Pittsburgh 2. Bits and pieces

[And in first place~]

This might be boring to most but here goes anyway. I'm not into the technical aspects like many in here. I just want to mention things from another point of view..as in a drum corps nut's night with the corps.

Went to Spirit's warmup. When they played a bit of " Ol' Man River" a man standing in front of me went nuts. He applauded and yelled something. I thought " There's another one enjoying what some of us still want to hear". One of those moments if you will.

I ordered two seats at the end of a row. Got to my seats and there were eight seats to my left. Huh? I wanted easy in and out seats but noooooo...I then decided to stand up at the top. For whatever reason, the seats at the upper rows were re-numbered causing much confusion for those trying to find their seats. The girls from Gateway's band were ushers and were clueless as to where

seats were as a result.

The rain stopped at about 4:35 as someone mentioned and the sun was out. For the first three corps, we had to look into the sun. Many holding their hands over their eyes. After the long, brutal winter we had here, it was no big deal but something to deal with nonetheless.

Hadn't seen Cavies in ages and was anxious to see them. I miss the way they used to be.

Spirit...nice show but like Cavies, I miss the way they used to be.

Boston...yes, a dark show. Again. I enjoyed it though.

Cadets...Wow! You haters won't agree but they are awesome. I love their show. Hornline drives me absolutely crazy...meant as a compliment. The huge platform...a distraction. The narrator..another distraction. He does an outstanding narration but I found myself focused on him more than the corps. I guess that's the purpose. What book is he holding anyway? Good thing GHop doesn't have him holding "War and Peace". Btw, GHop was not there. Missed seeing him down on the field along with the other gazillion staff members.

The Tilt in Blue....Wow Number Two! Incredible corps with a great early season performance. It was their show. A corps based in Canton, Ohio having a show near Pgh,,,,thank you so much. Their encore was fantastic. They are smart enough to give people what they want. As in "Autumn Leaves" and turning their hornline loose. The guard faces the corps during the encore. The members on the right put their arms around each other's waist. The members on the left did not. Only a drum corps nut like me would notice something like that. The corps moved forward to the track to finish up. Wow Number Three! They dang near blew the lights out. Another moment to remember. Brilliant, Blooooo.

Souvies...If anyone wanted Spirit souvies, they were out of luck. No Spirit booth. If there was, I didn't see it. Boston sold the most. Every time I looked, they were busy. Such nice guys, too. Tons of apparel to choose from. I spent about $60 on three t shirts. One Cadets tour shirt and two Boston.

Regarding corps shows...As always, everyone has their own opinion. If I could see one show again, it would be The Cadets'. A no brainer at least as far as I'm concerned. What most of you don't seem to realize is the fact that 90% of the people in attendance are not familiar with what shows corps will be performing. The music has been, still is and will be totally something they don't know. I'm referring to most of us fans who go to show spending big bucks and sacrificing our time when we could be doing something else.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give a 4. That might even be generous. It's the same problem as it has been for years...unrecognizable music. People sat on their hands except for the rare moment of standing up and applauding. I don't know what the answer is. I always ask myself what show would I do if I was a show designer. It's not easy, but then I'm not a show designer,lol.

All in all, I'm not wild about what corps are doing and have been doing. It's not all about that, though. It's being around other drum corps people. It's about watching kids perform. It's about knowing how much goes into putting a show on the field. The all night bus rides. The volunteers. The intensity of corps members. To see how well those kids are taken care of while their parents are back home. It's about hearing a Bluecoats' guard member say before the show..." I have to go take a shower, fix my hair and do my make-up. I'm so excited!!!" A simple comment I overheard ...awesome. "I'm so excited". THAT is what drum corps is all about. Well, you had to be there. Another moment to remember. I'll take us drum corps nuts over anyone. Enjoy the season everyone. We're all in this together, ya know.

Edited June 26, 2014 by And in first place~

[2muchcoffeeman]

That was excellent.

[Cappybara]

I have an issue with this post. You support the Steelers.

[N.E. Brigand]

What most of you don't seem to realize is the fact that 90% of the people in attendance are not familiar with what shows corps will be performing. The music has been, still is and will be totally something they don't know. I'm referring to most of us fans who go to show spending big bucks and sacrificing our time when we could be doing something else.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give a 4. That might even be generous. It's the same problem as it has been for years...unrecognizable music. People sat on their hands except for the rare moment of standing up and applauding. I don't know what the answer is.

What would you say is your favorite year, or one of your favorite years, for drum corps and their music? I'd be curious as to how recognizable the music really was then. The year I was introduced to drum corps, and then later and for a long time the only drum corps CD I owned (found it in a second-hand record shop and didn't know how to find more), was 1989. I didn't know at least half of the music in the Finals repertoires before then.

[And in first place~]

That was excellent.

Thank you. It's just a few things I wanted to mention. I'm the type that takes it all in. As in wandering around parking lots looking at corps busses and trucks. I can do without recaps and such. I just love drum corps even though I might not enjoy most shows as much as I would hope to. I was just thinking about the lack of crowd reaction last night. There were very few " stand up and applaud " moments.

I could go on and on about the little things that make it worth it. Like the Bluecoats guard member saying "....I'm so excited". It might seem silly but hearing her say that pretty much made my night. To me, that's what makes it worth it. I roam around and pick up on things like that. To me, there's so much more to drum corps than going over recaps. I'll leave that up to others.

Me, I'll take a hornline making light standards shake, drumsticks going a zillion miles per hour and guard members all over doing whatever. Not to mention being around other drum corps nuts like us for a few hours.

[And in first place~]

What would you say is your favorite year, or one of your favorite years, for drum corps and their music? I'd be curious as to how recognizable the music really was then. The year I was introduced to drum corps, and then later and for a long time the only drum corps CD I owned (found it in a second-hand record shop and didn't know how to find more), was 1989. I didn't know at least half of the music in the Finals repertoires before then.

I go back to way before 1989. It's the generation gap problem. I have lots of favorite shows and music. One would be Cadets " West Side Story" back in the early 80's I think it was. Here is where I contradict myself. When Cadets played "Rocky Point Holiday", I never heard of it. As soon as I heard it, I loved it. To this day, I could listen to it and still love it. So unrecognizable music can become recognizable if you know what I mean. I realize Madison can't play "Malagueña" all the time, as an example. It's just that the vast majority of people in attendance have no idea as to what corps are playing. I have to see or at least hear a corps several times. Once I "learn" a show, I might like it much more then. I doubt whether most do that.

[2muchcoffeeman]

I could go on and on about the little things that make it worth it. Like the Bluecoats guard member saying "....I'm so excited". It might seem silly but hearing her say that pretty much made my night. To me, that's what makes it worth it.

The moments I remember about my marching days are these kind of moments, not the scores.

[CrownBariDad]

Spirit souvies; They should be back at the next show. They had some unforeseen weather related problems.

[cfirwin3]

I have an issue with this post. You support the Steelers.

As if someone from Pittsburgh wouldn't?

[charlie1223]

Regarding corps shows...As always, everyone has their own opinion. If I could see one show again, it would be The Cadets'. A no brainer at least as far as I'm concerned. What most of you don't seem to realize is the fact that 90% of the people in attendance are not familiar with what shows corps will be performing. The music has been, still is and will be totally something they don't know. I'm referring to most of us fans who go to show spending big bucks and sacrificing our time when we could be doing something else.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give a 4. That might even be generous. It's the same problem as it has been for years...unrecognizable music. People sat on their hands except for the rare moment of standing up and applauding. I don't know what the answer is. I always ask myself what show would I do if I was a show designer. It's not easy, but then I'm not a show designer,lol.

Should designers expect everyone to know they music they use? At what point is it the responsibility of the audience to get familiar with the music in a performance? Especially if fans often say they only appreciate music that they are familiar with? Corps do post their repertoire and the information online... its not hiding. It can be easily accessed and people who want to listen to "recognizable" music in drum corps need to be familiar with the music that is being performed in drum corps.

I wouldn't pay for a movie or concert that i didn't know anything about. I would maybe see a trailer? or at the very least listen to the songs of the artist that I am going to see in concert? These are natural things we do for every form of entertainment... At what point do we ask audience members to do the same? Or at least those audience members that are always complaining that the music they hear isn't "recognizable". Those are usually the same people that don't want to get a familiar with new music or at the very least look for the music that is being used in a corps show.

Short story is, listen to the source music before you go to a show and then it will be recognizable to you. I did that for the Bluecoats show and it is astronomically more enjoyable.

Edited June 27, 2014 by charlie1223