Where is DCI?

[garfield]

The irony of the scholastic world is that even the school cheerleading national competitions have attracted networks support to broadcast their championships now, while the scholastic world that feeds DCI its summer marchers from the school band world no longer has the TV exposure that for decades DCI once had. Things change and evolve. And DCI has evolved to a place now that no TV network is interested in its product offerings anymore. Its just the way it is, and those of us still interested in the DCI Finals must either go there live, or watch it on pay per view from a DCI subscription. Even the friggin' rodeo still has its shows and its championships on TV, and without such a subscription basis to get the shows either.. And the cowboys, clowns, and riding bulls alll look the same way to me as they looked when I was wearing my davy crockett outfit as a little child too.

The rodeo equivalent of three-valve horns or high-tension batter heads:

"There would probably be no steer wrestling at all in American rodeo were it not for a black cowboy from Texas named Bill Pickett who devised his own unique method of bulldogging steers. He jumped from his horse to a steer’s back, bit its upper lip, and threw it to the ground by grabbing its horns. He performed at local central Texas fairs and rodeos and was discovered by an agent, who signed him on a tour of the West with his brothers. He received sensational national publicity with his bulldogging exhibition at the 1904 Cheyenne Frontier Days. This brought him a contract with the famous 101 Ranch in Oklahoma and its traveling Wild West exhibitions, where he spent many years performing in the United States and abroad.

Pickett attracted many imitators who appeared at rodeos and Wild West shows, and soon there were enough practitioners for promoters to stage contests.^[6] Photographers such as Walter S. Bowman and Ralph R. Doubleday captured images of rodeos and published postcards of the events."

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rodeo

The Same? Apparently not:

"While today's PRCA-sanctioned rodeos must include five events: calf roping, bareback and saddle bronc riding, bull riding, and steer wrestling, with the option to also hold steer roping and team roping, their Pre-World War I counterparts often offered only two of these contests. The day-long programs included diverse activities including Pony Express races, nightshirt races, and drunken rides. One even featured a football game. Almost all contests were billed as world's championships, causing confusion that endures to this day. Cowboys and cowgirls often did not know the exact events on offer until they arrived on site, and did not learn the rules of competition until they had paid their entry fees.^[11]

Before World War II, the most popular rodeo events included trick and fancy roping, trick and fancy riding, and racing. Trick and fancy roping contestants had to make figures and shapes with their lassos before releasing them to capture one or several persons or animals. These skills had to be exhibited on foot and on horseback. Fancy roping was the event most closely identified with the vaqueros, who invented it. In trick and fancy riding, athletes performed gymnastic feats on horseback while circling the arena at top speed. Athletes in these events were judged, much like those in contemporary gymnastics. The most popular races included Roman standing races wherein riders stood with one foot on the back of each of a pair of horses, and relays in which riders changed horses after each lap of the arena. Both were extremely dangerous, and sometimes fatal.^[12]

Another great difference between these colorful contests and their modern counterparts was that there were no chutes or gates, and no time limits. Rough stock were blindfolded and snubbed in the center of the arenas where the riders mounted. The animals were then set free. In the vast arenas, which usually included a racetrack, rides often lasted more than 10 minutes, and sometimes the contestants vanished from view of the audience."

[Jake W.]

Nothing to see here folks... all is swell in the activity... everything is great.. DCI will be back on TV soon.... stadium stands are full.... theatres are overflowing..... judges, commentators, costume designers, etc are all young... DCI World Class Division numbers of Corps is at an all time high.... everybody loves the shows.... lots of new and exciting Corps are winning titles than ever before....everything is just peachy.... and DCI is growing fan subscriptions so fast they might run out of bandwidth.... meanwhile a percussion section from Great Britain has 2 million more views than all the DCI drumlines combined, but with just a little more tweeking, the DCI drumlines will overwhelm the Brit drumline's popularity with the world, we'll see..... so things are growing like you would not believe and everything is just GREAT !!

I'm definitely not saying that absolutely every aspect of DCI is perfect....that is far from the case...nor am I talking about the non-profit organization of DCI as a whole; I was addressing drum corps. Specifically, the 22 world class corps who DO compete in DCI, but I was not speaking to the organization itself or the way its ran. My point was that there are purists from every single decade who had purists before them who said the same things. This is nothing new. The shows of the late 80s were decried by the MM's & alum of the early 80s, whose style when THEY marched was decried by alums of the 70s. The *VAST* majority of alumni follow and love the activity. My point was that for every rabid dinosaur (and there aren't too many, they just seem to be vocal from time to time) who denounces the current trends in DCI and bemoans that he'll never be able to enjoy a show again and will thus stop attending them (as if we should feel bad for that person), there were the same handful who gave the exact same verse when HE marched, whatever period that may have been in. I don't mean that the DCI non-profit organization is perfect; my point was that it's truly ASTONISHING to me that the people who perpetuate this cycle had the same things said about the era they marched, and yet here drum corps stands, competitive, talented, and full of passion as an activity.

[garfield]

All this being said, I find this year to be more about just the music and drill - mixed with some audio effects, choreography & staging but to a lesser degree. There seem to be fewer props and less narration overall. Electronics seem to be more integrated into the soundscape and don't stand out as much.

Am I seeing/hearing things or has anyone else noticed this?

Wait...Have you SEEN the 'Coats show?

[JoeDz]

I enjoyed two corps above all others in Minnesota ob Saturday night. Academy....wonderful show and wonderful sound.....and USMC...especially their color guard.

I admired the talents of every corps...... not so much the design, especially color guard costumes.

I pay my DCILive subscription knowing that I am going to enjoy a wonderful season. I got my money's worth on the first night...... but the ego of some show designers overshadows the talent of their kids.

[UKSuperman]

Huh ? thousands of Corps, fans, alums have already gone, whether they walked, ran, or used the Classic '63 Delorean you mentioned here, or whatever.

Speaking of this Classic Car from 1963.... do you realize these unaltered cars from the 60's are so valuable today, that more people attend Classic Car shows in local communities than DCI National Championship Finals ?. And that lots of people are williing to spend lots, LOTS, of dough for a '63 Delorean ?.... and far more than for a 2016 modern crisp SUV ? I wouldn't chuckle at a '63 Delorean and the vast numbers of people that like these Classics if I were you , as you'd look pretty foolish in doing so with most people around the country and around the world.

Did I put the Delorean down? Nope. I have always liked the Delorean. More people go to car shows to see them than DCI finals every year because car shows, more times than not, are free to get into. DCI Finals costs what, $120 for a decent seat? Pretty sure your argument is invalid sir.

[garfield]

I enjoyed two corps above all others in Minnesota ob Saturday night. Academy....wonderful show and wonderful sound.....and USMC...especially their color guard.

I admired the talents of every corps...... not so much the design, especially color guard costumes.

I pay my DCILive subscription knowing that I am going to enjoy a wonderful season. I got my money's worth on the first night...... but the ego of some show designers overshadows the talent of their kids.

ABSOLUTELY agree. In fact, I label it "Institutional Arrogance" and I/we see it all around the activity. But guess what: when the pendulum swings back the other way - AND IT WILL - I'll still be in the stands cupping my ears while the naysayers whiners for things-past have long left to sit at home alone.

[BRASSO]

Brasso, my friend, this is all hogwash and spittle. "Most long time fans..." Umm, can I see your data on that claim please? "...outside at a tailgate...pains them to watch...too boring..."? Again, stats, please, with verification of authenticity and not just BS you made up. Even if it's "first-hand knowledge" on your part, you're painting with an awfully big brush in these claims.

"...have not retained once loyal..."; then I would suggest they aren't loyal, are they? Loyalty presumes support during and despite inevitable change, doesn't it? And if the activity has moved beyond these "loyal" supporter's marching/fan experience is it a really a surprise that they aren't courted by DCI? How would/did these "loyal" fans "...grow the number of corps..." since 1972?

You DO have the answer! Instead of placating the whining old farts who can't get past themselves and their own histories, how about chiding them into recognizing that the activity is about the kids who march it and those who appreciate it?

The data is there. There are fewer Corps, fewer participants, fewer people exposed to DCI Finals Championships today than in previous decades. Don't shoot the messenger here. I speak with all the hundreds of my friends... some Hall of Famers, some former judges, some former Corps Directors, some former high level staffers, show designers, and they are heedless to my advice to give modern day DCI another look, another chance. They know what they like, and what they don't like, so nothing I can say to them... and believe me I do try, all the time too... is going to change their opinions on this. Even many of the Corps biggest donors will write Corps a check, but won't go to the shows. I know lots of them like this... personally. Talk to the Cav alums.... Troopers alums,.... Cadets alums... Madison alums... Bluecoats alums... other Corps long time alums... they'll confirm this for you. They'll tell you of the hundreds of people that'll write large checks to their Corps,out of their benevolent generosity, but have no interest in going to, nor even watching these DCI shows any more. If that is something you are not previously aware of, then I have just shared this with you, in order that you will be better informed. If you ARE aware of this, then you should know that neither you, me, nor anyone else on here is going to bring these people back, no matter WHAT persuasive skills we think we might possess. So thats that, and I don't know what else to tell you on it.

Edited July 18, 2016 by BRASSO

[garfield]

Did I put the Delorean down? Nope. I have always liked the Delorean. More people go to car shows to see them than DCI finals every year because car shows, more times than not, are free to get into. DCI Finals costs what, $120 for a decent seat? Pretty sure your argument is invalid sir.

And a significant reason why they are usually free to the public is because the ENTRANT participants PAY to be in the show! Try getting THAT rule passed in DCI! Ha!

[Jake W.]

And it started indoor. As did many of these judges. It's what they like and reward. Little credit anymore of marching and playing. 6 minutes of playing in a 12+ of emoting amd clapping and sliding and "dancing" and small ensembles. I personally like change, but it's the only thing getting rewarded. As far as BOA 2 of the top 3 staffs are essentially BOA rockstars. It's all connected.

Sorry, it's actually not "marching" and playing...it's VISUAL and playing. Like it or not, (your words) "emoting", "clapping", and small ensembles....well, that's all still playing and making music. You can make the case that a lack of *full ensemble* playing should correspond directly with lower GE scores, since a significant lack of full ensemble playing would translate to a lack of musical difficulty, but you *cannot* make the argument that these things shouldn't be judged on the music sheets. When the Bluecoats drumline starts the show by clapping rhythms they are, literally, making music, and are judged accordingly.

Again, the caption is visual, not marching, and "Sliding" (done in unison, with skill) and "dancing" (again, detailed, in unison, and with precision) flat out falls under this caption, and there's no arguing that. The caption is not "marching", otherwise color guard wouldn't factor into the visual caption in the slightest. Yes, we see an evolution towards including more than just marching in that visual caption, but that's because the top corps have raised the bar of difficulty over the years by demonstrating multiple skills and demonstrating them WELL. So, your statement of "little credit of marching and playing" is inaccurate. Terrific marching NEEDS to be demonstrated throughout a show, and it is rewarded, but groups who demonstrate terrific marching *AND* other precise, clean, musically-written visuals are further rewarded. And to the second part of your statement, terrific playing is literally the only thing that is rewarded in the music caption. Bad attacks, terrible intonation, poor balance, all of these are just as important as ever. There is music and playing happening for 100% of every show (save for some built in pauses for audience clapping; however, many less of those than in the 80s & 90s), I think your issue is coming from whether it's a full brass ensemble playing all of that time (which is not the case anymore). However, it's ridiculous to say "playing is given very little credit", when that's literally the ONLY thing that is given credit in the music caption.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Jake W.

[henry7184]

I sort of agree here. I thought about leaving work early today to watch tonight's show tonight, but then I though "I'm not missing much." I can watch '89 Regiment for the 1,000th time and still be in love. This year, with the exception of SCV, I don't feel like I really need to see anyone again.

I agree that evolution is good, but what we've seen in DCI is not good. I'm all for trombones, electronics and narration (which I still think is cheesey)- that's not the problem. The problem is hornline's are playing less and less, and there's no sustained melody anymore. Body movement instead of playing, less and less synchronized guard work and more dancing, chop and bop arrangements.

Everything is designed for the sheets rather than the paying audience. That's the overriding problem. By and large, this activity is just becoming so boring because the judges are rewarding shows that focus more on technique than entertainment. It should be combination of both. I know GE is not based on entertainment, but if the audience is sitting on their hands, there's not much general effect. You and I can appreciate what these members are doing, but Joe Blow down the street who doesn't know anything is just bored out of his mind.

I feel like I've wasted money subscribing to the Live Video this year. If I had waited until after I saw a majority of shows, I wouldn't have subscribed. Next year, I will wait.

Edited July 18, 2016 by henry7184