Semi Finals observations

[Lieut. General Effect]

I'm trying to catch my 2nd wind after sitting thru the Quarters and the SemiFinals in Foxboro, So I'll bring a few brief observations.....50 bucks to simply park the car at Gillette Stadium for 2 shows makes me cringe...... Other than that, every seat in the stadium allows one to see and hear the Corps very well. Acoustics were fine. No echo like we get in some stadiums, particularly domed ones. Those purchasing premium seats ( about 50 % of the fans, I 'd guess )had the advantage of going inside to an air conditioned large suite with TV''s showing the Corps live performance around the suite at intervals. Food and beer were pricy inside the stadium ( 7 bucks for a beer ), but this stadium ( New England Patriots ) is privately financed and built almost exclusively with private funds. So, maybe this partially explains the high parking, food and beverage tabs. But who knows....

Some quick reviews on a few Corps. ( more thorough review after the Finals tonight )......Southwind was my first viewing of this Corps ever, and I liked their show design and music.........BlueCoats have a demanding drill, and march the heck out of it......Phantom Regiment were the crowd's favorite, hands down...........Carolina Crown. " Angel " ballard is as beautiful as everyone has been saying...... SCV show has a 80's feel to it. That's why some in the audience simply loved it........ Boston Crusaders had one of the best closings of the night, and were a home town favorite with their overall pleasing show...... Blue Devils had the soprano soloists, brass line, and killer drum charts, but their show was not well received in Foxboro, sad to say. Did not seem like we were watching a Blue Devils show was the common refrain heard...... Cavies had some alignment issues generally not seen in recent Cavies years. But they still have an incredible visual show that still sets the standard......Cadets ballard in the middle of their show is outstanding. They will be the champion because they have have better overall performing talent than any other Corps this year. It's still a very confused theme for a lot of people. To crown a champion a Corps that confuses many in the audience simply dooms this activity as a niche activity that never really is able to grow a national audience ( end of my soapbox sermon on that )......Glassmen were a hit with me this year.....Nice shading in brass......Colts also had some nice musical moments.... Madison's " Carmen " where she meets the Sharks and Jets, didn't work for me as hoped, musically or visually, and the show is almost half over before she appears, but Madison's sop soloists soared nicely, but the show just ends in a chord.. ...Crossmen got one of the best hands of the day. They have an entertaining music package.......Blue Knights have a terrific dark lower brass sound, very musical tuba line, loved their opener....... Cascades were better for me with the 2nd viewing....... Troopers need to separate themselves from the pack and play a theme of traditional American Western style show. Bring an American flag in, start a show from a starting line, etc...go retro.... What have they got to lose ? They can have a show that looks and feels like everyone else if they want . And continually finish 16-23rd . Or they can shock the heck out of the Drum Corps community with a " retro " show that the crowd would love. At least when they finish 20th or so then, they can go out with their guns ablazin'. They'd probably get members from around the country to join in droves too. ( end of soapbox sermon #2 )......... I'm sure I forgot a Corps or 2 ( I'm sorry )......Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni Corps were a big hit, and got a terrific crowd reception. This Corps can still bring an audience to it's feet. The fact that many of these members are old enough to have grandchildren now, and still perform like this is simply amazing. ..... Anyway, that was my brief take. Now on to the final marathon of my seemingly 300 hundred hours of drum Corps watching for this year.....(Yowza, Yowza, Yowza )

Edited August 13, 2005 by Lieut. General Effect

[dmfootworks]

Great observations! I especially enjoyed the idea for Troopers. I like the whole spectrum of drum corps, but I would love to see a young corps do a retro show, as you call it. At the Cinecast they showed a clip of 1976 Cavaliers (Park Ridge) and I was completely floored and set about wishing there would be a way to see this sort of drum corps again by people dedicating themselves to it full-time (a DCI corps, in other words). You, my friend, have come up with the solution to this, as well as to the livelihood of Troopers. Hold on to your $7 -- this one's on me . . .

[Lieut. General Effect]

Great observations! I especially enjoyed the idea for Troopers. I like the whole spectrum of drum corps, but I would love to see a young corps do a retro show, as you call it. At the Cinecast they showed a clip of 1976 Cavaliers (Park Ridge) and I was completely floored and set about wishing there would be a way to see this sort of drum corps again by people dedicating themselves to it full-time (a DCI corps, in other words). You, my friend, have come up with the solution to this, as well as to the livelihood of Troopers. Hold on to your $7 -- this one's on me . . . 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

...Thanks.....It was humid, so Gilltte Stadium had me at their mercy. I gladly forked over the 7 bucks for a cold one on Thursday afternoon. But I'll take up your offer for a freebie. ...haha..... If I could talk to the Troopers staff, I'd tell them to go " retro " , as I said. Nothing at all to lose, as I see it. They'd be just the Corps to pull it off too. Sometimes a " retro " show done well can become " hip ", ", as in " REFRESHING " .It's all in the presentation. But what do I know.

Edited August 13, 2005 by Lieut. General Effect

[prodigal bari]

Salute to you, LT! There are a corp (pun intended) of fans of the Troop that have felt like DCI has been punishing them for being so...well....AMERICAN. And also trying to get them to do things like every other DCI corps. There is a reason why everybody has loved this corps through thick and thin...Troopers have tried to stay true to their roots, even to the detriment of their scores. This year proved that with the artificial lowering of their music scores. That was a strong brass line this year ...at least top 17 even with the small size! (And I have heard the corps this year...and am a brass specialist!)

Maybe it is time for Troopers to stick to their guns and throw it at this establishment. Bring back the endzone entrance; and the colorguard presentation...and the SUNBURST! Continue to upgrade the recruitment; particularly the guard (and bring back the rifles!!!); and make a point that they will keep their traditions...and their legions of fans...against the tide. Just look at the corps in the last several years that have turned their backs against their past. They may have gained points in the elitist politically-correct eyes of the handful of judges (and THAT is another problem to be tackled...); but some have lost many die-hard fans. (Concord...are you listening??)

Chuck...Jason...keep it going!!!! The fans are cheering you all on........

Edited August 13, 2005 by prodigal bari

[arrangerx]

Going backwards is not the answer. . .

Marching a full corps would be a much better thing to focus upon. . .

We've got things in mind. . .

[Lieut. General Effect]

Going backwards is not the answer. . .

Marching a full corps would be a much better thing to focus upon. . .

We've got things in mind. . .

   

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We are not talking about the Troopers..." going backwards " . I'm not a great fan of Country Music, but bear with me as an example :.... Country Music has made tremendous strides in recent years with a progressive side that moved that genre in a certain direction. But many followers of that particular form of Country Music felt left out when artists like Shania Twain, Brooks and Dunn, etc took this more modernized, glamorized and stylized Country Music in a new direction. Then along came a traditionalist like Alan Jackson. He stayed true to the traditions, and because of his talent he was able to find the audience in Country Music that still wanted the more tradition based songs played brilliantly, but true to the traditions. Had Alan Jackson gone with the Progressive wing, he would have dumped the steel guitar, and developed a rhine stoned urban Cowboy feel ,so in vogue. And he would have lost his soul. And he would have probably fallen into obscurity. But he didn't do that. He stayed true to his traditions, believed in it wholeheartedly, and as a result, he found there was an audience that was attracted to the Progressive wing, but still was yearning for some voice to still sing the tradition based Country Songs. Lo and behold, Alan Jackson's career took off. How ? There was a void. He filled it. It was still there. all along. He didn't go backwards. He became " hip ", by bringing an industry a little back to the middle that had begun to get away too rapidly from it's musical traditional roots. Because of this, there are now Country Music fans who can have BOTH the progressive Country Music, AND the tradition based side. What's this got to do with DCI audiences and the Troopers ? Well, my belief is that DCI has a progressive wing, but there is a void on the tradition based side. Everybody wants to go progressive these days in DCI. Fine. But the Troopers can be the Alan Jackson if they were smart about it. There is a hunger for a Corps to remind us of our wonderful roots, traditions, our Patriotism, etc,. It's there. Believe me, it's there . Alan Jackson could pull it off because he was talented. That part is true. But it took more than that. It started with his convincing belief that his type of Country Music, played well, still had merit and an audience. In essence, he led the Country Music fan back to where many of them were all along. The Troopers need to lead, not follow. They have a tradition of being Pioneers, not sheep. The Troopers need to find themselves. They are currently lost in the Glitz of shows with wayward girls, dance marathoners, Twilight Zoners,. James Bond, Bohemians etc, That side of life has been explored. And that's fine. But my dream is for the Troopers to remind us of what makes us all Americans. No Corps in America can hit a home run with that theme better than a savvy Troopers Corps. I'm not asking the Troopers to" go backwards ". I'm asking the Troopers to lead us back from where we have have been the last few years with our Drum Corps shows. They just might find that we have not gone anywhere at all many of us in the audience. Many of us love these progressive shows from DCI. This does not mean however that the Cowboy in all of us has died, or Americana, or Patriotism is out of fashion. The Troopers need not be apologetic of the Flag, the Rifle, the holster, the Cowboy ,Cowgirl, the horse, nor the traditions of the Western pioneer in general. Or starting their show from the starting line if they so choose. Or Even a flag presentation. Done well, these things can be fresh and yes..." hip ". There is a place for both the progressive and tradional wing to exist in DCI. Or there should be. And who better to capture that traditional wing, than the Caspar Troopers with a show that would not abandon that Pioneer spirit in America ( incidentally, pioneer means " lead the way ' according to Webster, by the way. ) Here's hoping the Troopers find themselves and what made them great and America's Corps in the first place with their themes. Those themes and values are not dead in America. Not at all. They are just asleep at DCI for the moment. Are you listening Troopers ?

Edited August 14, 2005 by Lieut. General Effect

[Geneva]

Comment on the Blue Devils... I agree that though this corps was as good or better than anyone out there talent-wise, they were doomed to fourth place by their program. I watched them rehearse prior to quarterfinals. What a superb work ethic (they are not alone there of course). I felt bad for them since it seemed that they desperately strived for more than fourth. I hope the staff comes up with a better program next year. Having said that, I liked them more each time I saw them; I agree about the superb quality of their trumpet soloists; The quality of their performance is something the members can be proud of; Their placing and scoring were correct.

Edited August 14, 2005 by Geneva

[Geneva]

Comment on Phantom Regiment...Beautiful show and performance, clearly the crowd (and my) favorite. I feel like the judges' opinion that the Cadet's show was the best out there does not portend well for DCI. It seemed to me to be a victory of concept, originality, and performance execution over a magnificently performed and appealing package presented by PR which was preferred by the fans. It was almost as though the judges were saying that this is where we feel drum corps should go, because a superb performance of a conventional theme is just too "ho-hum" for us...fans be ######!

Edited August 14, 2005 by Geneva

[Lieut. General Effect]

Comment on Phantom Regiment...Beautiful show and performance, clearly the crowd (and my) favorite. I feel like the judges' opinion that the Cadet's show was the best out there does not portend well for DCI. It seemed to me to be a victory of concept, originality, and performance execution over a magnificently performed and appealing package presented by PR which was preferred by the fans. It was almost as though the judges were saying that this is where we feel drum corps should go, because a superb performance of a conventional theme is just too "ho-hum" for us...fans be ######!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

DCI is disingenuous when they tell us they want to grow in popularity. Don't lie to us. It's ok, if they want to remain a very small niche activity and not grow the fan base. It is false to say they want to grow the audience base, yet the judging criteria dismisses outright the audience. That's a clear disconnect. If DCI wanted to grow the audience base beyond the specialized fan base of mostly Music Majors, then they would not have the face of DCI be the Cadets this year, as talented as this Corps clearly was. There is no focus group in America of non Music Majors when given a show of the 2005 Phantom Regiment vs. the 2005 Cadets that would like the Cadets better. If people think so, they are just kidding themselves. So DCI is not going to be growing a larger audience base in future years. I can learn to live with that. Just don't lie to me. I may not have been a Music Major grad, but I ( and others ) can certainly differentiate between polite applause, and enthusiastic hand clapping.

Edited August 14, 2005 by Lieut. General Effect

[arrangerx]

We are not talking about the Troopers..." going backwards " . I'm not a great fan of Country Music, but bear with me as an example :.... Country Music has made tremendous strides in recent years with a progressive side that moved that  genre in a certain direction. But many followers of that particular form of Country Music felt left out when artists like Shania Twain, Brooks and Dunn, etc took this more modernized, glamorized and stylized Country Music in a new direction. Then along came a traditionalist like Alan Jackson. He stayed true to the traditions, and because of his talent he was able to find the audience in Country Music that still wanted the more tradition based songs played brilliantly, but true to the traditions. Had Alan Jackson gone with the Progressive wing, he would have dumped the steel guitar, and developed a rhine stoned urban Cowboy feel ,so in vogue. And he would have lost his soul. And he would  have probably  fallen  into obscurity. But he didn't do that. He stayed true to his traditions, believed in it wholeheartedly, and as a result, he found there was an audience that was attracted to the Progressive wing, but still was yearning for some voice to still sing the tradition based Country Songs. Lo and behold, Alan Jackson's career took off. How ? There was a void. He filled it. It was still there. all along. He didn't go backwards. He became " hip ", by bringing  an industry a little back to the middle that had begun to get away too rapidly from it's musical  traditional roots. Because of this, there are  now Country Music fans who can have BOTH the progressive Country Music, AND the tradition based side. What's this got to do with DCI audiences and the Troopers ? Well, my belief is that DCI has a progressive wing, but there is a void on the tradition based side. Everybody wants to go progressive these days in DCI.  Fine. But the Troopers can be the Alan Jackson if they were smart about it. There is a hunger for a Corps to remind us of our wonderful roots, traditions, our Patriotism, etc,. It's there. Believe me, it's there . Alan Jackson could  pull it off because he was talented. That part is true. But it took more than that.  It started with his convincing belief  that his type of Country Music, played well, still had merit and an audience.  In essence, he led the Country Music fan back to where many of them were all along.  The Troopers need to lead, not follow. They have a tradition of being Pioneers, not sheep. The Troopers need to find themselves.  They are currently lost in the Glitz of shows with wayward girls,  dance marathoners, Twilight Zoners,. James Bond, Bohemians etc, That side of life has been explored. And that's fine. But my dream is  for the  Troopers to remind us of what makes us all Americans. No Corps in America can hit a home run with that theme better than a savvy Troopers Corps. I'm not asking the Troopers to" go backwards ". I'm asking the Troopers to lead us back from where we have have been the last few years with our Drum Corps shows. They just might find that we have not gone anywhere at all many of us in the audience. Many of us love these progressive shows from DCI. This does not mean however that the Cowboy in all of us has died, or Americana, or Patriotism is out of fashion.  The Troopers need not be apologetic of the Flag, the Rifle, the holster, the Cowboy ,Cowgirl, the horse, nor the traditions of the Western pioneer in general.  Or starting  their show from the starting line if they so choose.  Or Even a flag presentation.  Done well, these things can be fresh and yes..." hip ". There is a place for both the progressive and tradional wing to exist in DCI. Or there should be. And who better to capture that traditional  wing, than the Caspar Troopers with a show that would not abandon that Pioneer spirit in America ( incidentally, pioneer means " lead the way ' according to  Webster, by the way. ) Here's hoping the Troopers find themselves and what made them great and America's Corps in the first place with their themes. Those themes and values are not dead in America. Not at all. They are just asleep at DCI for the moment. Are you listening Troopers ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I appreciate you taking the time to expand your thoughts. Thanks.

My one and only point is: The Troopers must improve the talent base, be big, and play on instruments that allow the talent and performance quality to be recognized.

Then, and only then, will show design even enter into the conversation.

Alan Jackson writes really well, plays really well, and sings even better. But if he wrote amazing music and didn't sing or play well. . . he'd just be a songwriter. Your point does not escape me. . . I'm just saying there are things to do first before worrying about creatively leading an activity. . . when we still march out of step and can't play in tune all the time.

The show last year used Magnificent Seven and other Trooper classics. The show this year was about the Gold Rush of 1849. It doesn't get much more Western than that. But, in the end, the show design doesn't matter until the performers can be spectacular. I can design things that would get the corps into 7th place right now. They wouldn't even be able to touch it in performance at this point. . . so we stay patient, grow the talent base, teach the kids, and stay focussed on long-term improvement. . . so that we can do what we want in the future.

We did what we needed to do this year. We began to solidify a teaching and writing staff, we grew the second year of a brass program (although they were pretty rough at 1/4's, especially the mellophones). The corps moved up a spot. Frankly, if the corps had had the numbers of kids we originally wrote the show for, it would have been competitive for semi-finals this year.

Anyway. . . thanks for your thoughts. . . when we're ready as performers to handle coming out of the endzone in a company front in SPECTACULAR SPOTLESS fashion. . . I'm willing to bet you'll be seeing it happen.

There is nothing harder in this activity than trying to revive the ghosts of performances past. Ask Spirit. Ask Madison. Ask Santa Clara. "Excellence" can be achieved. . . today just like in the past. . . and programming championship shows means that you must have the membership talent to pull it off on the field.

We know this is a marathon. . . not a sprint. We'll keep working. I hope you continue to ponder ideas, and express any thoughts you have on the Troopers -- it is appreciated.

best,

Chuck