Jesse

I'm not going to lie... I was looking forward to finals in 2013 being anywhere but LOS. I thought finals in 2008 was great compared to 2009 & 2010. I like hearing the sound the performers are making, not a mix of the sound they are making plus the sound they were making 2 seconds ago. I still remember all the hype on the fact this stadium was being designed with acoustics in mind. Oops.

I'm reserving judgment on all uni's until I see them in action, which will be this weekend for most. The last uniforms didn't have a star that was blue, and before that the uniforms didn't have a star on it at all?

Please correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the current leadership structure require a corps to be a semifinalist for x number of years before a group even gets a vote? Regardless of the specifics, I am under the impression that not all corps are involved in the decision making for DCI. I could be wrong. One thing I will not stand for is that my views "hurt the corps." I still plan to see plenty of DCI this summer, and my hometown will be hosting a regional for the first time- without a dome or roof. One venue I refuse to pay money to attend anymore is LOS. If DCI/the corps made that decision, then they need to live with the results of that decision: some fans will like it and others wont. If finals attendance starts slipping, I think it is not the fan's fault as you try to define it, it is DCI/the corps fault for making that decision. Seriously, who in their right mind signs a contract for a venue for 10 years before even testing it? According to what DCI said they had an option to back out after a year. Does that one go under the same column that LOS was designed for acoustics is under? In my opinion it was a stupid decision. It may have looked wonderful on paper, but it sure isn't in implementation.

Just to set the record straight... I've seen my fair share of DCI shows. In fact, I marched in DCI. I have performed and watched shows at Atlanta and San Antonio (and the RCA dome for that matter). Of course they are much worse then LOS. But on that same scale LOS is much worse then any outdoor stadium I have ever watched a show in. This is finals we are talking about. Forgive me, but I have become skeptical about much of what DCI says about LOS: it was supposed to be designed with acoustics in mind, right? Not. And despite any attempt to eliminate reverb, it will be there. I for one do not want to spend my money anymore to travel and watch finals if the acoustics detract from the listening experience as much as they did in 2009. 2008 had a much better venue in my opinion. How is this not DCI's fault? They had the option to bail after a year. Obviously they chose not to, and I disagree with that decision. I'd rather just get the DVDs now, it's much cheaper. What does DCA have to do with this?

It's not like finals has been in an acoustical nightmare prior to 2009...

Wow. So now we expect design to cater simply to how the acoustics will be at finals, what about the other 98% of the season? I would love if DCI could provide actual specifics: What aspects of the design and arranging would actually improve the wash of sound at LOS? How drastic do these changes need to be? Are they coming out and saying the roof will be closed no matter what? These "sonic anomolies" are much more present then in any other venue of the year. Are they actually going to do something to fix it, or pass the buck onto design staffs and blame them for the sound?

I am not sold. Acoustics were supposed to be considered in the stadium design. Why even take a chance on another year of consideration over an issue that was not even supposed to happen? What are they going to do differently in terms of 2010? And fans buying premium seats and sitting in front of the 20s is inexcusable. That is just plain inept decision making on the part of DCI. I am not going to finals in 2010. I will not be sold on corporate propaganda and on the same promise that already fell through. Is this rocket science?

Let this be my first post on DCP. I've been registered for a few years now. If it's one thing I learned in 2007, it is a change in uniform does not mean a change in who the corps is. I'm sorry, but this is not the end of the world. We had 2 shows in 2007 where we couldn't wear the helmets because of the wind. I almost had my helmet fall off at quarters during a jazz run, which was very awkward to have to take my hand off my horn to fix my helmet, twice, in the middle of a 4:5. My head is a size that the only thing holding it steady was the plastic side of a piece of velcro digging into my forehead, there was no room for padding or anything else for that matter. As someone who wore both the old and new uniform my experience was not diminished by wearing something different. The people around me were still my family (and still are).