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Giants Stadium Drum Corps Memories


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The "old" Giants Stadium is being demolished to make way for the new stadium at the Meadowlands.

The old one hosted a whole bunch of drum corps and band shows over the years. So I figured I'd start a thread for those of us who might want to share our drum corps/marching band memories of the place.

Some of mine:

Marching in the first drum corps show held at the stadium in 1978. It was the Cabs' Grand Prix show..... on a Sunday afternoon. And it was HOT that day...almost beyond hot, actually. I remember seeing the heat waves shimmering off the AstroTurf as we marched. What a day.

Announcing the final drum corps show held at the stadium, last season. It was nice to get back there for one more show... I announced a bunch of shows there, from the Cabs' Grand Prix in 1985, to numerous YEA drum corps shows and USSBA band shows in the 1990s. Great PA system.

THE WALL. The wall separating the field from the seating area was quite tall.... and we found out early on that if we didn't lift our horns to an angle playing over that wall, the sound would come bouncing right back at us, causing a variety of issues, shall we say, with timing.

On the field, the stadium was pretty much an echo chamber. During a full corps retreat/awards ceremony, you could stand there on the field and basically shout at the person next to you in line..... and nobody would even know you were shouting. LOL

The scoreboard. Sometimes, when marching toward either one of the endzones, it was tough not to look up at the scoreboard/video board and watch us as we performed our show. "Hey, look at us....whoops, gotta go....." :tongue:

Please share your memories!!!

Fran

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The "old" Giants Stadium is being demolished to make way for the new stadium at the Meadowlands.

The old one hosted a whole bunch of drum corps and band shows over the years. So I figured I'd start a thread for those of us who might want to share our drum corps/marching band memories of the place.

Some of mine:

Marching in the first drum corps show held at the stadium in 1978. It was the Cabs' Grand Prix show..... on a Sunday afternoon. And it was HOT that day...almost beyond hot, actually. I remember seeing the heat waves shimmering off the AstroTurf as we marched. What a day.

Announcing the final drum corps show held at the stadium, last season. It was nice to get back there for one more show... I announced a bunch of shows there, from the Cabs' Grand Prix in 1985, to numerous YEA drum corps shows and USSBA band shows in the 1990s. Great PA system.

THE WALL. The wall separating the field from the seating area was quite tall.... and we found out early on that if we didn't lift our horns to an angle playing over that wall, the sound would come bouncing right back at us, causing a variety of issues, shall we say, with timing.

On the field, the stadium was pretty much an echo chamber. During a full corps retreat/awards ceremony, you could stand there on the field and basically shout at the person next to you in line..... and nobody would even know you were shouting. LOL

The scoreboard. Sometimes, when marching toward either one of the endzones, it was tough not to look up at the scoreboard/video board and watch us as we performed our show. "Hey, look at us....whoops, gotta go....." :tongue:

Please share your memories!!!

Fran

Yup ... I remember that first show in 78 at Giants Stadium ... and discovering the "city" of tunnels that exits under the stadium ... YEOW! ... then 1981 when the Cabs and the Dream both held shows there only weeks apart ... also ... the parking lot played host to many Sky rehearsals throughout the 90's ... lots of horns honking from the Rt 3 traffic as it passed by ... LOL ...

:-)

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1976 supposed to be there for a Jets-Giants pre-season game which got Hurricaned out. :worthy:

1977 there for pre-season for Giants-Steelers. :tongue: Smaller memories of cheering for the Steelers from the end zone seats (while being paid by the Giants people :blink: ). Also getting to eat at the workers cafeteria since we were helping the Quartermaster. :blink:

BIG memory - my dads only trip with the corps as he was also helping the QM. Bus drivers wanted to leave "one second" after the game to beat traffic. Sure enough.... we get on the bridge leading to the turnpike and people in front of me on the bus (including dad) stand up and look down out the window. Then I hear dad say "What's this ###### trying to" *crunch*. Long story short... drunk hits the bus... cops took an hour to get there because of confusion caused by a wreck on the next bridge. Cop: "We ARE there bus driver, what's your problem?" Bus Driver: "Look at the next bridge, what do you see" Cop: "Looks like three buses" Driver: "THAT'S US". Cop shows up and drunk falls out of the car on his face. Bus drivers give the cop the phone number of the bus company and they are free to go. By that time ALL the traffic was past us. Then someone tells our bus driver "Good news is you don't have to worry about traffic now". If looks could kill... :tongue:

OK was it Giants or the Jets trying out a game at the stadium??? :worthy:

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Does anyone remember the lineup at the 1978 show? I think I was there with the Roch. CRU but not positive. I remember my friends new conversion van biting the dust in the parking lot and being towed away, far from home.

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I remember in 1983, the Canadian corps, Les Eclipes (sp) went under the UFO to do a uniform change and the entire stadium went quiet. You did not hear a single sound. Fran, I know what you mean about the jumbotrons in the endzone. I did just that, "wow, I'm on TV!! S**t, gotta go!!"

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Don't remember quite what January it was, had to be early 90's - Pretty darned cold day, like any winter Sunday in the Jersey swamp, doing pregame and halftime for the Giants hosting the Bears in the playoffs. Man, how I wanted one of those big team coats over on the bench! I figured Dave Megget's woulda been the only one that wasn't too long.

So the Giants are absolutely ANNIHILATING "da Bearse", and I notice that people are passing stuffed bears around, tearing off a limb or an eye or an ear, then throwing it to the next section :tongue: .

Aside from that, I never really liked playing there - That wall was a real PITA. And HATED spectating drum corps there! Just felt like I was so darned far away from the field! (Saw the Jackson's reunion tour there, though, with a girl from my junior corps' guard :tongue: )

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Does anyone remember the lineup at the 1978 show? I think I was there with the Roch. CRU but not positive. I remember my friends new conversion van biting the dust in the parking lot and being towed away, far from home.

Skyliners were there... they won the show, and we (Sun) were second.

The competition lineup was senior corps only, but I'm pretty sure the Boston Crusaders did an exhibition that day, too.

Fran

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Skyliners were there... they won the show, and we (Sun) were second.

The competition lineup was senior corps only, but I'm pretty sure the Boston Crusaders did an exhibition that day, too.

Fran

I also remember Hawthorne, the Hurcs and Matadors being there ... not sure about Boston's exhibition ... don't remember Rochester ... five corps shows were typical in the 70's ...

:-)

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Does anyone remember the lineup at the 1978 show? I think I was there with the Roch. CRU but not positive. I remember my friends new conversion van biting the dust in the parking lot and being towed away, far from home.

Slyliners.......81.00

Sunrisers......80.70

Matadors 73.50

Hurricanes 70.55

Crusaders.....67.90

Buccaneers 63.15

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Slyliners.......81.00

Sunrisers......80.70

Matadors 73.50

Hurricanes 70.55

Crusaders.....67.90

Buccaneers 63.15

So ... there ya go ... my memory bank was only half right ... or ... half wrong ... but, Fish ... Slyliners? ... HAHA ... a little Freudian slip?

:-)

Edited by ajlisko
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