, in reality one more film score than half the total does not stand on it's own, so I win!

BUT, you stated you were a sax player in high school for SIX years.

I may be slow but I'm ahead of you

[luvs me sum mello!]

To me, the CDs are more important than the DVDs - the music is more important than the drill - no matter what decade.

To that end, the past few years of DCI have.. not impressed overall...

(Shrug)

Ya....I think you missed the point of marching band/drum corps.

Hint: It's meant to be watched.

It'd be like saying "I think studios should just release the soundtrack of a movie to mass production. After the theater run, who wants to buy a DVD?! Am I right?! LOLOLOLOL"

[The Other Mike]

Ya....I think you missed the point of marching band/drum corps.

Hint: It's meant to be watched.

It'd be like saying "I think studios should just release the soundtrack of a movie to mass production. After the theater run, who wants to buy a DVD?! Am I right?! LOLOLOLOL"

I believe Ron's point was that TO HIM music is more important than drill because he has more time to listen while actually doing something than he has time to sit on his ### and watch & listen.

[drumbi]

I know I'm going to get blasted... and I have read over and over the discussions pertaining to this topic.

Last night I went to my first DCI show in a long time and I was so excited to finally see one and I just hated it. I know the kids are working extremely hard and are putting their heart and soul into these shows... that is obvious. And to that extent, every single one of them are great! But these shows are the most boring things I've witnessed in a long time. Who ever is writing the music and the shows should be ashamed of themselves. How can you do that to those hard working kids? I was so disappointed.

I couldn't tell when they were starting half of the time, and if it wasn't for a grand chord at the end and a horn pop, I wouldn't know when it was ending. One show actually put a "blip" of pit at the end so I thought, oh... maybe there is another song...nope. Once the pit was miked up so much they drowned out the drums! In all the years I've been marching and watching drum corps... that has to be a first! When has anything ever drowned out a drum line?! Props... what are they thinking? A guard was doing beautiful work, had beautiful flags and you could barely see them because they had placed them BEHIND these god-awful ugly black props! What is the point of that? I watched the kids race all over the field... AND NOT PLAY! What? All this hype over Bb horns and they aren't playing? Ok, cool visuals, but where's the music? And when they did play, it was "park and bark". I thought, probably because after running, that's all they could do.... and all it sounded like when they did what whole notes in big, esoteric sounding chords. I was extremely greatful for the very few soloists. (And I also noticed not one high note from a soprano/ trumpet. It was so "blended". As a matter of fact, I noticed the shift to featuring low brass most of the time. One corps featured the trumpet line technically at one point and it was a total of 8 counts! That's it? That's all?) Don't tell me I don't understand classical, I'm of the age where you HAD to study that in school. Stuff like that was not an option. I could recognize a piece for a couple of measures and I wasn't sure what the heck they were trying to do after that. I do NOT like the electronic talking on the field. The announcer said the corps would "troop the stands". They didn't, it was chaos on and chaos off. To me it was just a big mess. How can you applaud for the kids hard work during that? I didn't like those big black screens they hide behind. I thought it was extremely distracting.

I really tried to figure out the new format for the shows. I know we went from "off the line" to "the exit", and I've watched DCA do "opener, the ballad and the closer". Honestly, after about the 4th corps, I still didn't get what the format was... assuming there is one. I know I HATE the show format. Please, pull the names out of a hat and let them go on in whatever order happens. I'm sick of them showing the corps in the order they are going to score them. Why even wait for the scores? You know by the line up who is going to win and who will not and everyone inbetween. DCA is just as guilty on that one.

I left the show early. I won't go to another. I left feeling so sad for each and every kid on that field. Everyone of them is giving everything they have, and those are the worst "drum and bugle corps" shows I've ever seen. I thought, leave the orchestra music in the orchestra, get something exciting on those fields.

I know, here it comes, blast me... but all this hype about how wonderful all these new changes are, I wasn't expecting shows that just about put me to sleep.

[/quote

DAD? i wish you would just shut your big YAPPERRRRR !......(CHRIS FARLEY)

well toomello you got a mighty rise out of them and you got blasted..ain't it fun playin on the internet?

considering we haven't had a president in this country since eisenhower what did you expect?

be happy that their not doing hip hop out there.

i grew up 5 blocks away from a stadium and have watched drum corps since the early 50's i marched in 65 only, then explored other music's thereafter.

yet! summer is not summer without drum corps.

my favorite show from the golden age is ny skyliners 1977 and some of the caballeros hair raising shows from that period.

drum corps and classical are the only music's that can put a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye and these kid's did it to me again last night in clifton nj.

the bayonne bridgemen (alumni? ) opened with their classic repetoire then jersey surf started the competition with a crafty medley of patriotic songs. not exactly hand over your heart sing a long , more modern art style. this could bug you but hey i'm an artist i don't alway's get the work done :(

they were a clean outfit and i'm hoping they will make jersey proud in the future since the cadets have deserted us...?

well they did their home show in clifton thankyou.

economic's has effected things as much as the laws of change,

the cadets needed to do what they did to stay in the game and george hopkins earns my admiration.

next came the mandarins and i thought the show was beautiful, they have been using asian themes and melodies for a while now and having studied indian classical i marvel at how they fuse this into drum corps.

the colts did a fine show and one trend i noticed is that when a corp is featuring a non corp instrument like electric piano say, the horns accompany away from audience to make a perfect balance.

next came the madison scouts....chief ya gotta hunt them down and see them with 20 (TWENTY DID YA HEAR ME)

CONTRAS! WHEW !THOSE BOYS ROCKED HARD OUT THERE..

the blue stars did an impressive show and may make top ten or better.

carolina crown came out with an illegally large corp and i wanted to call the cops! my memory is flaky but they are a threat that seemed to come out of nowhere the last years,elegant and powerful.

the cadets won me over in spite of my fear of their kiddy toy souldier theme this year.

i find much to love in drum corps today and am eternally grateful that the art has not died out.

please do come out to the shows, what are you gonna do? watch television? i gave that up around 1990 :)

[Diceman]

Ya....I think you missed the point of marching band/drum corps.

Hint: It's meant to be watched.

It'd be like saying "I think studios should just release the soundtrack of a movie to mass production. After the theater run, who wants to buy a DVD?! Am I right?! LOLOLOLOL"

Why, yes you are!

As others have said, there are many wonderful soundtracks that don't need the visual to be enjoyed - Sound of Music, West Side Story, Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Tommy, etc.

That's why the soundtrack CDs still sell way after the DVD/VHS sales have fallen off.

And that's also why Fleetwood is still in business...

Edited August 10, 2010 by Diceman