Crowd Reactions

[MikeD]

I don't recall anyone in 1971 writing that the music being played n '71 was not accessible. Not sure how anyone could ay that in '71. Almost every Corps played at least one recognizeable song that 99% of the audience knew. The biggest issue in '71 shows with the fans was visual in nature, ie color presentations, the Flag, Not understanding the music, that it was unfamilar ? Never heard that in '71.

Of course 71 was also the Year Drum Corps died according to a t-shirt and an editorial by DCN's Di...er....Richard Blake.

All because three corps decided to do shows with themes...Garfield, Madison, and 1/2 of the Cavies show.

[SkyRyder_FMM]

I don't recall anyone in 1971 writing that the music being played n '71 was not accessible. Not sure how anyone could ay that in '71. Almost every Corps played at least one recognizeable song that 99% of the audience knew. The biggest issue in '71 shows with the fans was visual in nature, ie color presentations, the Flag, Not understanding the music, that it was unfamilar ? Never heard that in '71.

DCW has reprinted the quote several times over the years. You start reading it and think it's a current quote. Then they tell you it came from something like 71 (I may have the exact year wrong, but it is early 70s). It kind of puts the perpetual griping about lack of accessibility and how good things were "back in the day" into perspective.

[SkyRyder_FMM]

Corps from the 60's and early 70's had an identifiable concert that they played. People sometimes would rise out of their seats only after that portion of the show and at the end, if they enjoyed the show. As a matter of fact, all DCI Corps today tend to get a standing O when they troop the stands after their performance as an appreciation for their efforts, even if they were as boring as could be. Corps in the 60's came off a starting line. The marchers did not face the crowd thus few fans would be on their feet during this portion of the show. Corps in the 60's did not all get standing O's, like today's Corps. This was reserved for those few Corps that genuinely reached an audience. All Corps got appreciative applause in the 60's, but standing O reception for ALL Corps came about in the DCI age. The longest SUSTAINED reception this poster has ever seen generated toward a Corps was the 1994 exihbition of the 27th Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps at DCI. If there is a LONGER, continuously sustained ovation and standing O for a Corps performance I don't know who that Corps was, nor when it took place. And the 27th performance was most decidedly " old school ", not " new school ". And if the Madison Scouts Alumni Corps reception this year does not tell people how much people are craving great MELODY in their drum corps music, then some people are frankly deaf to both what 2006 audiences want and uniformed as to why age old videos from the pre DCI days are the way they appear today re. audience reactions.

I really don't think comparing the ovations received for teh Alumni units fo 27 and Madison is a fair comparison. So much of that reaction is based on the nostalgia and novelty and appreciation for the quality from the older crowd that can still light it up. I am not meaning to say they didn't perform good, the music was not good, etc. - just saying that those responses were not simply due to fans craving great melody.

[MikeD]

Corps from the 60's and early 70's had an identifiable concert that they played. People sometimes would rise out of their seats only after that portion of the show and at the end, if they enjoyed the show. As a matter of fact, all DCI Corps today tend to get a standing O when they troop the stands after their performance as an appreciation for their efforts, even if they were as boring as could be. Corps in the 60's came off a starting line. The marchers did not face the crowd thus few fans would be on their feet during this portion of the show. Corps in the 60's did not all get standing O's, like today's Corps. This was reserved for those few Corps that genuinely reached an audience. All Corps got appreciative applause in the 60's, but standing O reception for ALL Corps came about in the DCI age.

Not disagreeing with your basic premise, but it does go to show that people who remember huge roaring ovations the minute they started are just not remembering reality. Even 2-7 at the World Open, alost a home show, received a nice standing ovation only at the end...as did Blue Rock and Garfield.

The longest SUSTAINED reception this poster has ever seen generated toward a Corps was the 1994 exihbition of the 27th Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps at DCI. If there is a LONGER, continuously sustained ovation and standing O for a Corps performance I don't know who that Corps was, nor when it took place. And the 27th performance was most decidedly " old school ", not " new school ". And if the Madison Scouts Alumni Corps reception this year does not tell people how much people are craving great MELODY in their drum corps music, then some people are frankly deaf to both what 2006 audiences want and uniformed as to why age old videos from the pre DCI days are the way they appear today re. audience reactions.

Disagree...the Madison performance, like 2-7 before it, was a one-shot deal...huge corps that gave people a chance to relive some of the great old music of those corps. It has no bearing on contemporary corps at all, IMO.

Love it for what it was. Don't use those great performances as a shot at what is being done today.

[Orpheus]

Disagree...the Madison performance, like 2-7 before it, was a one-shot deal...huge corps that gave people a chance to relive some of the great old music of those corps. It has no bearing on contemporary corps at all, IMO.

Good point, I think. The crowds loved seeing the old stuff again from the Scouts alums and the 27th alums. But if those corps continued going on year after year and kept doing pretty much the same thing, would the crowd reactions continue to be as intense?

[CorpsRelic]

I attended DIV I, II & III Prelims, quarterfinals, semis, finals for throughout the week. Crowds reations seemed generous. Standing O's occured fairly regularly, but perhaps with a little less overall intensity. I'd say parity in performance amoung all Corps have reached such a dynamic level, that perhaps the performance of one Corps over another may not seem as arousing?

2006 in Madison marked only my 5th DCI World Championships since 1991. The single greatest, longest, loudest, most emotional ovation I ever witnessed was lavashed upon the 27th LANCERS Alumni Corps at Boston-1994 finals

I attended 12 DCI competitions in CA, AZ, WI, over this summer. Without a doubt the Corps that received the most consistent, loudest, multiple standing ovations, across the board...drum roll. And the ovation goes to.. THE ACADEMY!

SIMPLEX MINUTEMEN, Gardner, MA

Bass Drum/24" Cymbals 1965-72

[X DM]

Of course 71 was also the Year Drum Corps died according to a t-shirt and an editorial by DCN's Di...er....Richard Blake.

All because three corps decided to do shows with themes...Garfield, Madison, and 1/2 of the Cavies show.

All 3 of those Corps in '71 ( Cadets, Madison, Cavies) had fan friendly, accessible music. That was the issue on this thread that I responded too. As for doing shows with" themes ", these 3 Corps were not the first Corps to do shows with " themes ", so I'm not sure what you are referring too here at all.

[X DM]

DCW has reprinted the quote several times over the years. You start reading it and think it's a current quote. Then they tell you it came from something like 71 (I may have the exact year wrong, but it is early 70s). It kind of puts the perpetual griping about lack of accessibility and how good things were "back in the day" into perspective.

There were certainly SOME people around in the early 70's that did not like the music that Drum Corps were playing in the early 70's compared to the 60's or earlier. Much of that criticism was related to the lack of a patriotic theme song at the Color Presentation that was common in the 50's and 60's. There was very liitle criticism in the 70's regarding the music being unappealing however, no matter how people now want to try and tell us otherwise. The criiticism then was nowhere near as deep, as broad, as vuluminous in number, as the numbers of people that have been critical of the music played by Corps the last decade. To think that one article in DCW back in the 70's is representative of the general sentiment of the times is false and misguided. It would be akin to taking an article written by some writer in '89 about how much he disliked the SCV production of " Phantom of the Opera " and moving into the year 2006 and trying to utilize that as the pervasive sentiment of the fans in "89 regarding their dislike of this show by SCV. It's ridiculous. We can always find a couple of anecdotal articles to try and support the contention that in previous decades, there was pervasive discontent among the masses regarding the selection of music by Corps. But the attempt at such revisionist history can not ,nor should not, distort the reality of what actually occured.

Edited August 26, 2006 by X DM

[X DM]

I really don't think comparing the ovations received for teh Alumni units fo 27 and Madison is a fair comparison. So much of that reaction is based on the nostalgia and novelty and appreciation for the quality from the older crowd that can still light it up. I am not meaning to say they didn't perform good, the music was not good, etc. - just saying that those responses were not simply due to fans craving great melody.

Respectfully disagree. Both the Hawthorne Cabs, and St. Joes of Batavia performed admirally and reasonably well as Reunion Corps at DCI. Their members age on the whole ( average age ) were much higher than that of both the the 27th and Madison Scouts Reunion Corps. If, as you say, the fans were cheering for " nostalgia ", and " novelty " and " age ", then one would have expected more enthusiasm for both the Cabs and St. Joes than the younger brethern in the 27th, and Madison that offered less " nostalgia " and " novelty " and " age ". But this was not the case. As entertaining as the Cabs and St. Joes's were, their younger brethern in the 27th and in Madison took it up a whole notch higher in musical entertainment value than both these older aged Corps( as well as the competing DCI Corps ). THAT'S why they were cheered, and why this notion that the audience wanted to give them a thunderous and sustained standing O mostly because they " were an older crowd ", is an wholly inaccurate read of the audience, in my view....... and nobody here is talking about " better". Nobody is under some false illusion that the 27th and Madison Corps were " better " than the DCI competing Corps. That would be a terrible disservice to these very talented kids performing for us in DCI who do a wonderful job and absolutely are more proficient. We are talking here about musical entertainment value..... a subjective term for sure.... but one that refers to the ability of a musician with their musical offerings to reach,.. to connect..., to the vast numbers of members in an audience with a varied level of musical tastes.

Edited August 26, 2006 by X DM

[X DM]

Good point, I think. The crowds loved seeing the old stuff again from the Scouts alums and the 27th alums. But if those corps continued going on year after year and kept doing pretty much the same thing, would the crowd reactions continue to be as intense?

Some would. But on the whole, most people who feel a little let down with the musical offerings of Corps would be happy if there were more fan friendly music. Personally, I think the Drum Corps movement is in transition right now. In the past we had shows where the music was everything, and the visual an adjunct to the music, We have show designers now writing the visual first, then fitting the musical notes to the visual. We have small moments in shows now that offer wonderful ballads. Then we have the rest of the show offering a visual delight of marching members running pell mell into a variety of formations. Visually it is interesting, But it is hard to sustain any melodies for very long when members are asked to performed body moves of all stripes and at breakneck fashion. I think eventually, Corps will reach a balance. The'll slow down or tone down the visuals a bit, and get back to more of a sustained melody, and reinvigorate the musical side again of Drum Corps. My guess, the ESPN focus groups will drive this. But time will tell.

Edited August 26, 2006 by X DM