ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar

I went to 2017 Semis/Finals with a friend, driving from MN (roughly 9+ hours). We stayed with a couple other friends at a hotel about 15-20 mins outside of downtown Indy ... I believe they booked the room months prior. It was my first finals experience since aging out in 2006. Overall worth it, but I don't plan on going back anytime soon (unless I get free tickets ... preferably in one of the luxury suites). A few questions first: - Are you doing the drive solo or with someone? - Do you have a place to stay yet? - Do you have tickets yet, and where are they (between the 40s or outside, upper/lower deck)? If no lodging is booked yet, Airbnb/VRBO would be worth looking into (generally cheaper places that are closer to the stadium). Otherwise, you could do what we did and go in on a hotel room that was already booked (there was only one bed, but fortunately I brought a sleeping bag). If you don't know anyone who's going, you could try posting something on /r/drumcorps ... see if you can get in on a room. You ultimately just need a place to crash, not to hang out. A few other observations/comments: - If you plan on watching warm-ups, bear in mind that the site is about a ~20 minute walk from the stadium. Corps get bussed to the stadium ... it's that far. Either budget your time effectively, or consider bringing a bike/skates/scooter. - Parking wasn't terrible, from what I remember. We parked a few blocks away in a ramp. Event price wasn't outrageous. - The plaza and convention center areas outside of the stadium typically have events going on in the hours before semis/finals. If you want, you can catch a soundsport group or a "special guest" type group (i.e. SCV alumni corps in 2017 ... awesome and freakin' loud standstill performance). - Unlike some NFL stadiums, that are intentionally put in the middle of nowhere, Lucas Oil Stadium has a fair amount of food/bar options nearby. A lot of private parties in spaces nearby, too. - There are a bunch of security/event contract workers, but most of them don't care, especially during semis. I was able to walk in with a full backpack, which technically isn't allowed (it was also full of beer, which is for sure not allowed). - Regarding the trip: I've never personally driven from OK to IN, so I don't know what the lay of the land is. If you're driving solo, it might be a good idea to check on potentially closed rest stops in certain states. In my trip, Wisconsin had a bunch that were closed down. Highway 39 in Illinois from Rockford to Bloomington was also pretty desolate (most boring drive I've done since Nebraska). - It's pretty well documented, but the overall acoustics suck, especially if you're outside of the 30s/40s. If I ever go back, I'll spend most -- if not all -- of my time watching warmups.

I know taste. I have the best taste. OT - what is up with your avatar image?

As someone who marched in the mid-2000s, I'd say GE scores for most groups would tank by today's standards. It was a transitional era that put out a bunch of boring shows with cookie cutter moments (PR 2006 was a rare exception). I'll take the weirdness and over-the-top set design of today's shows any day.

If the instructor knows his/her stuff, I'm all for it. I've dealt with vet DMs who either: - Completely power tripped and lost the respect of the majority of members - Did the opposite and treated their season on the podium like a vacation The best DM I ever had (from a conducting standpoint) was a rookie straight out of HS. Unfortunately, our staff couldn't agree on how this person was supposed to lead the corps. A lot of moments of confusion. TL;DR - vet or rookie ... it doesn't matter: pick the candidate that's the best conductor and has the best projected leadership qualities, and give them clear expectations. And work with them through out the season, not just the winter.

It's a bummer that she only mentions it in one sentence, almost off-hand. It really warrants further investigation.

"MY PARTICIPATION TROPHY FROM 2008 WILL NOT BE IGNORED." How/why is this news? Edit - Band directors have enough inventory to manage. They shouldn't have to bend to the whims of busybody alums from 5+ years ago.

I'm ok with this particular instance (it's Tarpon ... they're good at what they do). I'm more concerned about the crappy design teams flush with booster $$$ ...

Nobody said a mean thing about "the kids." People are discussing a potential new trend. That's it.

The original post has now been re-posted to /r/drumcorps ... it will now assume its final form: a brilliant, insane piece of copypasta that younger generations will cherish for months to come.

Are you basing that assumption on just a blank web page, or is there anything else to go off of?

Fair point. I hope it gets returned too, but the college football fan in me hopes it turns into a trophy rivalry ... get "BD Brass" or whatever engraved on the other side. Whoever scores higher gets to take home the hammer. Just like Paul Bunyon's axe between MN-WI (hopefully not as one-sided).

It's not acceptable, but it has always happened. And I guarantee, it happened when you marched. My thoughts: - The idea of the Crown Hammer is stupid. It's the sort of useless object that pretty much begs to get stolen. It's the same sort of nonsense as those baseball bats the Carolina Panthers used to walk around with a few years ago: an empty symbol of false hype that does nothing but take up space. - Even though stealing is not a recent thing, the idea of posing with it in your uniform and posting it to social media is pretty egregious/stupid. Even if this kid is an age-out, they're going to get a pretty harsh punishment. - The general consensus on reddit seems to be: wow, get a load of that idiot.

They didn't really look like ribs to me until Klesch pointed it out on the cinecast. ... can we please stop talking about ribs now? I'm starving.

Here's my mostly uneducated take on the viability of these venues (mainly for my own entertainment). Only venue I've been to is U.S. Bank Stadium (for the unofficial state marching band competition). As for cities, I've been to Arlington, Houston, Atlanta, LA, and Vegas. Currently live near Mpls. Overall -- for as much as I didn't like the stadium experience at Indy, I think it's here to stay unless Mpls/Atl/etc can offer a sweeter deal. Arlington - I would imagine the overall venue and its acoustics would be an upgrade (provided the roof could be opened). Housing would be pretty easy too ... with the Dallas area being flush with large public schools. Biggest issue might be fan experience (Arlington is a giant suburb and the Stadium is surrounded by a sea of parking lots). I can't imagine this venue being cheaper for DCI either, considering there's never been a regional here. Houston - Similar to Arlington: I think fan experience would be a downgrade from Indy. The stadium has a similar design to LOS, and the area is on the outskirts of Houston ... which -- IMO -- really isn't much of a tourist city to begin with. I can't imagine cost being cheaper either. Atlanta - I'd consider Atlanta a small step-up from Indy: stadium is close-ish to their downtown, which has way more to do than Indy, at least. Based on the reviews here, the stadium's acoustics weren't much better than Indy ... but some of the sight lines are bad (the overall design of this stadium ... from its sphincter-like roof, to its circular design ... has never appealed to me). They already do a regional here, so housing seems to be good. Overall, I think I would have more fun in ATL than I did in Indy for finals. Minneapolis - Total bias here, but this would be a step-up from Indy too. Way better nightlife. Way more to do in the daytime (Twins games, tons of breweries/distilleries, tons of gorgeous parks). Better public transportation (light rail can take you from Mall of America area to Downtown ... easy for those with kids). DCI MN at the college stadium was pretty much a regional in 2010/11 ... so housing isn't an issue -- The marching scene in MN is on the rise. The natural light ambiance of the stadium is gorgeous, but ... ... the acoustics suck. A small remedy: at the marching band show I mentioned earlier, the crowd was on the visitors side because of the tilted ETFE roof coming toward the home section. Unfortunately, the visitors' side doesn't have good sight lines, especially in the lower section (its more flat than the home side). Another potential remedy might come after the 2019 final four, with the coming of an NCAA-required "blackout" curtain that could be used for noise dampening. Apparently natural light at a basketball game is a non-starter. I really hope the NCAA pays for this. Interesting read below: http://www.startribune.com/u-s-bank-stadium-authority-needs-blackout-drapery-for-entire-building-before-2019-final-four/475468313/ Despite the acoustics ... who cares: Minneapolis > Indy. MAKE IT HAPPEN, DAN. Detroit - This would be interesting. Can anybody that was there for the DCI Tour Premiere this year chime in on the experience? Detroit would have been a non-starter 10 years ago or so, but I'd imagine DCI could get a super cheap deal. Glendale - Seems similar to Arlington ... a massive stadium/parking lot complex in the middle of a suburb. Also, AZ in August sounds awful. New LA Stadium - The design is really intriguing: it's basically an ETFE "canopy" over an open stadium. I almost think this might be the design of the future (sort of wasted on LA since it never rains there). That said: it'll never happen here since it's being built with private money. Also, the Rams owner -- Stan Kroenke -- is a heartless person who probably hates drum corps anyway. http://www.lased.com/ New Vegas Stadium - Domed with retractable windows. The other interesting angle to this is that less than half of this is built with public financing ... which means we'd be more likely to see finals here than at the Kroenke Dome in LA. Finals in Vegas? A man can dream ... EDIT - let me be clear: stadium financing is usually nothing more than corporate welfare, benefiting some of the most awful of the awful rich. I still like to geek out about the design aspects though.