auldschool Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Have you gone to the video and watched the shows from the mid 1990s? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRapp Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 I'm not sure you're right about the audiences or the kids. I attended a high school band show last year at Ohio State that was a combination of about 30 corps-style competition bands being judged and 10 halftime-style show bands getting comments only (from a panel of college band directors). A sizeable portion of the audience clearly preferred the latter group, which was much more traditional. Regarding the competition bands, people were puzzled by the props, bored by the body movement, and felt that any marching that wasn't high step was merely "shuffling". (As for 1980s vs. 2010s drum corps, the former are at least as musically enjoyable as the latter. I'd rather listen to 1989 Dutch Boy than to 2015 Troopers, to pick just a pair of 13th place corps--and I never heard that Dutch Boy show until a few years ago, so it's not a case of nostalgia. It's great that the corps move more and faster now than they did then, but between the interference of that movement with great playing, and the ever-increasing reliance on the electronically-enhanced front ensemble that doesn't even have to move at all, something was lost. Beware of presentism!) I think it is much more difficult to produce a compelling, cohesive and clean dramatic corps style of show than a traditional marching show. Especially with teenagers who have had no professional training at all, and are probably not being taught by former DCI medalists. The understanding of scale to a football stadium is the biggest challenge, no pun intended, and it takes great experience and creativity to make a show communicate to a big audience. Huge symmetrical formations that morph into more huge symmetrical formations works, which is great. Or Michael Jackson moonwalking in slow motion, that's fine...once. But ask the Ohio State marching band to perform Tilt and they'll melt. We have a good number of former DCI kids leading area marching bands in Nashvile. A Cavaliers and a Phantom alum teach Franklin High and they have 200 strong and barely missed national finals last year. A Crown guy apparently teaches Page High, which put a smaller version of Tilt on the field last year. If those folks can spread the knowledge then the future is really bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 You are sold aren't you. How long have you been following BD? Not sure how that's relevant in any way to the conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 We have a good number of former DCI kids leading area marching bands in Nashvile. A Cavaliers and a Phantom alum teach Franklin High and they have 200 strong and barely missed national finals last year. A Crown guy apparently teaches Page High, which put a smaller version of Tilt on the field last year. If those folks can spread the knowledge then the future is really bright. I watched most of BoA's Semifinals and Finals webcasts last year, and liked Franklin's show a lot. Great concept, well executed (a bit on the short side, though). Very bold to have the whole band wear full face masks in service of the "but now I see" theme. Just playing while wearing those must have been a challenge. I would have had Franklin ahead of Keller, the band who beat them out for a Finals spot by six tenths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftwdrummer Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 So...how was the Lakeland show, you guys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auldschool Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Not sure how that's relevant in any way to the conversation. Just curious. I didn't know if you were an old fart like me and had watched BD in the 70s or marched in the 80s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 As I have said many times, it all changed for me when I watched Vanguard perform Phantom of the Opera on PBS. ANd, in retrospect, the entire activity changed as well. What these kids are doing right now on the field is nothing short of miraculous. They are playing music that is darned near impossible to play cleanly sitting down in an air conditioned band room. And they're marching 200 steps per freaking minute, and playing it to perfection. The good old days were never as good as we thought they were. Cadets, today, smokes Cadets of two decades ago. That's no disrespect to the old Cadets, it just is what it is. Things change, and I don't fear the future so long as we all embrace greatness. This is usually an off season debate when we're stranded indoors due to snow and dream of sitting in the stands cheering for our favorite corps. My thoughts: The drum corps era that we usually think is the greatest often depends on our youth, when we marched or were eligible to march, or the years thereafter. It's no coincidence that 1980 is my favorite year in DCI and the year I was old enough to drive to shows. Sentiment can play a huge role and there's nothing wrong with that. It is difficult for us to say conclusively that one era is superior to another. Instrumentation has changed. Put the same instruments of today in the hands of kids who marched thirty years ago and things could be different. Corps were judged differently back in the day, and different skill sets are needed. Could the Phantom Regiment or 27th Lancers of 1980 dance the way we see corps move today? Probably not, but could guards of today maneuver the equipment while marching be as clean as 1980? Probably not. The number of corps today is much smaller than twenty or thirty years ago, talent was not concentrated to only a few corps. What does make things different today, is that we build on what has happened previously. Shows are more complex, and corps always try and top what has come before, but whether it is better is still a matter of opinion. Whether we think one era is better than the other can get heated, but as someone who has watched every DVD from the snippets of 1974 to 2015's BluRay, what we usually see is what is technically and proficiently the best that year has to offer. My opinion: 1979-1989, pure greatness. 1979-1989, knew people who marched, attended every show I could. 1990-99, fewer great shows, did not know people who marched, attended fewer shows. 2000-2010, very proficient, only a few shows that grabbed me, only attended one or two shows a year. 2011-present, my vacation schedule changed, could attend more shows, all the sudden drum corps had a Renaissance, and what I write is as biased as the day is long. What we think is the greatest is purely subjective and very little will change our minds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRapp Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 I watched most of BoA's Semifinals and Finals webcasts last year, and liked Franklin's show a lot. Great concept, well executed (a bit on the short side, though). Very bold to have the whole band wear full face masks in service of the "but now I see" theme. Just playing while wearing those must have been a challenge. I would have had Franklin ahead of Keller, the band who beat them out for a Finals spot by six tenths. Interesting. Did you know the band is led by a Cavies alum? They'll all be at the Nashville show in three weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Just curious. I didn't know if you were an old fart like me and had watched BD in the 70s or marched in the 80s. Ah gotcha. No, I started following DCI 4-5 years ago. I've mentioned this before but it wasn't until 2014 where I actually started to like BD and their style. Before that, I hated it and thought Crown and Phantom Regiment were the best things since sliced bread. Not sure what made me change, but I appreciate BD's style a lot more now. I've admittedly not listened to much by them from the 80's, but plenty from the 90's and 2000's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarOrg Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Boston was real nice and definitely deserved the GE win over Crossmen. I felt like the Crossmen show has great writing and all but I feel like the whole concept they're shooting for falls short. Cadets was amazing. Great sound and great arrangements across the board. Hearing those horns on Pines of Rome is incredible. I felt like there's a huge disconnect between the first two thirds of the show and the last. Maybe it's just my ADHD brain, but I lose a lot of focus on what is even supposed to be going on once the John Mackey piece starts. I was there last night and this is pretty dead on imo. Boston show definitely has more GE than Crossmen. The windmills are a solid prop and better then other corps out there. I just wish they could figure out how to stage them better. At the end of the show they are on the front sideline and its harder to see the corps and its movement. If I was grading props themselves... Boston and Bluecoats get an A, Crossmen and Cadets get a C. I also agree the last third of the Cadets show loses the audience. I am sure they will continue to tweak that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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