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Has Audience Culture Changed?


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We traveled to Indy 2010 to satisfy my curiosity. The audience at our seats were wonderful. Quiet during the performances and standing ovation for each corps. I chatted with Mom and son behind me between corps. She gifted him a trip to DCI for his 16th birthday. He said I want to march drum corps and this is the one. He pointed and I knew he knew and smiled. I loved Into The Light and seeing DCI finals in 2010 since 1983. Big gap but glad I did.

We traveled to Indy 2013 and the audience was loud. When we went to the bathroom or concession our seats were taken. We politely showed our tickets twice. I loved e=mc2 and Rite of Spring but can't purchase the DVD. No worries. I remember the experience. My travel companions returned west while I flew to Ontario to visit family. At the Indy airport I met members of Cadets, Crossmen and more on their way back to Texas.  I thanked them.

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7 hours ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Then you get unartistic scrugs like me who just go to be entertained.... lol

My point exactly......

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On 7/22/2018 at 7:20 AM, smr17 said:

I'm new here so I'm just genuinely curious if anyone agrees, but it seems like watching older videos ('00-'12) there are many instances when the corps would have audiences up and cheering maybe even before the last hit. Now I'm usually disappointed by the lack of excitement in audiences and feel like the standing ovations at the end are weaker and come out of obligation. Does anyone agree and maybe know what has changed? Am I crazy? (please feel free to tell me)

Your observation is probably true, 'based on videos ('00-'12) and from my observation of videos/live performances ('74-''18). Drum corp has evolved and so did the judging criteria - we no longer have the tic system, added the pit, amplification, props, trombones, so show designers and corps changed with the times. At times some corps have hit the mark with the judges, while others struggle to adapt to the times and the judges scores reflect that. As for the audience reaction, it all depends on the corp performance (level) and if gets the audience attention.   

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4 hours ago, Box5Opinion said:

Your observation is probably true, 'based on videos ('00-'12) and from my observation of videos/live performances ('74-''18). Drum corp has evolved and so did the judging criteria - we no longer have the tic system, added the pit, amplification, props, trombones, so show designers and corps changed with the times. At times some corps have hit the mark with the judges, while others struggle to adapt to the times and the judges scores reflect that. As for the audience reaction, it all depends on the corp performance (level) and if gets the audience attention.   

Same years here except took a 10 year break. Audience at start of my time for local shows. included lot of people who were not musicians and no connection to any corps. Just an evening of entertainment to them. Said that here few years back and was ripped a new one by a newer person who said crowds were always composed of alumni and family members. Bigger crowds were because more local corps. And I got the wrong idea because I didn't talk to enough people. Ah no..... 

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5 hours ago, bluesman said:

I thinks there a several factors in the seemingly lackluster way in which audiences react to shows today compared to those in past decades.  

1.  The audience has changed.  I think we see more musically educated crowds who are less likely to scream and cheer in the middle of shows or at every amazing guard toss.  If you look back to the '80s  corps could see multiple standing ovations during their shows. In 1982 I marched with Memphis Blues and we had 3 standing ovations during our program.  Two of those were in the opener alone.   People were more likely to go crazy for a corps they felt a personal connection to. Corps had more local kids participating.  Corps today are no more likely to have members from the local community than they are to have members from other regions or even other countries

2.  Indianapolis.  I'm sorry but going to the same place every year for finals gets monotonous.  It's a lovely city, but not exactly known for being on the cutting edge.  In the '80s World Championships were held in cities that had little in common.  Montreal and Birmingham couldn't have been more different.  IMO the most enthusiastic crowds to ever see DCI Championships were in the South(excluding Florida).  Atlanta in '84, Jackson in 1993 and Dallas in 1991.  I've still never seen a crowd react the way it did during the performances of Phantom Regiment and Cavaliers at the Cotton Bowl that year.  It was off the chart insane.

3.  Show design is about bringing a concept or  story to life and not necessarily about making the crowd throw babies.  

4.  And finally.... I think we live in a world in which we are continually bombarded with stimulation to the point where it takes so much more to keep us paying attention.   I watched people have their heads buried in their mobile devices during corps performances, and that makes me sad.  

1.I don't know if the lack of crowd reactions is that some fans are more "musically educated"  or if  a number of fans don't "get'"  some of the esoteric presentations.

I'm a dinosaur,I go back to the days when corps' shows seem to have been  designed  to entertain the audience,not "'stroke" the show designers' egos.

Reading the comments about Madison's and Phantom's shows,that does seem to be an issue.

2.I don't disagree that having Finals at other locations would be a good idea.

I just don't think it will happen,at least not for a while.

Having Finals in DCI's back yard makes life easy for the organization.

I also believe that,if they ever do move Finals,it would only be to another dome.

I don't think DCI wants to have to deal with potential weather issues ever again.

3.There should  be a happy medium between bringing a concept or story to life,and connecting with the audience.

Music City is doing it really well this year.The Academy has done it with shows like "Drum Corpse Bride".

Personally,I feel you shouldn't have to be a music major to understand/enjoy a corps' show.

4.This !

It seems some people attend events just to have another place to watch their phone  .

They also don't feel the event itself is enough.

I had season tickets to the Giants since the original stadium opened in 1976.

Sat with the same people till the stadium was demolished.

You used to go and watch the game.

Now they have to have entertainment outside the stadium before the game,give aways during the game and

video boards showing non stop "fillers",including telling  fans to "get loud".

I'm also amazed how many people spend the game watching other games on their phones or placing bets.

I also found that a lot of people by season tickets as an investment,and don't even go to the games.They just sell

the tickets to the other team's fans.

 

And,in closing: Get off my lawn !

 

 

 

 

 

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10 hours ago, Terri Schehr said:

Sigh.  Geez, am I sorry I ever said anything.  I won’t make that mistake again.  This is harder to get rid of than a bad rash. 

You DO know you have to take ALL the medication, even if your symptoms are better, right? :whistle:

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Been a drum corps fan since mid sixties.( north jersey)

First DCI championship was 76. 

I don't think the audience or their expectations have  changed that much, at least not recently . The situation is that a show designed to 

impress the judges with the artistic vision of the designer, is not designed for crowd response.

Still travel to shows,still marvel at the talent level,but its not geared to spontaneous response as it was.

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11 hours ago, bluesman said:

I thinks there a several factors in the seemingly lackluster way in which audiences react to shows today compared to those in past decades.  

1.  The audience has changed.  I think we see more musically educated crowds who are less likely to scream and cheer in the middle of shows or at every amazing guard toss.  If you look back to the '80s  corps could see multiple standing ovations during their shows. In 1982 I marched with Memphis Blues and we had 3 standing ovations during our program.  Two of those were in the opener alone.   People were more likely to go crazy for a corps they felt a personal connection to. Corps had more local kids participating.  Corps today are no more likely to have members from the local community than they are to have members from other regions or even other countries

2.  Indianapolis.  I'm sorry but going to the same place every year for finals gets monotonous.  It's a lovely city, but not exactly known for being on the cutting edge.  In the '80s World Championships were held in cities that had little in common.  Montreal and Birmingham couldn't have been more different.  IMO the most enthusiastic crowds to ever see DCI Championships were in the South(excluding Florida).  Atlanta in '84, Jackson in 1993 and Dallas in 1991.  I've still never seen a crowd react the way it did during the performances of Phantom Regiment and Cavaliers at the Cotton Bowl that year.  It was off the chart insane.

3.  Show design is about bringing a concept or  story to life and not necessarily about making the crowd throw babies.  

4.  And finally.... I think we live in a world in which we are continually bombarded with stimulation to the point where it takes so much more to keep us paying attention.   I watched people have their heads buried in their mobile devices during corps performances, and that makes me sad.  

I couldn't agree more with your thought out rational! 

2. Indianapolis - yikes! They need to make finals a roving event. 

3. You get it! 

Bluesman you are the MAN!!! 

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On 7/22/2018 at 9:20 AM, smr17 said:

I'm new here so I'm just genuinely curious if anyone agrees, but it seems like watching older videos ('00-'12) there are many instances when the corps would have audiences up and cheering maybe even before the last hit. Now I'm usually disappointed by the lack of excitement in audiences and feel like the standing ovations at the end are weaker and come out of obligation. Does anyone agree and maybe know what has changed? Am I crazy? (please feel free to tell me)

maybe someone addressed this earlier (I haven't read through the entire thread), but in previous decades a MUCH larger portion of the audiences were seeing shows for the first time.  Reactions were raw, and spontaneous..  How many of us now can say we haven't watched/heard/gotten a taste of several corps' shows before we even go to a stadium to see them live? I know a few who make it a mission to NOT watch anything till they can see it live, or on finals night... I surmise that those folks are a minority.  Most of us know whats about to happen before we get in our seats.  I think it's a change in how we "curate" our Drum Corps experience, not that audiences have changed.. 

 

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1 hour ago, mellojay84 said:

maybe someone addressed this earlier (I haven't read through the entire thread), but in previous decades a MUCH larger portion of the audiences were seeing shows for the first time.  Reactions were raw, and spontaneous..  How many of us now can say we haven't watched/heard/gotten a taste of several corps' shows before we even go to a stadium to see them live? I know a few who make it a mission to NOT watch anything till they can see it live, or on finals night... I surmise that those folks are a minority.  Most of us know whats about to happen before we get in our seats.  I think it's a change in how we "curate" our Drum Corps experience, not that audiences have changed.. 

 

yeah i haven't had a chance to get through it all either (this blew up more than i anticipated) but from what i read this makes some of the most sense. One season I'll have to try it to see if the shows leave any more of an impression on me. Thanks for all the replies guys! heck of a first post

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