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Beast of the East - Lawrence, Ma


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It's probably really hard for BD fans to admit that. But I think it's even harder for people on all sides to be okay with it.

I don't think the mark of a great show is necessarily its universal appeal. And I don't think every top show has to be universally appealing. And I don't think BD and Cadets fans should waste so much time arguing about this, because both corps have been fan-friendly and alienating to similar degrees in recent memory.

What I think we all tend to overlook is the ways that these corps depend on each other. BD should be thanking the Cadets this year (and last year). Its because of fan-friendly shows like what the Cadets are offering that BD can afford to be a little alienating without the risk of alienating people from the entire activity. BD can risk pushing some people away in the name of experimentation because they know the Cadets and other corps are having the opposite effect on the audience. And they also know that they'll be appealing to a specific group of people in that audience, and have become okay with the inevitable fact that not every show will appeal to everybody.

And in previous years, the reverse has been true -- we all remember Cadets' experimental phase, because that's all this ever is: a phase -- and the same thing happened: there were always corps reigning fans back in when the Cadets risked pushing them away. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Cadets' weird period saw the resurgence of PR and the rise of BC and CC, who've both epitomized audience-friendly, high-performance drum corps lately, and who're both due to start experimenting (like SCV currently). And other corps will be there to pick up the slack of audience appeal, when they do.

This is an activity premised on diversity. BD isn't changing the direction of drum corps. BD is changing the direction of BD. Cadets have done, are doing, will do the same. Among the top 5, these are the two corps that have most risked being alienating, sometimes with stunning results. As fans of them each (or both), let's stop arguing and start celebrating.

Gospel.

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They are offering a free buffet at the Holiday Inn just off I-93, stop in and tell us how bad it is !

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Gospel.

It's so true. We need both kinds of corps in DCI. We couldn't have an entire year of Phantom '08, (as much as some would say), but we can't also have a year entirely of BD '10. We need that balance of corps pushing the boundaries in different directions, in order to grow the activity, and elicit the change. In the 70s, almost all of the corps had shows with pop music, or jazz charts, stuff like that, then we say Santa Clara, Phantom, and 27th pushing more into Classical Music, and corps started to follow suit, but we still saw the corps doing pop/jazz/swing music. That difference meant that every fan had a show they could watch and enjoy. I don't think there's been a single fan, any year, that can sit down and honestly say that they did not enjoy ANY of the shows from that year, even some of the angry dissidents that say they're leaving.

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It's probably really hard for BD fans to admit that. But I think it's even harder for people on all sides to be okay with it.

I don't think the mark of a great show is necessarily its universal appeal. And I don't think every top show has to be universally appealing. And I don't think BD and Cadets fans should waste so much time arguing about this, because both corps have been fan-friendly and alienating to similar degrees in recent memory.

What I think we all tend to overlook is the ways that these corps depend on each other. BD should be thanking the Cadets this year (and last year). Its because of fan-friendly shows like what the Cadets are offering that BD can afford to be a little alienating without the risk of alienating people from the entire activity. BD can risk pushing some people away in the name of experimentation because they know the Cadets and other corps are having the opposite effect on the audience. And they also know that they'll be appealing to a specific group of people in that audience, and have become okay with the inevitable fact that not every show will appeal to everybody.

And in previous years, the reverse has been true -- we all remember Cadets' experimental phase, because that's all this ever is: a phase -- and the same thing happened: there were always corps reigning fans back in when the Cadets risked pushing them away. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Cadets' weird period saw the resurgence of PR and the rise of BC and CC, who've both epitomized audience-friendly, high-performance drum corps lately, and who're both due to start experimenting (like SCV currently). And other corps will be there to pick up the slack of audience appeal, when they do.

This is an activity premised on diversity. BD isn't changing the direction of drum corps. BD is changing the direction of BD. Cadets have done, are doing, will do the same. Among the top 5, these are the two corps that have most risked being alienating, sometimes with stunning results. As fans of them each (or both), let's stop arguing and start celebrating.

Nomination for post of the season?

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It's probably really hard for BD fans to admit that. But I think it's even harder for people on all sides to be okay with it.

I don't think the mark of a great show is necessarily its universal appeal. And I don't think every top show has to be universally appealing. And I don't think BD and Cadets fans should waste so much time arguing about this, because both corps have been fan-friendly and alienating to similar degrees in recent memory.

What I think we all tend to overlook is the ways that these corps depend on each other. BD should be thanking the Cadets this year (and last year). Its because of fan-friendly shows like what the Cadets are offering that BD can afford to be a little alienating without the risk of alienating people from the entire activity. BD can risk pushing some people away in the name of experimentation because they know the Cadets and other corps are having the opposite effect on the audience. And they also know that they'll be appealing to a specific group of people in that audience, and have become okay with the inevitable fact that not every show will appeal to everybody.

And in previous years, the reverse has been true -- we all remember Cadets' experimental phase, because that's all this ever is: a phase -- and the same thing happened: there were always corps reigning fans back in when the Cadets risked pushing them away. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Cadets' weird period saw the resurgence of PR and the rise of BC and CC, who've both epitomized audience-friendly, high-performance drum corps lately, and who're both due to start experimenting (like SCV currently). And other corps will be there to pick up the slack of audience appeal, when they do.

This is an activity premised on diversity. BD isn't changing the direction of drum corps. BD is changing the direction of BD. Cadets have done, are doing, will do the same. Among the top 5, these are the two corps that have most risked being alienating, sometimes with stunning results. As fans of them each (or both), let's stop arguing and start celebrating.

BUT WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??!?!?! THEY DON'T MARCH AT 2000 BPM'S DOING CRAZY STUFF....THAT TOTALLY MEANS THEYRE SHOW IS LAME AND NOBODY LIKES IT.

LOL

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BUT WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??!?!?! THEY DON'T MARCH AT 2000 BPM'S DOING CRAZY STUFF....THAT TOTALLY MEANS THEYRE SHOW IS LAME AND NOBODY LIKES IT.

LOL

I think this is one of the reasons people argue so much about BD's wins.

How about not adding fuel to the fire?

And that guy's post was spectacular.

Edited by 2000Cadet
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Of course the Cadets are connecting with the audience, they are in the EAST. Bring them out west and BD and Cadets would get a totally different reaction.

Yes and no all four shows were different IMO the top three shows out there tonight would of been Boston, BD and cadets (in no order). The northeast fans will let you know what is what. IMO all of those three shows are closer than scored. I guess there was a missing judge tonight.

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We put on an exibition at the East Coast Classic tonight in Lawrence, so we all received free passes to the rest of the show.

Halfway thru the "The Cadets of Allentown" I left the stadium and drove home.

What I saw on the field is not DRUM CORPS.

I miss the ol' skool Santa Clara Vanguard and the GARFIELD Cadets.

No more DCI for me.

And thats why 27th is gone.

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