Has Audience Culture Changed?

[N.E. Brigand]

On 7/22/2018 at 1:57 PM, TheClutch said:

If your only answer is "because drum corps has gotten worse," delete your account.  Why are you still here?

Eh, some people who are currently disappointed (rightly or wrongly) are here because drum corps was once highly meaningful to them, and they'd like it to be that way again.

[N.E. Brigand]

On 7/22/2018 at 2:21 PM, year1buick said:

One other factor, both for me and my daughter, was fatigue/sensory overload. After nine hours of having it come at me, front and center, by the time the last grouping came around, I was almost becoming a little numb to it all. Despite the fact that the performances were getting more and more impressive.

Excellent point.

[GUARDLING]

2 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

it's entirely possible that everything has blended into everything else. Band used to be one way, usually a few years behind drum corps, and in fact DCA was usually a few years behind DCI. WGI was its own beast. As the designers have become more integrated will aspects of the idiom, the ideas bleed over into the others. Sometimes its great, sometimes it's bad. 

2

If people don't like the direction remember we have no one to blame but ourselves. MONEY was at the band programs more for many staff ( especially new people and mid-level staff ) We took our style to the band programs, not the other way around. We went to other venues like a WGI and we started to change the activity which would bounce back to other parts of the activity. Some of our beloved icons in the Drum  Corps activity were very much a part of it including those still in the judging community today.

Some evil force did not come in, It was our own, many who we still admire who took the activity to a different level, Like that, agree with that, support it or not..

I know you know all this.....lol...just backing up your statement... and agree Sometimes great, sometimes not...like with everything and every time.

Edited July 23, 2018 by GUARDLING

[N.E. Brigand]

On 7/22/2018 at 2:30 PM, pudding said:

Personally, when I attend I show I want to catch every single detail that I might miss when watching videos. Because of this, I don't applaud or cheer unless I know for absolute certain that there is nothing going on, including programmed silence. I find this to be similar to watching an orchestral concert; the current etiquette at such a venue is to remain silent and enjoy the experience being provided, and to also not potentially disrupt the experience of the concert-goer next to you. Contrast with, say, a jazz club, where one is almost obligated to clap and applaud during the performance, notably after solos. I'm not saying that one way is correct, or is better than the other, I'm simply sharing my approach.

An acquaintance works as a classical music critic at one of the smaller media outlets in his large city. A few year ago, he was so moved by a visiting orchestra's performance of ...<checks notes>... the first movement of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 6 that he applauded after that movement. The critic for the largest local paper complained that someone had spoiled the beauty by applauding between movements.

But applauding between movements used to be the regular practice.

[Jeff Ream]

22 hours ago, brians said:

If you ask me,  the whole country is in a funk of disengaged, demoralized, depressed, emotional fog.  Hard to get many excited or involved in much of anything, but their own little me me  phone world.... say nothing about being engaged and feeling anything at a drum corps show.  Sad really.  Hopefully, the ice will break one of these days.  I specifically go to shows that have a history of good crowds.  Be dammed with the rest of the crowd, I stand up and cheer regardless of what others are doing around me......have fun, be the audience member you want others to be.  Your world, those around you,  and most importantly, the kids preforming will feel better and have a better attitude.

this years DCI offerings has me the most excited I've been since 1999 top to bottom

[N.E. Brigand]

On 7/22/2018 at 4:53 PM, Precious Roy said:

Madison Scouts '88, everybody knows and remembers Malaguena. But look at how they started that show. First note -- WHAM!

Crossmen's '91 Pat Metheny show is another favorite example of mine.

I wish this type of opening would become more prevalent again, to balance out the more typical, formulaic, way most shows begin these days.

Three or four years ago there were some then current or recently aged-out DCI members who presented some older drum corps videos with Mystery Science Theater-style commentary. Madison '88 was one of them. They savaged it. I certainly don't agree with them! And I don't remember many of the details, except for a complaint that they couldn't hear the tubas (ludicrous) and that the pit wasn't "performing" (by which they meant visually performing). But looking at both of those clips you provide of those two fine shows, I think what you might hear is that the marching is pretty slow and the guard work is so easy that today's guards could do it in their sleep--and that judges in both cases would give terribly low scores to anyone who presented either of those shows.

But what struck me is how, after the first few bars of Madison's show, there was a rather extended soft section.

You're right about there being too much of a formula to openings these days, though. I have praised Genesis more than once this year for starting with a nice big chord.

[N.E. Brigand]

23 hours ago, GUARDLING said:

Not at all, the point is WGI, DCI DCA, BOA,, is all pretty much the same people.It's only natural things would start to blend over which has been going on for decades.

As far as other tastes, you couldn't be more wrong. One can also twist that and say some are so encrusted with their own ideas of what any of those places should be that they (as you say) can't experience other possible tastes.

Again I say that comments like this are so broad, on both sides, as to be meaningless. Why not identify some of these hidebound ideas that you think would be improved by some shaking up?

Edit: You did get a bit more specific in a later post.

Edited July 23, 2018 by N.E. Brigand

[N.E. Brigand]

23 hours ago, TheClutch said:

Don't the themes pull from multiple sources?

For examples, SCV has a dance that pull from some hip hop (or hbcu).  Ballet and other dance are factored into choreography. Did BD's haireography come from WGI?  Were the Samurai movements from 08 Cavaliers WGI based?

I think today's corps are more of an artistic mashup than ever before.

Yes, this is more like it. Specifics! Thank you.

[N.E. Brigand]

21 hours ago, xandandl said:

yes as usual you can't enter a discussion of varying viewpoints without getting emotional and in your own words "twist" ing that.

I am thinking of Oriental music and dance even beyond what was done by Seattle Imperials and Cavaliers. African and South American approaches  music and visuals.  Scandinavian and Swiss militarism and precision, not just the pseudo-ballet we are getting from wanna-bees who haven't made it on their own.

Good! Specifics. (But we need none of us make it personal.)

[GUARDLING]

1 minute ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Again I say that comments like this are so broad, on both sides, as to be meaningless. Why not identify some of these hidebound ideas that you think would be improved by some shaking up?

Not quite sure what you are asking but willing to give it a shot. I don't think there are side though in this ( maybe with some ) The morfing between all aspects of the activity happens to do with the people driving the train. Not sure if that's what you were asking