Fran Haring Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 how do you know the fan base is shrinking due to competition Lee? What if the economy is playing a part? what about show design? I don't see DCi suffering because BD keeps winning...I see DCI suffering because of the economy, venue for finals and show design. Show design is first and foremost, IMO. On the DCA and DCI sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 (edited) Show design is first and foremost, IMO. On the DCA and DCI sides. The popcorn eaters are abandoning shows in droves. Much of this is because the show designs are getting too sophisticated and out of their reach. /the bulk of the fans do not want to hear esoteric music and have to think too much about the show design or have it explained to them. They want to be able to tap their feet and hum to the music. Not go Ho Hum. Edited January 16, 2011 by camel lips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 show design is a factor, and I hear it more with older fans involved in DCA than with DCI. Sad when most of the rabble rousers calling DCI shows boring are in their 40's and are the "grumpy old men" of drum corps but you can not discount the affect of the economy. it affected how much I attended last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Star United IMO has had the same effect on the mini-corps as well. While I agree it has made the mystery of who is going to win Mini corps less exciting... It should be a message to all the other corps competing that they need to look at their own program and formula and start making some changes in the way their program is co-ordinate d. That is if they want to be competitive. Full credit has to go to That Corps From Indiana for their preparation. They are winning because they are taking the mini corps event seriously. They have program coordinators that think exhaust fully of the complete book and the program where many of the corps just throw some songs together and hope they work. They put in a FULL rehearsal schedule beginning early in the season not throwing something together in mid season or a month before I@E.. They memorize their music. They put on some light drill, wear matching unis and staging for effect. All of these things combined make them champions . I think if more mini corps entrants would follow this same focus and attention to detail they would see better results. Not only that but they would also entertain more fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 show design is a factor, and I hear it more with older fans involved in DCA than with DCI. Sad when most of the rabble rousers calling DCI shows boring are in their 40's and are the "grumpy old men" of drum corps but you can not discount the affect of the economy. it affected how much I attended last year. A lot of those "grumpy old men" "rabble rousers" and popcorn eaters are also saying that many of the DCA shows are becoming too much like the DCI shows in terms of boring. Im not exactly sure which one of those titles apply to me. Perhaps all of them combined maybe. I think the economy plays a part in it too. NON motivated GOM,RR and PE are going to be hard pressed to attend a show at $25+ bucks for tickets and pay travel expenses to come to a show when they know they are going to be bored to tears. We will see how the new rules and sheets have a effect on the boring part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elphaba01 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 "Grumpy Olde Men: Actually a "grumpy old woman". Veeeerrrrrryyyyyy interesting topic. Lots of great points of view. My only "contribution" is: The DCA shows I saw in 2010 had as many, or MORE "Alumni" coprs participationg than there were competitors. AND: Several of the "Alumni" units, Caballeros, Park City Pride & St Andrews Bridgemen (To name three) performed FAR mor entertaining programs than many of the corps in competition. Elphaba WWW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOSMarcher Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 A lot of those "grumpy old men" "rabble rousers" and popcorn eaters are also saying that many of the DCA shows are becoming too much like the DCI shows in terms of boring. Im not exactly sure which one of those titles apply to me. Perhaps all of them combined maybe. I think the economy plays a part in it too. NON motivated GOM,RR and PE are going to be hard pressed to attend a show at $25+ bucks for tickets and pay travel expenses to come to a show when they know they are going to be bored to tears. We will see how the new rules and sheets have a effect on the boring part. It's funny, because I have heard many that like the way DCA is "heading" in terms of show design. I think it is great that groups are becoming more original. For instance: I am a fan of MBI, but there was little that was original about what they played this year. The arrangements were different, but all of that material has been played before. Even more-so was the Bucs show (ala Star and Phantom)... also a corps that I enjoy to watch - including this year. I have seen countless marching bands use the music of Wicked and the Wiz, and don't even get me started on how many groups have used all of the Cabs music. I'm not trying to rant, but I like that some DCA groups try to do something different. Now, I do recognize that some of the references I made had different arrangements, but a show about Rome, the Wizard of Oz or Caravan is not a new concept. Still enjoyed the shows, but it is refreshing that not every group goes down this route. I am actually a little disheartened to hear that Alliance mentioned more familiar material... I am hoping that they do not go down the route of playing what everyone else has played (usually made famous by DCI groups). Don't get me wrong... I don't think we need 10 different shows about "life," and I don't want everyone to have original music; but I also do not mind having to think a little. I think shows with layers to them make them more fun to watch over and over again. You get something out of them each time you see them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldephard Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 You know what, I like popcorn and I also like the Bucs. For that matter, I also like the Cabs and several other corps every year that I go to Finals. I wonder if many people posting don't give enough credit to us popcorn-eating Joe Six-packs to be able to understand shows like the Bucs over the last several years. I know we are an unsophisticated lot, but I don't feel too dumb to watch a drum corps show. Leave the system alone. You don't need to punish a corps for winning too much. That's just ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorpsBuff Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Add a pure "crowd reaction" piece to the scoring sheets. Doesn't that ensure that a crowd who likes what it sees will see the corps it likes best have a better shot at winning? I just took at look at a drum corps program from the first show I ever attended. On the sheet that describes how the corps are scored, it says "Your reaction counts!" Does it? Just some food for thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 A lot of those "grumpy old men" "rabble rousers" and popcorn eaters are also saying that many of the DCA shows are becoming too much like the DCI shows... That was also said back in the 70's about those great shows the Sunrisers were performing so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.