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Hi Ray,

You made some great points and I can't argue with the logic of any of them, really. One of the difficulties of a written forum is that sometimes the words don't express what the writer really has on their mind, or if they do, the reader may interpret them in a different way than they are intended.

In my mind, I hear many drum corps veterans complain about modern drum corps in that units play unrecognizable music, lack military bearing, have electronics, vocals, dance routines, etc., but when "classic" drum corps is available, attendance is lacking. But the lack of attendance is complex and the price is one of many factors. I was wrong to criticize Mike for not supporting old time drum corps. People attend when their interest level agrees with the price, not to cast a ballot about the style of drum corps they like. I pay a high price to see Broadway musicals because I like them enough to meet the price, not just to show support. Drum corps shows charge what they need in order to not lose money, and it would be nice to go back to the prices of an earlier era, but expenses have to be met.

I thought the free Friday night show in Plymouth was excellent, but even that was not close to being a full house.

Today, there are more entertainment options for the public than when we were growing up. Also, when drum corps was a grassroots neighborhood activity, with almost every city and town having a corps, band or drill team, and family units being more closely knit, most kids would have parents, siblings, and an aunt or uncle attending the shows which were all within a 20 mile radius of home. A large crowd was assured. We recall fondly the days of our youth, but we can't go back. Alumni corps participation is as close as we can get.

By the way, I enjoyed having you as my instructor in the Crusaders. You are very talented and I respect your ability to teach and also to tell a joke. I still tell the one about the penguin who wanted to drive a car, and the mishap with the ice cream.

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It's just about Thanksgiving weekend and there's so much going on. Anyone with kids is running around like crazy. I just don't think it's ever going to be packed.

I think the ticket prices are also a factor.

30 bucks for the show... way higher than any other alumni drum corps concert.

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Oops.... I see that the ticket-price topic has already been discussed.

Memo to self: Next time, read the thread before posting. LOL.

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Oops.... I see that the ticket-price topic has already been discussed.

Memo to self: Next time, read the thread before posting. LOL.

Why? I never do!

Costs too much, plus I've read most of these words in other posts, and in books and stuff.

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Why? I never do!

Costs too much, plus I've read most of these words in other posts, and in books and stuff.

LOL!!!

That Plymouth show is always a good one... but 30 dollars for the ticket is a bit steep, compared to any other alumni corps concert.

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Hi Ray,

You made some great points and I can't argue with the logic of any of them, really. One of the difficulties of a written forum is that sometimes the words don't express what the writer really has on their mind, or if they do, the reader may interpret them in a different way than they are intended.

In my mind, I hear many drum corps veterans complain about modern drum corps in that units play unrecognizable music, lack military bearing, have electronics, vocals, dance routines, etc., but when "classic" drum corps is available, attendance is lacking. But the lack of attendance is complex and the price is one of many factors. I was wrong to criticize Mike for not supporting old time drum corps. People attend when their interest level agrees with the price, not to cast a ballot about the style of drum corps they like. I pay a high price to see Broadway musicals because I like them enough to meet the price, not just to show support. Drum corps shows charge what they need in order to not lose money, and it would be nice to go back to the prices of an earlier era, but expenses have to be met.

I thought the free Friday night show in Plymouth was excellent, but even that was not close to being a full house.

Today, there are more entertainment options for the public than when we were growing up. Also, when drum corps was a grassroots neighborhood activity, with almost every city and town having a corps, band or drill team, and family units being more closely knit, most kids would have parents, siblings, and an aunt or uncle attending the shows which were all within a 20 mile radius of home. A large crowd was assured. We recall fondly the days of our youth, but we can't go back. Alumni corps participation is as close as we can get.

By the way, I enjoyed having you as my instructor in the Crusaders. You are very talented and I respect your ability to teach and also to tell a joke. I still tell the one about the penguin who wanted to drive a car, and the mishap with the ice cream.

So a penguin drops his car off in the shop and hears that it's going to take while... he goes for a walk and of course, being a penguin he's a little hot (he always keeps the car on full max A/C when he drives) so he stops by an ice cream stand and picks up a vanilla cone. Walking back to the repair shop he encounters a little sloppiness with the cone - penguins are not strong at walking and eating ice-cream cones. He walks into the shop and says "How's my car?"

If anyone wants the last 2 lines DM me. I don't wish to be suspended.

Art - I think your Broadway analogy is very apt - a couple of decades ago Broadway was not nearly as financially viable as it is today - there were a billion contributing factors, but shows were not well attended, closed quickly, and for a while all you got were revivals of "Show Boat" and "South Pacific" or your choice of Disney movies made into musicals (not my favorite - sorry Mouseketeers).

Like most cyclical changes, over time some really cool new shows (e.g. Wicked, In the Heights, and others) came out, the economy picked up a little, and folks started coming back. Now it's hard to get good seats a bad show.

I was on the podium for the first field show of an alumni corps - Archie at the Dream in 1978. With Boston at both the Harrisburg Forum and the Harrisburg Farm Expo show. With Bayonne performing the show that never ends, year after it ended for a while. At those times it seemed as if Alumni corps were what people wanted - forever.

I think that we may have overexposed ourselves a little. Many summer shows have Alumni corps exhibitions. The DCA Spectacular has most Alumni corps at Labor Day. There's a lot of exposure for corps that formerly one saw once or twice a year at most.

In Foxboro in 1994 it seemed that 27 would be the most popular corps on the field for the rest of eternity. A few years later? Eternity didn't hold up as long as forecast.

I think the Alumni movement is not over. I think there are (many) good days ahead. I do think it's important for Alumni corps to go out and perform at a very high level, and to that end I personally believe that players need to choose a corps and make the commitment to THAT corps (but I've been preaching that gospel for 3 decades already). I think that corps with members playing in multiple groups don't reach the performance level necessary to satisfy fans. At that point it's simply a fun place to play your (and other people's) old music, but that's not enough for me.

There's my 2 cents, greatly affected by inflation over the past several decades.

Miss you and the rest of the Boston crew - wish you guys would do a show in Dallas, or anywhere in the Southwest. I'll drive to see it.

Thought the corps played great at Lawrence in August. That's what I'm talking about.

-A Fan

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I think one of the reasons (not the only reason) the Serenade in Brass Is no longer around is that In years past the show was mostly if not completely competing corps. At the end it was ALL alumni corps. Just my opinion.

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I think one of the reasons (not the only reason) the Serenade in Brass Is no longer around is that In years past the show was mostly if not completely competing corps. At the end it was ALL alumni corps. Just my opinion.

Thinking that too but it's not just SIB as very hard to get competing corps that early in the year anymore. Just another way DC has changed over the decades. Last competing corps I can think of was Cabs and they performed in t shirts as the unis weren't ready.

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I think one of the reasons (not the only reason) the Serenade in Brass Is no longer around is that In years past the show was mostly if not completely competing corps. At the end it was ALL alumni corps. Just my opinion.

How great was it prior to the '90 season to have both Bluecoats and Crossmen on stage at that show! Bluecoats blew (blue?) them away. By the end of the season, not so much, but what a great performance. Also the Marine DC.

Think it's possible we got spoiled with the Serenade in Brass? Think we may have come to expect too much? Some amazing performances there over the years.

Miss it every Spring.

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How great was it prior to the '90 season to have both Bluecoats and Crossmen on stage at that show! Bluecoats blew (blue?) them away. By the end of the season, not so much, but what a great performance. Also the Marine DC.

Think it's possible we got spoiled with the Serenade in Brass? Think we may have come to expect too much? Some amazing performances there over the years.

Miss it every Spring.

LOL - somewhere between 1980-1982 (I was working shift work and went straight to work after SIB) there was this newer group called Steel City Ambassadors. Started out with a walier of a number and the guy hitting the high note was to the back of the audience. DM started directing and when he got to the wail he just turned around.. pointed... and SURPRISE.... *wow"

Don't get me started Ray as worked it bunch o' years. Favorite inside story was talking to the Air Force two years in a row late 70s. One year the whole corps sat in the planes for hours waiting for a 10 minute window when the wind would die down. OK... get ready.. now... Other year it was "How was the trip?" "Not bad, lost a windshield over Kansas thou". "Uhhhh... you guys are in the right place (IOW the Air Force).

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