Jeff Ream Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 But to be honest, I've never 'enjoyed' an era of drum corps were there weren't loud complainers. I started going to drum corps shows in 1991, and ever since that first show I've heard PLENTY of complaining, every year, about how "things were better in the old days" as far as show design. Talking to friends who marched in the 80's, the share similar stories that they heard. Same with people I know who marched in the 70's. There will ALWAYS be a vocal minority of unhappy "fans:" of people who left the activity for one reason or the other, and love to justify their decision by telling you how much modern drum corps sucks compared to what they "remember." My point is there will always be detractors, and more importantly the true reasons for attendance fluctuation & souvenir sales fluctuations are far more complicated than "shows are more boring than they were when I was younger." One of the few shows that people currently agree is a gold standard for show design & execution, Star of Indiana 1993, was infamously derided by MANY fans at the time: boo'ed frequently, even (at least at the 6-10 shows I attended I heard a plethora of boos and complaints). Heck, we're not even 24 months removed from a 'crowd favorite' winning DCI (Cadets 2011)! In my years as a drum corps fan, I've found there are two ways to look at the activity: focus on what annoys me, or focus on what thrills me. I spent a while after aging out focusing on what annoyed me, and even stopped following the activity for awhile. After time away I came back with the thought of "what cool stuff is out there now?" and I tend to really enjoy a lot of the activity. There are plenty of things that annoy/bore/displease me when it comes to individual shows, but there are just as many or more things that excite me. I really do take the good with the bad, and enjoy the stuff every year that excites me (even if it means a show I dislike wins & a favorite gets panned by judges). Like I've said before, looking at any random Legacy DVD and comparing it to 2012 Finals DVD, there are just as many shows I live & dislike in any given year on average. IMO that shows that DCI hasn't radically changed over the years, and just like all entertainment/art forms some stuff I like, some stuff I don't. I like looking at both. I agree many shows in the past got slammed, though I dont recall the general level of dissatisfaction that we see today. And given that DCI is struggling for $$, you would think you would look at all options......and to me, that includes the past. Where I work just went through a major overhaul of some internal operations. Why? Whatwas in place got in the way of good business. What they found is some new ideas, coupld with some old ideas brought back to life, have changed what we do and how we do exponentially for the betterof all in the company. Must be working, we closed a loan every 20 minutes in the 2012 calendar year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 I don't know if the meetings still happen, but this ties back to the single greatest line I have ever heard in critique at a band show: "If it took you that long to describe and explain your show, you over wrote and fans will be confused as hell" Here's the same sentiment in my business: "The value of an investment is inversely proportional to the thickness of the prospectus." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 ...or your version of it, anyway. :smile:/> I'll take my track record of accuracy :cool:/> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnZ Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 So I think we have finally gotten "there"....let's call it a draw, shall we? closing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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