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

[Matt_S]

while I dont agree with everything he is saying, remember the old adage " the customer is always right".

I'm not saying we return to 1975 programming, but more and more people DO seem to be turned off by what they see and hear on the field.

I listened to the 1998 Championships just the other day. Go listen to the Madison Scouts again. You won't have to wait long before you hear someone yell out "real drum corps!", ostensibly implying that some or all of the other shows that year were 'not' real drum corps. This was 1998, before electronic instruments, before amplification, before any-key brass. It was before the era you yourself professed to be the way drum corps should be: 1999-2003. It's something I think about every time someone tries to act like 'fan' disgruntlement is a new or growing phenomenon.

[mobrien]

t. We only know what he doesn't like... not what he does like. In retrospect, he should have shared that with us, imo.

Agreed. I think I qualify for the Drum Corps Dino association (marched 74-81), but because I've been around so long and through so many drum corps periods, I'm never sure exactly WHICH era of drum corps was officially "the good era."

FWIW, back when I started, the old guys hanging around drum corps were saying that it stopped being good in the late 60s, before it became too much "like band" (that criticism was leveled at SCV by several of the old old guard back then). Being then current members, we just rolled our eyes at the old timers, the same way I suspect a lot of the poor unfortunate kids marching today do when they hear that their shows suck in comparison to the 19___'s version of drum corps.

[dbc03]

Who's opinion on DCP IS all " that impotant " ?

Nobody's.

That was kind of my point

[BRASSO]

I sometimes wonder if there are cellphone forums where people wish that their mobile devices still looked like this. After all, it was so simple, anyone could figure out how to utilize all (one) of its features.

.

This large old cellphone of yours just might show up on the field as a prop in a few years, so be careful what you wish for. Maybe this " beat something into the ground " visual move several of the Corps are doing this year, could show the guard beating ths old cellphone into submission. That might work for GE Visual points.

[WOOHOO]

Agreed. I think I qualify for the Drum Corps Dino association (marched 74-81), but because I've been around so long and through so many drum corps periods, I'm never sure exactly WHICH era of drum corps was officially "the good era."

FWIW, back when I started, the old guys hanging around drum corps were saying that it stopped being good in the late 60s, before it became too much "like band" (that criticism was leveled at SCV by several of the old old guard back then). Being then current members, we just rolled our eyes at the old timers, the same way I suspect a lot of the poor unfortunate kids marching today do when they hear that their shows suck in comparison to the 19___'s version of drum corps.

I never really heard any old timers say anything critical like that around us as marching members. We were probably all way too tired to be paying attention anyways

[Todd Tanji]

I listened to the 1998 Championships just the other day. Go listen to the Madison Scouts again. You won't have to wait long before you hear someone yell out "real drum corps!", ostensibly implying that some or all of the other shows that year were 'not' real drum corps. This was 1998, before electronic instruments, before amplification, before any-key brass. It was before the era you yourself professed to be the way drum corps should be: 1999-2003. It's something I think about every time someone tries to act like 'fan' disgruntlement is a new or growing phenomenon.

I have heard those exact comments about "real drum corps" EVERY YEAR SINCE 1976 and do not doubt

people were saying that well before then.

[Todd Tanji]

Nothing's the way that it was.

I want it the way that it was

God knows, things were easier then.

Trouble is, Charley,

That's what everyone does

Blames the way it is

On the way it was,

On the way it never ever was.

- Stephen Sondheim, Merrily We Roll Along

[BRASSO]

Agreed. I think I qualify for the Drum Corps Dino association (marched 74-81), but because I've been around so long and through so many drum corps periods, I'm never sure exactly WHICH era of drum corps was officially "the good era."

FWIW, back when I started, the old guys hanging around drum corps were saying that it stopped being good in the late 60s, before it became too much "like band" (that criticism was leveled at SCV by several of the old old guard back then). Being then current members, we just rolled our eyes at the old timers, the same way I suspect a lot of the poor unfortunate kids marching today do when they hear that their shows suck in comparison to the 19___'s version of drum corps.

I said it before... in 20 -30 years, the show the next generation of newer Drum Corps fans might love are the 2010 Blue Devils.... or even stranger, 2010 Teal Sound. They might wonder how in the heck could the old dinosaurs of 2010 like Drum Corps without a electric rock guitar blaring out some cool licks on the rock guitar for over 50 years ? The kids not yet borne might love the rock guitars in their Corpsbands... while the 50 ish crowd then will pine for the good old days of the Carolina Crown, Cavaliers, Cadets , etc of 2010 where rock guitars ( and maybe rock singers ) in Corpsbands would not be to their liking at all. The newer, younger fans of that day will simply tel them that " change is good " and to get over it, and simply learn to love the screeching guitar riffs.... because if you don',t there is still a lot of variety and the next Corpsband coming onto the field has a great traditional flute section that should be to your liking if the newly introduced rock guitars from the previous Corps wern't to your liking just yet.

Edited August 9, 2010 by BRASSO

[jplattSCV]

I have heard those exact comments about "real drum corps" EVERY YEAR SINCE 1976 and do not doubt

people were saying that well before then.

One of our drivers in 1988 said that consitently through the year. He wanted stuff like it was in the 1960's. The golden era was and always will be the era where you fell in love with it in the first place.

[BOBSMYTH]

I have heard those exact comments about "real drum corps" EVERY YEAR SINCE 1976 and do not doubt

people were saying that well before then.

Drum Corps died in 1971. They had T-shirts made and everything.