It’s kinda crazy how there’s a whole generation of fans now who haven’t seen blue devils lose a single show. I don’t hate the blue devils. I don’t care if they win again. I just don’t want another undefeated season.
The other top 5 groups are either not trying to focus on winning or can’t get it together by finals. Bd is the only group that is consistent with their teachings and getting their shat together.
I didn’t know what dci was before 2021 when I started highschool marching band. I hate the blue devils now because all I’ve seen from them are them being too good and I think they should pull a vanguard and take a season off.
@@HamBone4 people hating the Blue Devils isn’t new. The crazy thing is that they’ve been nearly this good since the mid-70s. They had some off years in the late 80s and early 90s, falling down to 5th in 1991 (gasp), but they’ve been undeniably good for nearly 5 decades. I actually think that it proves that the judges aren’t specifically scoring them well, since DCI has had MASSIVE changes in the lifespan of the corps success. There’s no way that many judges have specifically scored them well simply from their name. I don’t wish them ill in any way, just as I wish success for all drum corps, I just want to see more competition from other corps
You went from teaching me how to march during hs band camp and now you are preparing me for my first season of drum corps! I know we didn’t always get along but I’m grateful for all that you have taught me. And you definitely have helped me reach my lifelong dream of being in DCI. So I thank you with all that I have.
Not sure who this is but congrats! Even with the activity getting harder to get into with costs and changing school schedules it makes me extremely happy to hear about students i’ve worked with getting to do their dream. I really hope you enjoy your summer this year!
1. I personally love props in 99% of cases, but I agree! I want props that *add* to the effect of the show. Having a set piece that just sits there to look pretty is cool, but that's all it does. It doesn't add. So I absolutely agree! 2. I'm not really one to buy merch personally, but I agree with this too. DCI as an organization needs some more modern and sleek looking merch for sure. 3. While I agree with wanting even louder hornlines (with good tone of course) I disagree in their "lack of power" today. I've gotten lucky enough to see the Top 8 corps every year from 2016-2023 (minus 2021, no show in my area that year. Also going again this summer) and I've *always* felt the raw power of the hornlines at every show. I like to sit pretty centered to the 50, and pretty high up. Even being 300+ feet away from them, I'm still physically feeling the hornline. I'm able to discern between synths/electronics and the raw brass. It's certainly easier in person. Even the hornlines alone are still insanely loud today. On par with normal concerts on a decibel level. I've noticed not all corps are *amplifying* the hornline at all times, but rather using microphones to better fill out the lower parts of certain sections. It isn't all just blasting through speakers all the time, and that's a very important detail. 4. Yes. 100% yes. FloSports really needs to give some more resources to FloMarching across the board. Especially for local shows where they contract their camera operators instead of using their own dedicated team. 5. I agree. While I don't believe in all of the conspiracies that surround the judging and all of that, It would be refreshing to see some sort of competitive shakeup. Maybe changing the way that performance order is chosen for shows. I'm not sure what to do personally, but just something new to the system will surely bring more excitement! Nice video as always! It's always good to get discussions going around what we as fans want from the activity. Of course, in a respectful and constructive manner like you've presented it!
some corps often measure the hornline in the lots. I've seen readings from 100 - 120 decibels in the lot alone. They more often than not will hit between 100-110, but they can absolutely go louder, at the sacrifice of tone quality
Sitting on the 45 side 2 down front those horn lines were blasting on finals night, I found my self literally like almost jumping from excitement when the Devs, Cadets and other corps first huge hits. It was super nice to finally sit down and watch after the whole tour and I luckily seat hopped into really good seats
I would like you to have a decibel meter and monitor the corps with and without amplification… Then jump in a time machine and go back to the ‘70’s, ‘80’s & ‘90’s and test it out on G bugle Hornlines. Well at least the first part would be interesting. Keep up the great work. - Nick
Why bother to teach good balance and natural loudness when you strap upwards of 30 players with mics and have field mics every 10 yards and playing mezzo forte does the trick for judges?
Because the brass judge is on the sideline on the other side of the speakers so the hornline still has to be good if they want to do well in brass because the judge can’t hear the speakers and isn’t trying to
@@BOX6Performances I've seen crown in person every year since 2016 (minus 21) and they've always had the loudest and richest brass sound of all the corps I've seen perform. No clue what your comment means
the very first thing Id like to see out of DCI is the removal of obnoxious field mics and synth, accompanied by the return of a full contra line; like, is it worth sounding worse just so an extra 5 or so members can be placed somewhere else? furthermore, obsessive use of electronic effects in general, like the constant ambient musical effects in crown's show really ruins it for me, cause why is there more prerecorded garbage than brass actually doing stuff? cause im 100% sure crown can manage to create the same ambient effects purely using the instruments on the field, and yet they dont, despite having the best brass lines that are more than capable; it seems backwards to me the next thing id like to see is actual marching drill, rather than choreography, running, and flutter stepping around the field #1 thing I notice with recent shows drill(when it appears) is that its a bunch of insolated mini-forms with a few larger sets, versus when there are rapid fire full-member shapes and such, while also playing and moving the hardest passage of the section on top of holding a giant form and the third thing is id like to see the music hold one song for more than 10 seconds.... way too much playing one thing, hitting one cadence with a big chord with a small battery intermission just to start a whole different passage; it feels like a cheap way to slap in more pieces and, the final thing is kinda just a personal wish i want at least ONE corps to have on-field, live vocals, rather than exclusively relying on their electronics; only reason i dont despise crown 2013 vocals is because they were done by an actual performer
Any chance you could talk about DCI All-Age? Or give a look into DCA shows from the past couple years? (I've marched w Buccaneers for the past few years) But to you, and everyone else reading, PLEASE watch DCI All-Age at finals!!!! We have a world class-level show ready to go that we've been working on every weekend since the end of November! Not just the Bucs, but Caballeros, Fusion, White Sabers, Govenaires, the list goes on! We do some serious shit and we kick ass at it!
As a current marching member of the Bucs, I see the parallel between us and BD when it came to DCA. The last time we lost at finals over the past 19 years was in 2016, and we also lost a few shows in 2022 up until semis. Regardless of me being in the corps, that stuff excites me. I hear the Connecticut Hurricanes are marching a world class-sized corps this year and the fact that they're in the tight competition against us is incredible and I want to see more of that. Hopefully All-Age sprouts new corps around the nation so the east coast can have more competition.
I feel like we’ll see a swing towards more minimalistic prop design and more “old school” show design. I think corps have pushed this idea of large and grandiose stage design so much post pandemic that some corps will be swinging back in the opposite direction this year.
Holy crap, THANK YOU for saying something about DCI merch. It is so pathetically bad! Drum corps is really missing out on a lot of revenue and a lot of t-shirt and hat conversations. I agree with you regarding amplification, but I think you lost me regarding the acoustic volume of hornlines. I'm happy to be proven wrong, but I've been watching live drum corps since 2003, and Blue Devils 2023 was probably the loudest hornline I have ever heard (and my hearing is much worse now than it was in 2003). Not only are brass lines MUCH larger than they used to be, over the past 5 years or so, we've started to see a push toward experimenting with the volume limits of the Bb instruments in a way that, ideologically speaking, was not particularly well received or competitively rewarded throughout the '00s and the better part of the '10s. In fact, the last time we saw so many corps redefine sound concept was the switch to Bb. There seems to be less fear about allowing the Bb horns to "light up" and more of an understanding that it is possible to play as loud as possible while maintaining control of the pitch. Not everyone is on board, but the "new school" sound perspective (Blue Devils, PR, SCV, Mandarins) seems to be pushing into that direction. I think we can thank Freddy Martin, Chip Crotts, and J.D. Shaw for the shift. If you're experiencing less impact, I'd speculate that it's probably desensitization due to exposure, not hearing loss, I hope. After all, I WISH the sound still had the same impact on me physically that my first show did. Good video!
I remember asking the question back in the late `80's of where drills were going to go. The only thing I thought up was 'UP' - use the 3rd dimension. When you're sitting high in the stands, shows are very 2D. So props and scaffolds are now a thing, and I for the most part, like it when it's well used as you say.
I am above 55 years old and still love drum corps!! I wish PBS would still do drum corps. My family would go to the Football Hall of Fame DCI (GO BLUUUU) and it was AWESOME!! When I was a freshman in high school, our band got to go to Allentown PA, was amazing!! I do wish that they would have maybe half the screen just a wide shot of the field and close ups on the other side. Plus you HAVE to know the program that you are watching, so you get THE shot!!
i went to the dci hattiesburg show and the problem i had with the merch was that in the stadium under the stands where all the merch was by the time the show was starting it was already getting dark and by the time it ended it was so hard to see anything i did end up getting a sick boston shirt that people notice a lot or ask me about but that was it
Be very careful asking for less blasting from sound systems vs raw acoustic power. It has become a religion among the "I only know drum corps since the year 2000" youngins that anything older folks have said for years should be completely disregarded. You have spoken heresy. Clearly, the golden future of DCI will finally arrive when we have our first all-keytar corps.
You’re making up scenarios in your head. The majority of older fans are not “everything new is bad” and the majority of younger fans are not “everything old is bad”.
@@jakeandhenryvideos seriously. I saw some old head comment on a star 91 video "too bad people get offended at this now" like who are you fooling dude? Someone replied that they've literally never seen anyone upset about that show and another person responded with "Have you met someone under 20?". These old farts in the activity ruin all the fun. I have a better question: Have YOU ever meet someone under 20? Because as someone in high school with some pretty progressive views on things, star 91 goes hard as fuck and is probably my favorite show of all time.
I wish regional shows would offer more food vendors. The money lost due to long lines would easily pay for more staff at events... even at $20-25 an hour. I realize vendor money may not be DCI related but I can tell you if my school or company had the contract, I wouldn't have a problem hiring temp workers for an above average wage. Reasonable prices for parking. Also, make sure there isn't still 3000+ people standing in line to get in when the first corps goes on. Football games have nearly every gate open whereas DCI offers two. Allow the option to have printed tickets.
Your points about merch. I totally agree and point at least one finger at PepWear. There's an increasing number of corps giving at least partial control of their souvenirs to PepWear, and they are the pinnacle of that bland corporate style you were talking about. Vanguard's own souvie truck used to be such a big signifier of the corps' personality, but now with PW all the stuff is just boilerplate sports merch. I hate it. Edit: They brought back the Santa Clara quarter zip that I always wanted, but changed the colors and used crappy iron-on lettering instead of embroidery.
I want to see a return of headgear. And not the crazy, goofy looking Dr. Seuss hats. I'm talking about the tried and true shakos with a plume attached or the Aussies that SCV and Madison wore back in the day. Two cents from someone who marched 44 years ago. Man I'm old. Ha!
My most "boomer" opinion is definitely mics and excessive synthesizer. It's so overwhelming, out of place, and really takes away from performances. I want my face to be peeled from the brass, not my eardrums ruptured from speakers. Also, I want drill to make a comeback. Running from point A to point B just doesn't have any impact versus what clean drill can achieve imo
Hi Cj, i wanna see you react to Gahr highschool for 2023, their show is pretty sick, and they've been winning state champs since 2015, make sure to check them out!
New sub here, marched in the late 90s. As a fat, old, former corps member, I'm invoking the time-honored tradition of complaining about how drum corps these days is terrible and how the only true drum corps occurred for 11 minutes in one year. For 90s kids, that would be Star '93. For Boomers, I think it's Bridgemen somewhere back there. There will be some kids that'll say that Cavies' Frameworks was the pinnacle of drum corps and that it's all downhill from there. All this to say, I'm waiting for fashion to slingshot back around and for corps to stop leaning on props and extravagant costuming, in favor of stripped-back forms. One of these years, someone (let's be real, probably BD) will surprise us with no props, muted costumes, and a visual program that basically leaves marching behind in favor of entirely stylized movement from all the members for the entire show. I'm calling it now. And then it'll be Gen Z's turn to complain that it's not true drum corps!
Watching recordings from 2014 and before makes flomarching look like a complete joke. Every single livestream looks like it’s the first time the camera crew has ever seen the show. Previous recordings look like they studied the shows throughout the summer.
Livestreams have camera calls done on the fly, all the recordings pre 2021 were physical releases that were edited to show the best performance possible. I have my own issues with Flo, but people really underestimate the cost, logistics, and difficulties of live-streaming shows, especially with something as low demand as band where the infrastructure and expertise is much sparser compared to sports. I will say they usually have it right by finals when Tom Blair’s crew takes over.
Flo marching has gotten better though the years, they are not perfect by any means. I would like to see design teams open up a little and let them come at spring training and walk them though the show so the directors can get a sense of the show from the beginning instead of taking three or four shows to find what to show when moments. They did hire some former corps audio people to help with the sound. Audio has always been a weak spot, because who cares about audio at a lacrosse game?
@@jakeandhenryvideos I go both ways with that. I understand the logistical issues present with something as complicated as a marching show. But, when it’s late July and it’s the 9th time you’ve streamed the show, and you cut to a guard member putting away their flag for 12 seconds during a brass feature…flo costs way too much for that to be happening.
I don’t particularly mind the mic’d solos. however i do get a bit annoyed when the soloist is played evenly in all speakers because it can make it hard to identify the soloist sometimes.
i think DCI staff needs to realize... not every solo needs a mic, not every screamer needs a mic, not every small-section feature(like a trombone octet or smth) needs a mic just look at the trio from crown 2012, or the screamer from crossmen 2012(or crown 2010, if you wanna argue that crossmen might be quieter)
@@Zyluki Or, for that matter, look at all of the pre-mic era. Madison Scouts screamer features in the 90s were better than any screamer feature post-mic. OTOH, in the pre-mic era you don't have anything as rich as the feature here. The mic allows for concert-style (and jazz combo) solos, and that's what it should be used for.
The number 1 thing I want to see is better marching. This isn’t a problem with corps visual staff, it’s a problem at the high school level. Kids aren’t marching and playing anymore at the high school level and they aren’t developing good separation of upper and lower body before they get to the corps level, and honestly the amount of out of time feet in world class is unacceptable. Many of the world class corps need to take a step back from choreo and make their members march better. The performers since Covid look so immature compared to corps pre Covid. Watch a semi finals corps from 2009 and watch 8-12 now and you’ll see more out of time feet in finals lately than semis over a decade ago… even at devs 2022 did not start off well visually. It used to be if the people auditioning couldn’t already march at the level that the blue devils expected they didn’t make the corps because the next step was to use that visual time to teach them to dance and act. Yeah we did some marching fundamentals, but the technique person to person didn’t need to improve much from when they started. That is NOT the case right now, and outside of maybe the top 4, most visual staffs haven’t woken up to the fact that the kids aren’t coming in with the same skills anymore….
I honestly think that the "visual" aspect of dci inflated. The problem is that the visuals aren't controlled by the performers. The drill, design, and implementation of visuals is all down to staff. I also think that this is due to the judges having a particular liking to the "blue devils style". Sure yeah they're good but when you actually pay attention to their drill a lot of the time you can't tell if someone is out of place or not because of the style of the drill. I personally think that's borderline cheating because you can't judge something when you can't tell if its right or not.
DCI’s merch looks straight out of some corporate branding catalog. Boring AF. Also, yes I want louder hot lines without so much amp and bass synth; boring. Props, agree! Make it have a purpose
I want an option to pick high cam or multi cam when I’m watching. A majority of the time they do a terrible job with the camera work and you miss so much of the show. Sorry.. I don’t care to watch a soloist for 39 seconds at a time while there’s a ton of visual happening on the field.
Yes! You should absolutely take a decibel meter to the show! I'd be interested to see what the results are. I absolutely agree 💯 that there needs to be fewer mics, less synthesizer and more true hornline sound! As my old band director used to say, if you need a mic to be heard...you aren't playing loud enough lol. Flow marching does suck, really bad! From poor picture quality, random outages and missing the good stuff with their close ups. I don't want to see the guard picking up flags while the brass line is doing drill at 180 bpm with 4-5 size steps doing insane block drills. They need to do so much better! They also need to include audio on the playbacks after the fact. What is point of watching a DCI show with no sound? My theory is that if they have the right to air it in the 1st place, they can air it after the fact too. If not, they need to renegotiate. Blue Devils need to stop following their "formula" and take some risks! I want anyone to take them down. Anyone!
I want to see real uniforms and not those stupid costumes. I want to see drill design from ten years ago and earlier. Too much visual these days is about props and choreography. But it just doesn't cut it for visual GE.
It’s kinda crazy how there’s a whole generation of fans now who haven’t seen blue devils lose a single show. I don’t hate the blue devils. I don’t care if they win again. I just don’t want another undefeated season.
Hold up I didn't even think about that. They haven't lost since I first discovered dci in 2019. That's crazy bro
The other top 5 groups are either not trying to focus on winning or can’t get it together by finals. Bd is the only group that is consistent with their teachings and getting their shat together.
I didn’t know what dci was before 2021 when I started highschool marching band. I hate the blue devils now because all I’ve seen from them are them being too good and I think they should pull a vanguard and take a season off.
@@HamBone4 people hating the Blue Devils isn’t new. The crazy thing is that they’ve been nearly this good since the mid-70s. They had some off years in the late 80s and early 90s, falling down to 5th in 1991 (gasp), but they’ve been undeniably good for nearly 5 decades. I actually think that it proves that the judges aren’t specifically scoring them well, since DCI has had MASSIVE changes in the lifespan of the corps success. There’s no way that many judges have specifically scored them well simply from their name. I don’t wish them ill in any way, just as I wish success for all drum corps, I just want to see more competition from other corps
Sometimes it really does feel like a race for second place
6 years later and Babylon is still winning things in rankings. Crazy
Try to put DCI back on ESPN.
Not gonna happen unless the activity changes drastically. It’s not nearly as presentable on national tv as it was from the early 2000s to 2018ish.
It bombed bitd, even with drill and traditional unis. Viewership numbers didn't make it worth it to ESPN 2.
You went from teaching me how to march during hs band camp and now you are preparing me for my first season of drum corps! I know we didn’t always get along but I’m grateful for all that you have taught me. And you definitely have helped me reach my lifelong dream of being in DCI. So I thank you with all that I have.
Not sure who this is but congrats! Even with the activity getting harder to get into with costs and changing school schedules it makes me extremely happy to hear about students i’ve worked with getting to do their dream. I really hope you enjoy your summer this year!
1. I personally love props in 99% of cases, but I agree! I want props that *add* to the effect of the show. Having a set piece that just sits there to look pretty is cool, but that's all it does. It doesn't add. So I absolutely agree!
2. I'm not really one to buy merch personally, but I agree with this too. DCI as an organization needs some more modern and sleek looking merch for sure.
3. While I agree with wanting even louder hornlines (with good tone of course) I disagree in their "lack of power" today. I've gotten lucky enough to see the Top 8 corps every year from 2016-2023 (minus 2021, no show in my area that year. Also going again this summer) and I've *always* felt the raw power of the hornlines at every show. I like to sit pretty centered to the 50, and pretty high up. Even being 300+ feet away from them, I'm still physically feeling the hornline. I'm able to discern between synths/electronics and the raw brass. It's certainly easier in person. Even the hornlines alone are still insanely loud today. On par with normal concerts on a decibel level. I've noticed not all corps are *amplifying* the hornline at all times, but rather using microphones to better fill out the lower parts of certain sections. It isn't all just blasting through speakers all the time, and that's a very important detail.
4. Yes. 100% yes. FloSports really needs to give some more resources to FloMarching across the board. Especially for local shows where they contract their camera operators instead of using their own dedicated team.
5. I agree. While I don't believe in all of the conspiracies that surround the judging and all of that, It would be refreshing to see some sort of competitive shakeup. Maybe changing the way that performance order is chosen for shows. I'm not sure what to do personally, but just something new to the system will surely bring more excitement!
Nice video as always! It's always good to get discussions going around what we as fans want from the activity. Of course, in a respectful and constructive manner like you've presented it!
I want plumes again :(
The Colombians have plumes this year!!
@@noahhaseloff6180 Yes and we are never getting rid of them
I miss SCV having the different colored plumes for age outs
Please do bring a decible (idk how to spell) reader it would be cool to know how loud the actual corp is compared to how loud they are with speakers
*decibel
some corps often measure the hornline in the lots. I've seen readings from 100 - 120 decibels in the lot alone. They more often than not will hit between 100-110, but they can absolutely go louder, at the sacrifice of tone quality
Sitting on the 45 side 2 down front those horn lines were blasting on finals night, I found my self literally like almost jumping from excitement when the Devs, Cadets and other corps first huge hits. It was super nice to finally sit down and watch after the whole tour and I luckily seat hopped into really good seats
I would like you to have a decibel meter and monitor the corps with and without amplification… Then jump in a time machine and go back to the ‘70’s, ‘80’s & ‘90’s and test it out on G bugle Hornlines. Well at least the first part would be interesting. Keep up the great work. - Nick
my dci wishlist, drop tuition by atleast 1500 dollars... i hate this economy, ruining the best activities
i’d be interested in seeing the decibels on tour, sounds like a great idea
Why bother to teach good balance and natural loudness when you strap upwards of 30 players with mics and have field mics every 10 yards and playing mezzo forte does the trick for judges?
Because the brass judge is on the sideline on the other side of the speakers so the hornline still has to be good if they want to do well in brass because the judge can’t hear the speakers and isn’t trying to
Sorry but field mics sound awful especially with Crown, I just need that raw brass power.
@@BOX6Performances I've seen crown in person every year since 2016 (minus 21) and they've always had the loudest and richest brass sound of all the corps I've seen perform. No clue what your comment means
@@squillz8310All I can say is that their finals recordings were ruined with how much synth was used.
@@squillz8310 What I've is that Crown puts a group of people of each section/part and amplifies it through a mic in the speaker, sounds bad.
I am from 60s drum corps but I must say that I agree with almost everything you said. I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts and wishlist.
The props from 2019 devs was my favorite use of props ever. Using them as doors, housing, walls, ramps, etc. it was incredibly flexible.
Great content but also amazing Star Wars posters and X-Wing fighter helmet behind you!!!!!
the very first thing Id like to see out of DCI is the removal of obnoxious field mics and synth, accompanied by the return of a full contra line; like, is it worth sounding worse just so an extra 5 or so members can be placed somewhere else? furthermore, obsessive use of electronic effects in general, like the constant ambient musical effects in crown's show really ruins it for me, cause why is there more prerecorded garbage than brass actually doing stuff? cause im 100% sure crown can manage to create the same ambient effects purely using the instruments on the field, and yet they dont, despite having the best brass lines that are more than capable; it seems backwards to me
the next thing id like to see is actual marching drill, rather than choreography, running, and flutter stepping around the field
#1 thing I notice with recent shows drill(when it appears) is that its a bunch of insolated mini-forms with a few larger sets, versus when there are rapid fire full-member shapes and such, while also playing and moving the hardest passage of the section on top of holding a giant form
and the third thing is id like to see the music hold one song for more than 10 seconds....
way too much playing one thing, hitting one cadence with a big chord with a small battery intermission just to start a whole different passage; it feels like a cheap way to slap in more pieces
and, the final thing is kinda just a personal wish
i want at least ONE corps to have on-field, live vocals, rather than exclusively relying on their electronics; only reason i dont despise crown 2013 vocals is because they were done by an actual performer
Any chance you could talk about DCI All-Age? Or give a look into DCA shows from the past couple years? (I've marched w Buccaneers for the past few years)
But to you, and everyone else reading, PLEASE watch DCI All-Age at finals!!!! We have a world class-level show ready to go that we've been working on every weekend since the end of November! Not just the Bucs, but Caballeros, Fusion, White Sabers, Govenaires, the list goes on! We do some serious shit and we kick ass at it!
As a current marching member of the Bucs, I see the parallel between us and BD when it came to DCA. The last time we lost at finals over the past 19 years was in 2016, and we also lost a few shows in 2022 up until semis. Regardless of me being in the corps, that stuff excites me. I hear the Connecticut Hurricanes are marching a world class-sized corps this year and the fact that they're in the tight competition against us is incredible and I want to see more of that. Hopefully All-Age sprouts new corps around the nation so the east coast can have more competition.
You are gonna like how Mandarins use their props this year
Genesis should do a sonic the hedgehog show
I feel like we’ll see a swing towards more minimalistic prop design and more “old school” show design. I think corps have pushed this idea of large and grandiose stage design so much post pandemic that some corps will be swinging back in the opposite direction this year.
Holy crap, THANK YOU for saying something about DCI merch. It is so pathetically bad! Drum corps is really missing out on a lot of revenue and a lot of t-shirt and hat conversations.
I agree with you regarding amplification, but I think you lost me regarding the acoustic volume of hornlines. I'm happy to be proven wrong, but I've been watching live drum corps since 2003, and Blue Devils 2023 was probably the loudest hornline I have ever heard (and my hearing is much worse now than it was in 2003). Not only are brass lines MUCH larger than they used to be, over the past 5 years or so, we've started to see a push toward experimenting with the volume limits of the Bb instruments in a way that, ideologically speaking, was not particularly well received or competitively rewarded throughout the '00s and the better part of the '10s. In fact, the last time we saw so many corps redefine sound concept was the switch to Bb. There seems to be less fear about allowing the Bb horns to "light up" and more of an understanding that it is possible to play as loud as possible while maintaining control of the pitch. Not everyone is on board, but the "new school" sound perspective (Blue Devils, PR, SCV, Mandarins) seems to be pushing into that direction. I think we can thank Freddy Martin, Chip Crotts, and J.D. Shaw for the shift. If you're experiencing less impact, I'd speculate that it's probably desensitization due to exposure, not hearing loss, I hope. After all, I WISH the sound still had the same impact on me physically that my first show did.
Good video!
I remember asking the question back in the late `80's of where drills were going to go. The only thing I thought up was 'UP' - use the 3rd dimension. When you're sitting high in the stands, shows are very 2D. So props and scaffolds are now a thing, and I for the most part, like it when it's well used as you say.
I am above 55 years old and still love drum corps!! I wish PBS would still do drum corps. My family would go to the Football Hall of Fame DCI (GO BLUUUU) and it was AWESOME!! When I was a freshman in high school, our band got to go to Allentown PA, was amazing!! I do wish that they would have maybe half the screen just a wide shot of the field and close ups on the other side. Plus you HAVE to know the program that you are watching, so you get THE shot!!
i went to the dci hattiesburg show and the problem i had with the merch was that in the stadium under the stands where all the merch was by the time the show was starting it was already getting dark and by the time it ended it was so hard to see anything i did end up getting a sick boston shirt that people notice a lot or ask me about but that was it
A Gold medal for the Boston Crusaders.
Then earn it ..!
Be very careful asking for less blasting from sound systems vs raw acoustic power. It has become a religion among the "I only know drum corps since the year 2000" youngins that anything older folks have said for years should be completely disregarded. You have spoken heresy. Clearly, the golden future of DCI will finally arrive when we have our first all-keytar corps.
You’re making up scenarios in your head. The majority of older fans are not “everything new is bad” and the majority of younger fans are not “everything old is bad”.
@@jakeandhenryvideos seriously. I saw some old head comment on a star 91 video "too bad people get offended at this now" like who are you fooling dude? Someone replied that they've literally never seen anyone upset about that show and another person responded with "Have you met someone under 20?". These old farts in the activity ruin all the fun. I have a better question: Have YOU ever meet someone under 20? Because as someone in high school with some pretty progressive views on things, star 91 goes hard as fuck and is probably my favorite show of all time.
I wish regional shows would offer more food vendors. The money lost due to long lines would easily pay for more staff at events... even at $20-25 an hour. I realize vendor money may not be DCI related but I can tell you if my school or company had the contract, I wouldn't have a problem hiring temp workers for an above average wage. Reasonable prices for parking. Also, make sure there isn't still 3000+ people standing in line to get in when the first corps goes on. Football games have nearly every gate open whereas DCI offers two. Allow the option to have printed tickets.
Your points about merch. I totally agree and point at least one finger at PepWear. There's an increasing number of corps giving at least partial control of their souvenirs to PepWear, and they are the pinnacle of that bland corporate style you were talking about.
Vanguard's own souvie truck used to be such a big signifier of the corps' personality, but now with PW all the stuff is just boilerplate sports merch. I hate it.
Edit: They brought back the Santa Clara quarter zip that I always wanted, but changed the colors and used crappy iron-on lettering instead of embroidery.
I agree with all of this
horns not being very loud I feel you but I'm not sure how much of it is from hearing loss hahaha
I want to see a return of headgear. And not the crazy, goofy looking Dr. Seuss hats. I'm talking about the tried and
true shakos with a plume attached or the Aussies that SCV and Madison wore back in the day. Two cents from
someone who marched 44 years ago. Man I'm old. Ha!
I also want louder bass lines for 2024
Please don’t forget Blue Devils when you’re talking about props. They have the ultimate in props: mirrors, cinema props, horses, wings, chairs etc
calling it now but i think SCV listened to you with the prop thing
My most "boomer" opinion is definitely mics and excessive synthesizer. It's so overwhelming, out of place, and really takes away from performances. I want my face to be peeled from the brass, not my eardrums ruptured from speakers. Also, I want drill to make a comeback. Running from point A to point B just doesn't have any impact versus what clean drill can achieve imo
try not to talk about scv 2018 level impossible
Not glazing just appreciative of a well designed show with a clear and easily read concept.
@@CJsMusicTrumpet yeah you good, greatest show of all time in my opinion
Hi Cj, i wanna see you react to Gahr highschool for 2023, their show is pretty sick, and they've been winning state champs since 2015, make sure to check them out!
are those old bd unis lol
New sub here, marched in the late 90s. As a fat, old, former corps member, I'm invoking the time-honored tradition of complaining about how drum corps these days is terrible and how the only true drum corps occurred for 11 minutes in one year. For 90s kids, that would be Star '93. For Boomers, I think it's Bridgemen somewhere back there. There will be some kids that'll say that Cavies' Frameworks was the pinnacle of drum corps and that it's all downhill from there.
All this to say, I'm waiting for fashion to slingshot back around and for corps to stop leaning on props and extravagant costuming, in favor of stripped-back forms. One of these years, someone (let's be real, probably BD) will surprise us with no props, muted costumes, and a visual program that basically leaves marching behind in favor of entirely stylized movement from all the members for the entire show. I'm calling it now. And then it'll be Gen Z's turn to complain that it's not true drum corps!
WAKE UP YALL CJ’S MUSIC POSTED
Watching recordings from 2014 and before makes flomarching look like a complete joke. Every single livestream looks like it’s the first time the camera crew has ever seen the show. Previous recordings look like they studied the shows throughout the summer.
Livestreams have camera calls done on the fly, all the recordings pre 2021 were physical releases that were edited to show the best performance possible. I have my own issues with Flo, but people really underestimate the cost, logistics, and difficulties of live-streaming shows, especially with something as low demand as band where the infrastructure and expertise is much sparser compared to sports. I will say they usually have it right by finals when Tom Blair’s crew takes over.
Yes Tom Blair is fantastic and I’ve always appreciated the work they’ve done in indy especially with big loud and live.
Flo marching has gotten better though the years, they are not perfect by any means. I would like to see design teams open up a little and let them come at spring training and walk them though the show so the directors can get a sense of the show from the beginning instead of taking three or four shows to find what to show when moments. They did hire some former corps audio people to help with the sound. Audio has always been a weak spot, because who cares about audio at a lacrosse game?
@@jakeandhenryvideos I go both ways with that. I understand the logistical issues present with something as complicated as a marching show. But, when it’s late July and it’s the 9th time you’ve streamed the show, and you cut to a guard member putting away their flag for 12 seconds during a brass feature…flo costs way too much for that to be happening.
I just want a corp who hasnt won a championship to win like Boston or thr Mandarins
BD is going to pull a Bucs in DCA 6Peating lol #Bluesmoke #BDWorld
Shakos and plumes
Yes please, fewer mics on the field. And fewer mic'd solos!
I don’t particularly mind the mic’d solos. however i do get a bit annoyed when the soloist is played evenly in all speakers because it can make it hard to identify the soloist sometimes.
i think DCI staff needs to realize... not every solo needs a mic, not every screamer needs a mic, not every small-section feature(like a trombone octet or smth) needs a mic
just look at the trio from crown 2012, or the screamer from crossmen 2012(or crown 2010, if you wanna argue that crossmen might be quieter)
@@Zyluki Or, for that matter, look at all of the pre-mic era. Madison Scouts screamer features in the 90s were better than any screamer feature post-mic.
OTOH, in the pre-mic era you don't have anything as rich as the feature here. The mic allows for concert-style (and jazz combo) solos, and that's what it should be used for.
The number 1 thing I want to see is better marching. This isn’t a problem with corps visual staff, it’s a problem at the high school level. Kids aren’t marching and playing anymore at the high school level and they aren’t developing good separation of upper and lower body before they get to the corps level, and honestly the amount of out of time feet in world class is unacceptable. Many of the world class corps need to take a step back from choreo and make their members march better. The performers since Covid look so immature compared to corps pre Covid. Watch a semi finals corps from 2009 and watch 8-12 now and you’ll see more out of time feet in finals lately than semis over a decade ago… even at devs 2022 did not start off well visually. It used to be if the people auditioning couldn’t already march at the level that the blue devils expected they didn’t make the corps because the next step was to use that visual time to teach them to dance and act. Yeah we did some marching fundamentals, but the technique person to person didn’t need to improve much from when they started. That is NOT the case right now, and outside of maybe the top 4, most visual staffs haven’t woken up to the fact that the kids aren’t coming in with the same skills anymore….
I honestly think that the "visual" aspect of dci inflated. The problem is that the visuals aren't controlled by the performers. The drill, design, and implementation of visuals is all down to staff. I also think that this is due to the judges having a particular liking to the "blue devils style". Sure yeah they're good but when you actually pay attention to their drill a lot of the time you can't tell if someone is out of place or not because of the style of the drill. I personally think that's borderline cheating because you can't judge something when you can't tell if its right or not.
@kaizen_unknown LMAO! God I love the internet. People and their false narratives.
PHANTOM REGIMENT WINS WITH A 99.99
For DCI to get with the times and stop selling blu-ray. The target demographic should have changed.
DCI’s merch looks straight out of some corporate branding catalog. Boring AF. Also, yes I want louder hot lines without so much amp and bass synth; boring. Props, agree! Make it have a purpose
Uniforms that resemble ones from the 2000s-early 2010s and less reliance on speakers and artificial sound
I want an option to pick high cam or multi cam when I’m watching. A majority of the time they do a terrible job with the camera work and you miss so much of the show. Sorry.. I don’t care to watch a soloist for 39 seconds at a time while there’s a ton of visual happening on the field.
Yes! You should absolutely take a decibel meter to the show! I'd be interested to see what the results are.
I absolutely agree 💯 that there needs to be fewer mics, less synthesizer and more true hornline sound! As my old band director used to say, if you need a mic to be heard...you aren't playing loud enough lol.
Flow marching does suck, really bad! From poor picture quality, random outages and missing the good stuff with their close ups. I don't want to see the guard picking up flags while the brass line is doing drill at 180 bpm with 4-5 size steps doing insane block drills. They need to do so much better! They also need to include audio on the playbacks after the fact. What is point of watching a DCI show with no sound? My theory is that if they have the right to air it in the 1st place, they can air it after the fact too. If not, they need to renegotiate.
Blue Devils need to stop following their "formula" and take some risks! I want anyone to take them down. Anyone!
Less mics👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 please
I want to see real uniforms and not those stupid costumes. I want to see drill design from ten years ago and earlier. Too much visual these days is about props and choreography. But it just doesn't cut it for visual GE.
Less is more. Less electronics, less synth goo, less props, and much less vocals.