original score vs. music we know

[jjeffeory]

...But who knows. In the end, their '93 show production did not win with the DCI judges either. So they took a break from DCI and DCI judging. They voluntarily withdew from DCI and disbanded their Corps. And the rest is history as to what the Star staff did next...

Star was leaving regardless of the outcome in '93. Mason has said it repeatedly. So they DIDN'T take a break from DCI and DCI judging because of the '93 results. They had made plans with the Canadian Brass a bit before the '93 season even started. Let's not perpetuate this incorrect reasoning that has been repeated when we have the person who was responsible for the direction of Star telling us differently. Mason is alive and here telling us EXACTLY the opposite of what you're saying here.

Just sayin'

[perc2100]

I think its absurd to believe that Star's show design staff were so out of touch and naive with Drum Corps audiences that they had no idea their shows would fall flat with large segments of their audience after they changed up their style to try and win over the judges to win a title and not the national audiences. Star's staff were intelligent and perceptive re. audiences. They were NEVER caught off Guard regarding how their shows would be received by national audiences. In ANY year.

I then I guess Bill Cook lied or was mistaken about Mason & Jimmer's feelings/thoughts in 1992 when he published his thoughts online several years ago. He stated that the negative reaction they received from 1992 directly affected their approach to 1993.

It's online somewhere, though I believe the website has gone offline since Mr. Cook's death. It's been talked about on here before, and maybe later tonight I'll dig around and try and find the quote. But IIRC the website (which was Cook's thoughts regarding Star, covering every year from when he first got the idea to start a drum corps, to hiring a director and staff, through every season, brass theater, and BLAST). It's nice you can be so confident in your respect for Star's staff, and how you seem to believe they may not only be perfect in design instinct but also mind-reading of some sort. Pretty much every artist who is worth anything (i.e. they do significant, culturally relevant art and not just pop garbage) miscalculates, sometimes misjudges audience expectations or acceptance, and just plain bombs. It's part of being an artist, especially an artist continually looking to push an art form & challenge audiences. That's not a negative by any means (I see it as a positive), but that's how artists work: sometimes they create genius that is both critically & culturally loved, sometimes they create art that is critically loved but not culturally 'understood,' and sometimes they just create insignificant art that's loved by nobody.

[perc2100]

It wasnt that people didnt enjoy Star's show. I always felt the reactions that night were due to practically everyone (it seemed) wanting the Cavaliers to win their first DCI. That has been my take on it all along.

I'm not even talking about Finals night, or finals week as Star went from 1st, 2nd, 3rd in the course of a week. I was saying more throughout the season. I saw the show a few times in the midwest, and the show seemed to get mixed reviews from people I was with & around me, to put it lightly. A lot of people I know thought it was cheesy, or pandering, or obnoxiously flaunting perceived wealth with the giant scrims, etc.

[perc2100]

I never posted in my comments above that fans leave for these reasons, nor do I believe these are the primary and the " only reason " that fans leave before the scores are announced, so I have no idea why you replied this way to something I never posted, nor believe. :wall:/>/>

I apologize. When you said

I have accepted the fact that audiences are not a factor in the placements and the scores, and so I leave the local shows right after the last performance of the last Corps at the show.

it seemed like you were kind of implying that since audiences loving a show does not lead to winning, that they tend to leave before scores.

And then when you say

It never used to be quite this way, but the scores and placements at local shows now seem so preordained, and the audience uninvolved it it all, that hardly anybody anymore hangs around at the local shows anymore for the scores and the placements.

that since audiences don't have a say (i.e. implying maybe that audience favorites often don't win, perhaps) that people to care anymore about scores and placements and thus leave early.

[perc2100]

Jim Mason, in my opinion, was naturally frustrated more with the DCI judges at the time as they " slid down the placements the final week ". Its much easier to blame the audience than it is the judges that score and place your Corps.

So you're choosing to focus on this

The slide down the placements the final week...

while kinda ignoring this

The slide down the placements the final week and the tepid audience reaction to what was constructed as an audience-friendly show had an impact on Mason.

Gotcha...

[CrunchyTenor]

20th Anniversary of Star '93

The Marching Roundtable recently did a podcast with Thom Hannum and Jon Vanderkolff. It's episode 216 and titled, "The 20th Anniversary of Star '93". If you want to know how the show was designed, taught and executed, listen to this podcast. (I download it from iTunes.)

Garry in Vegas

Edited July 9, 2013 by CrunchyTenor