Would you walk away if DCI shows were like in the 80s and 90s

[84skyrydr]

I marched the 80s and NO I wouldn't walk away, but please don't go back to the boring drill. Take the music of that day, get rid of the synth and mic'd voice, keep the drill, NIRVANA.

Edited September 21, 2010 by 84skyrydr

[Roger Ellis]

Seeing a lot of people talk about how much they hate DCI right now, I'm just wondering how many would walk away if it looked and felt like it did in the 80s and 90s.

I walked away after 2001 BECAUSE DCI is the way it is today. I'd come back if the shows looked and felt like the 1980's.

[trionbd]

I marched the 80s and NO I wouldn't walk away, but please don't go back to the boring drill. Take the music of that day, get rid of the synth and mic'd voice, keep the drill, NIRVANA.

I agree with you about what to keep and what not to keep to an extent. The drill of today is, for the most part, way more interesting than the drill of the 80's! But with that said, here is what I have been thinking for some time now. For me the drill of the 70's is kind of boring to watch. The evolution hadn't reached the drill yet. The 80's drill evolved to a point where asymetry went away and the demand on the marcher was much more difficult from a technical aspect. (Love it, hate it, or bored with it...the 80's is where the biggest and most infuential evolution happened). The 90's was my favorite decade for drill. The movement kept progressing, but drill designers became very conscious of how the drill represented the music. I find that in the last few years, the drill and visual aspect of most shows have become distracting in some cases. There's no doubt that the level of design and dificulty level has gone up significantly. But is there a point where it's too much?

One of the things that I do miss about the mid 80's through early 00's drill is that sometimes the joy of an awesome drill move was that you could see it coming from a mile away. Some might think that is all together boring. But today it seems like so many cool drill moves are masked to develop in a surprise fashion...and that does have merit too. But I do miss the when there were drill moves where you could pick apart a form. It was like there was a tension that was released for fans when it was done perfectly. I think fans that followed drum corps in the 80's know what I'm talking about on this one. Not that there isn't an occassional example of that today, but people used to refer to shows by mentioning a signature drill move that everyone knew...the Z Pull, a rotating company front, etc. I think incorporating a little old school drill into current shows would be something that most every fan would appreciate.

[Jeff Ream]

I marched the 80s and NO I wouldn't walk away, but please don't go back to the boring drill. Take the music of that day, get rid of the synth and mic'd voice, keep the drill, NIRVANA.

I could live with this

[supersop]

I could live with this

I could live with it as well ............... if it were possible. But frankly, if you're going to arrange music like they did in the 80's, you're going to have to give up something on the visual end. There's just no way around it.

[Fastone]

Personally I'm not the biggest fan of some of the shows today but, the day I walk away from the activity is the day it no longer exists. I say this as someone who has been closely involved from the 60's until now.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Fastone

[Hrothgar15]

How DCI crowds react now:

How DCI crowds reacted in the '80s (middle of a show):

Which is the scenario that DCI needs if they want the organization to remain in existence?

Side note: how musically educated do you think the woman in the blue in the second picture is? How much prior involvement do you think she had inside the activity? My guess is very little.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Hrothgar15

[Jeff Ream]

I could live with it as well ............... if it were possible. But frankly, if you're going to arrange music like they did in the 80's, you're going to have to give up something on the visual end. There's just no way around it.

and some things on visual could go and i'm ok. i think too often teams go too fast too often and cleanliness is sacrificed

[ahquad]

Wow. Was there for the 80's and today and I saw it much different than your "one moment in time" view there. You are skewed because of your beliefs and bias to find proof to support yourself, even if it is apples to oranges. That is my opinion.

And how can you even determine what level of involvement someone has from a picture, and what does it matter?

I respect your right to your opinion. I can't even begin to communicate how differently I see it, though.

If it's that bad, then leave the activity or start your own nostalgic circuit. There are plenty of us who love all eras and can't wait to see/hear what's next in its evolution. If that weren't the case, then DCI would go belly up, they'd find a new person to head it all up, and we'd be begging for all the nostalgia fans to please come back. Last I checked, none of that is happening.

How DCI crowds react now:

How DCI crowds reacted in the '80s (middle of a show):

Which is the scenario that DCI needs if they want the organization to remain in existence?

Side note: how musically educated do you think the woman in the blue in the second picture is? How much prior involvement do you think she had inside the activity? My guess is very little.

[heyboiay]

No, I like drum corps >>>.<<<(period) This is just pointless, you know the answers will all be no. I genuinely believe no one would walk away. Too many people are way to invested in this activity. This applies to woodwinds, synths, and all the other bs that people always complain about. You would still find SOMETHING that you liked, and watch. Oh, you would complain, but you would still watch. If for no other reason than to post on DCP about it.