A "Tradition Corps"? What do you think?

[fsubone]

But they are not legacy drum corps fans either, which is what I thought you were saying...maybe incorrectly. They're Bingo players, period. It makes no difference to them who attends a drum corps show; they are just at the site to play Bingo.

Those ladies are scary. I've worked Bingo games for my old corps, and those ladies would be in there hours before the games were scheduled to start camping out their spots. I've seen arguments and fights almost break out because someone was in someone else's lucky spot. I'm 95% sure those old ladies never go to a single show, but they're luckily keeping a bunch of corps afloat with their Bingo addictions.

[BRASSO]

cixeksyd is correct...

The difference between Canadian and US TV standards kept the 1981 finals from Montreal from being broadcast.

From the DCI website...:

"...While complications with PBS broadcasting from Canada were worked out for the following year’s return to Montreal, the broadcast for 1981 had to originate from the DCI Midwest Finals in Whitewater, Wis., two weeks prior to the Montreal Finals..."

Ok.. got it... then lets simply subsitute any televised Finals year from say '79 to '89 instead for my year arbitrarily chosen above, we''ll go with that year for the comparison with Finals 2013. I think its far to say more people saw Finals in attendance then, as well as the access provided to the off site opportunities. DCI Finals last season had a combined live attendance watch of under 60,000. ( in Indy, and via computer paid subscription ). DCI finals usually averaged in live attendance approx. 28,000-38,000 during the 70's, early 80's, and coupled with the delayed PBS broadscast the total that saw and heard the FInals was easily triple the audience that saw Finals last season. If we are comparing DCI " Old shows and attendance " vs. " new shows and attendance " ( which is what some people here decided to bring up themselves on this thread ), the evidence is that the " old shows, interest, and attendance " fared comparatively very well with " the new and the modern shows of 2013 . Aso, asking the alums of today ( ages 35-80 ) to effectively compare their exhibition performances with todays 18-22 year olders devoting their entire summers to competiitive ventures is like comparing the current Yankees in their prime with the Yankees Hall of of Famers that perform exhibition games among themselves each summer in their Old Timers game. Well com'on.. of course some of these Yankees Hall of Famers have lost their step, fastball, power etc. Does anybody here really want to compare 2013 Tonya Harding performance appeal on skates with Tonya Harding of 20 years ago performance abilities on skates ? If anyone here tries to do that, I just might consider the option to attempt to break their kneecap with a band baton.

Edited February 28, 2014 by BRASSO

[fsubone]

I think its far to say more people saw Finals in attendance then, as well as the access provided to the off site opportunities. DCI Finals last season had a combined live attendance watch of under 60,000. ( in Indy, and via computer paid subscription ). DCI finals usually averaged in live attendance approx. 28,000-38,000 during the 70's, early 80's, and coupled with the delayed PBS broadscast the total that saw and heard the FInals was easily triple the audience that saw Finals last season.

You got some hard numbers there to back that up? Or just conjecture?

[perc2100]

You got some hard numbers there to back that up? Or just conjecture?

Here's the honest truth that was told to me by the head of DCI himself:

attendance figures previous to the mid-90's were not official, or sometimes accurate. I was told that sometimes they were a great "guesstimate," and sometimes they were seemingly made up. Numbers in Montreal, the gold standard of DCI attendance, were not accurate, regardless of what a scoreboard tells you (just like at ANY professional sporting event the attendance numbers reported by the home team are often no where near the actual attendance at the stadium). No doubts that the stands have looked more full, and larger, than other years. From the mid-90's to now the numbers have been accurately tracked, but prior to that it's ALL conjecture.

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

Since alumniof's recent experience came from Allentown, I will unequivocally state, compared to recent shows there, the Allentown shows from the late 70s & early 80s had bigger crowds, more raucous crowds, and many times more spontaneous standing Os throughout the evening. That's a fact. Now, what to make of it all?

As to the OPs original question, the 'artists' in charge hate G horns- didn't they ban them awhile back?

There are plenty of 'WASs and WEREs' in every activity, of course.

Allentown a 1/2 dozen years ago was my last show and I was bored to death & my SO (not a drum corps person) has vowed to never undergo such an experience again. We do go to DCA & Alumni shows. At this point, I think DCI is ready to turn the corner & come out of the closet as band. It sure as heck isn't drum & BUGLE corps anymore. Edited February 28, 2014 by pearlsnaredrummer77

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

As to the OP's original question: I thought that G horns had been banned from DCI because the sound of them annoys the 'artists' running DCI, :)

[BRASSO]

Here's the honest truth that was told to me by the head of DCI himself:

attendance figures previous to the mid-90's were not official, or sometimes accurate. I was told that sometimes they were a great "guesstimate," and sometimes they were seemingly made up. Numbers in Montreal, the gold standard of DCI attendance, were not accurate, regardless of what a scoreboard tells you (just like at ANY professional sporting event the attendance numbers reported by the home team are often no where near the actual attendance at the stadium). No doubts that the stands have looked more full, and larger, than other years. From the mid-90's to now the numbers have been accurately tracked, but prior to that it's ALL conjecture.

Its true that DCI has the current numbers ( for just one example ) of those that paid thru subscriptions for last season's Finals broadcast, as well as the attendance figures for those that bought tickets for the Quarterfinals in the theatre. Its also a matter of guesswork as to how many in the nation got to watch DCI finals Live or on tape delay on the PBS TV stations for the couple of decades that DCI and this TV station had their partnership. The national audience TV numbers from these early years are not known. But we can utilize our common sense to determine that more people watched the TV broadcast of the early years Finals than the numbers securing the Championships broadscast thru their paid subscription computer or thru their cinema broadcast ticket purchase. I also know that there were more ticket takers than ticket givers under the age of 21 in the Cinema that my friends went to for last season's June DCI show broadcast. Thats not conjecture, thats real obeservable personal experience of ours. Also, as one that has attended DCI Finals in all decades since DCI's inception (1st DCI one, in '74, Ithaca, N.Y. ), I can confirm that there were more fans in attendance in the early years of DCI on Finals Night than in Indy of late. I can not tell precisely how many more fans were in attendance, only that its not debateable, imo, that there were far more in attendance on Finals Night in those earlier decades than what we are experiencing now.

Edited March 1, 2014 by BRASSO

[BRASSO]

Allentown a 1/2 dozen years ago was my last show and I was bored to death & my SO (not a drum corps person) has vowed to never undergo such an experience again. We do go to DCA & Alumni shows. At this point, I think DCI is ready to turn the corner & come out of the closet as band. It sure as heck isn't drum & BUGLE corps anymore.

The good news here is that the gap between the legend alums and the newer fans and participants are seemingly coming together with each passing day ( or hour ) that these units are " Marching Bands ". I think its only a matter of time that everyone will agree on this too. Things change. Why its taken us so long to come together in agreement that these are Marching Bands is sort of silly to me.. Its outdated thinking to think that a unit with trumpets, tubas, sousaphones, trombones, rock guitars, keyboard synthesizers, singers,, etc is not a " Band ". ".Of course it is. And as I stated, more and more people now finally acknowledge this obvious reality too. So there ARE things the older generation and the newer generation can increasingly come to agreement on.. and this is one of them, imo. So there are at least some positive things that can bring people togther if we can just step back for a moment and look what we have..... and agree on what it is we all can see.

Edited March 1, 2014 by BRASSO

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

Yep. DCI is now band-for better or worse thats what it is.. What's the use of complaining now? That ship has sailed. I think DCI should add woodwinds, and any other prop or object the artists desire.

. I would like to see DCI drop any pretense of being anything other than band. What the DCI bands do isn't my cup of tea, but I wish them well in future endeavors.

I'm hopeful to see a revival of drum and bugle corps- a lot smaller, a lot less expensive, and with more accessible music. i don't see this starting to really take root until DCI has completely transitioned into band in NAME as well as deed. I think the legacy crowd can be pleased by 28 kids on g horns and thrilled to hear 40. So to those who say it won't happen I think we are talking apples and oranges.

[BRASSO]

I'm 95% sure those old ladies never go to a single show, but they're luckily keeping a bunch of corps afloat with their Bingo addictions.

Yes, which only makes inquiring minds begin to contemplate about what happens when these old gals enmasse finally have their number called and their ticket punched for The Great Beyond. I don't anticipate most of the recent and future Music Ed degreed Alums from the Blue Devils moving out to Concord, Calif. someday to pick up a bingo card and play bingo each week to help out their Corps. But will these young Turks that'll be working in the field of education be cutting a good check donation to their Corps once Bingo dies ? Thats the big question that'll be coming soon enough. As lets face it, Bingo is probably on its last legs. Its already mostly dead now in my neck of the woods, as the older guys and gals into gambling much prefer to get on busses, go out to the Casinos, and spend their dough gambling and taking in the whole entertainment and food scene there . They and their friends moved on from the old Bingo Halls long ago.

Edited March 1, 2014 by BRASSO