wolfgang

The problem with Levis Stadium is while the climate is great, a design flaw in the stadium causes people sitting in certain areas to roast.

So you believe DCI should cancel the July show in Mesa, AZ, which has a slightly higher average temperature? I would rather rehearse in 103 degrees and very low humidity in Vegas than 95 degrees, much higher humidity, and higher heat index in Houston. Vegas weather is more bearable for most people than the tropical humidity of the deep south.

In 2020 the Las Vegas Raiders new stadium is supposed to be done. It will have a roof. I have not heard for sure the type of turf they are planning. The venue would likely be more affordable than the new Rams stadium in the LA area, and I thought I read in one of the many articles about the Raiders move that the stadium operators hope to hold more events than just 8 regular season and 2 pre season NFL games. I am not suggesting Finals will move from Indy, but if Atlanta is too expensive and the Raiders venue is more reasonable, that would be an option for a large show, though the tour would need to be revamped for an event with all the World Class corps. If finals ever did leave Indy, though, this new stadium may get a serious look. Even a show with all corps west of the Rockies plus a couple midwest/eastern corps the first week of July would draw a good crowd. Geography is the 800 lb gorilla (besides $$$). but otherwise this new stadium looks like it would meet the criteria that San Antonio and the former Georgia Dome met for an indoor event where everyone could perform for seeding purposes. Hotel rooms would not be an issue.

There are 16 Open/International corps shown currently. I think it is possible we could wind up with 20. I say that because 1) it apprears Racine Scouts maybe back out, this time with a partnership with a university; 2) The Columbus Saints, as far as I know, are applying for Open Class status and are planning to have both a corps and Soundsport ensemble. I am going with the thought they plan take both groups to Indy. 3) I believe there are other orgs that may apply for Open Class status, and its possible a couple may do what Shadow and River City Rhythm did and come to Finals in the first year, plus there may be a couple more international groups. Remember in 2015,nobody knew about a couple of the non-US groups until the schedule was posted. I know Jubal was here a couple years ago. If I could have a wish list, I'd love it if they came back in 2017 if only to have the top 2 European corps. Not expecting that, just that it would be neat to see. To bring this back to World Class, Prelims on Thursday should be an awesome show with something north of 40 corps possible.

As I suspected, the 19 year old was driving drunk. http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2016/11/19/man-faces-6-felonies-crash-killed-3/94128318/

There are rumblings the new Falcons stadium may be cost prohibitive and the Atlanta event may be moved to another venue\city. I hope this is just offseason chatter that isnt accurate. Does anyone have info one way or the other? It would be wonderful if the event could be at the new stadium, especially with the upward trend in attendance.

From the news story, her dad hit a deer driving on a rural stretch of interstate. They were pulled off to the side of the road. A truck driven by a 19 year old hit their vehicle and that is what killed them. I have not heard why the kid was driving on the shoulder of the road, if he was under the influence, drowsy, or some other reason. In any event 3 lives were prematurely ended tragically. Prayers for the Rinehart family and Castle band.

Story on dci.org. The corps is called The Company. Very smart move to announce it this early. Could be great for their recruiting.

This is not related to the Cavaliers 2016 show, so I am giving it it's own thread. The question is: Will this only be for their new WGI Winds group, or does this mean the door is ajar for major membership eligibility changes for both their drum corps and indoor drumline in the coming years? https://cavaliers.org/news/cavaliers-announce-new-co-ed-performance-ensemble-chromium-winds

I don't pretend to know anything about their finances, but if it is true there are issues, was it really a wise decision to start the season in California for 2 weeks?

I invite you to read Schnitzel's posts on page one of this thread. They make a damning case against field percussion judging in the current environment. Have you talked to any DCA percussion judges since they pulled them off the field? They seem to have figured it out, with a facet of the activity that has a lower degree of physical jeopardy than the junior corps ranks. When (not if) the numerous near-misses are no longer near misses and a serious injury occurs, are you going to pony up 7 figures in settlements and attorney fees, and oh yeah, liability insurance premiums would jump through the roof especially when a known risk was ignored. Folks who see that it's time to be proactive can recognize the benefits of having a judge's face feet away from the snare line, but sometimes one has to look at the bigger picture. DCI has played with fire for years and gotten away with it, but eventually they will get burned. Performer and judge safety trumps any possible advantageous judging vantage point, and it should not even be a close decison. Whether in a dome or open air stadium, the drill isn't going to change and the risks are just as great. I hope DCI revisits this issue this coming offseason and pray we "get lucky" for a few more weeks.

Direct quote from Joe Allison on marching roundtable podcast in discussion about judging percussion from the pressbox: "I may not be able to hear everything, but I can hear what I need to hear." The days of field percussion judging are numbered. The only question is whether DCI will step in before or after a serious injury and resulting expensive lawsuit. Its a matter of safety and it will only take one serious incident to potentially bankrupt or at least seriously disrupt the organization.

Salient points from the article: For the second time in two years, a traveling marching band show has been bumped from the University of Minnesota’s football stadium, and organizers are crying foul. In 2014, the U Athletics Department forced Drum Corps International to give up its slot to make way for a free concert. Auditors later slammed the decision, which cost the university an estimated $125,000 in lost revenue. Last month, the university told the same group that it would have to move its July 16 event, this time to make room for a private football camp run by coach Tracy Claeys. The change is expected to cost the university tens of thousands of dollars in lost rent and disrupt a popular traveling tour, with thousands of student musicians, once again. University officials say they mistakenly double-booked the facility last fall and didn’t discover the problem until months later. The group thought it had a lock on the stadium for July 12, 2014...But six months after the group had requested the day, the university “asked us to move our date,” he said. It turned out that Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game was in town that weekend, and planners wanted to host a free Imagine Dragons concert at the U stadium. The Athletics Department agreed to host the concert, rent-free, in exchange for a suite at the baseball game for then-athletic director Norwood Teague and about 50 guests. Last fall, in the wake of Teague’s ouster in a sex harassment scandal, university auditors criticized the deal as an example of poor oversight, saying it had cost the university more than $125,000 in lost revenue. The decision also forced Drum Corps International to move its event to two smaller venues, which cut into its ticket sales, according to Turner. He estimated that cost the national and local groups about $80,000 in lost revenue. Last summer, the event returned to TCF Stadium, and organizers put in their request for 2016 last August, according to e-mails provided by the group. Initially, university officials hedged on making a commitment, but on Dec. 2, McGinnis wrote: “We are fine to proceed with your event slated for July 16, 2016, at TCF Bank Stadium.” But McGinnis said that, because of a mix-up, he was unaware that in September the football camp had requested that same date. He noted that, every summer, the head football coach runs a series of private camps at the university for high school and younger students. This year, the camp will pay about $600 a day to rent the stadium, McGinnis said. Last year, the Drum Corps paid $96,000 to use the facility, including $42,000 in rent and ticketing fees. Asked why he would choose the camps over the Drum Corps, McGinnis said it’s only natural for the university to give preference to the athletic program. “Camps are an important part of running a sports program,” McGinnis said. “Our priority is to support our athletic departments.” Drum Corps organizers say they’re not challenging the value of the football camps. But they say they’ve been frustrated by the university’s wavering. “It’s a mess right now,” Turner said. He (Dan A.) also acknowledged that his own group (DCI) could be faulted, too, for moving ahead without a signed contract for the stadium date. “It’s shame on us, right?” he said. “Shame on you if it happens once, shame on us if it happens twice. That’s really what it is. … We took the word that we’re in good shape way back in December. We thought we had this and it wasn’t going to be an issue.” ___________ In reading comments that went with the article, one poster had a good point: If the stadium was paid for with public funds, then it would seem a better use of the stadium to serve the 8,000 attendees rather than a couple hundred campers (if that). $600 for rent vs $96,000 for rent? Seems like a no-brainer. Also, this is 2016. How can they not see do scheduling on a computer which would flag them if an event was already on the docket? I agree that, assuming the rent is not cost prohibitive, the new Vikings stadium would be a better choice, AND it weather would be a non-issue. There have been weather issues at the U. of Minnesota stadium before.

To me, the best thing is that as of March 13, all 22 World Class corps and all 14 U.S. Open Class Corps that competed at Championships last year are back, plus we can add Louisiana Stars and Guardians to the Open Class lineup, and if Shadow from WI gets approval, they will be the 17th US Open Class Corps. Hopefully there will be International corps at Championships. Barring something unfortunate, there will be more competing corps at Lucas Oil Stadium this year than last year. Soundsport is turning out to be one of the best decisions DCI has made. Does anyone know of any International corps coming to compete?

It would be perfect for them.

is it too late for add a killing at the end of the show, or does Phantom have exclusive rights to that?

DCI Finals is not the only major event in Indy Aug. 8-10. The Moto GP (basically Formula One for bikes) is also that weekend at the Speedway. It is a weekend earlier than last year. There will be people staying downtown for that event, but what everyone may need to plan for is this: http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/redbullindianapolisgp/eventinfo/35568-Around-the-City/ It's called Motorcylcles on Meridian, and could make for interesting traffic both Friday and Saturday nights. A friend of mine who is into bikes told me last year there were bikes everywhere downtown until well after midnight. FYI, Meridian is 2 blocks east of Lucas Oil Stadium, but I'd not be surprised if ripple effects for traffic happen. Here is a map from 2013 that may help DCI fans with their planning. I do not know if the closures will be different this year. http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com:8080/var/assets/2013motorcyclesonmeridian.pdf *** On an unrelated note, those of you looking for something additional to do that weekend may want to consider the Indianapolis Children's Museum. Don't let the title fool you, it's a world famous museum. Of interest- they have a Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit on display. This is their only U.S. appearance this year. http://www.childrensmuseum.org/exhibits/terra-cotta-warriors

That could be the future of the activity. They were stupendous. I laughed. I cried. My ears hurt (in a good way).

Regarding the "Major league" comment - Let's look at the REAL Major Leagues (ie - baseball). Do they offer more choices, or force the best to work within some contstraints? To the best of my knowledge, there is only one level of baseball in America that uses wooden bats by rule (Major League and it's professional minor league affiliates). College, High School, on down all use aluminum bats. Likewise, what's wrong with "Marching Music's Major League" arrangers using all their creative skills within certain constraints? Using a percussion example, would '91 SCV "Miss Saigon," if it were done in 2014, use a helicopter patch, or would the drums have created that sound effect like in 1991? Which would be more impressive to the viewer?

Apologies if this link has already been posted, but the Marching Round table guys had a discussion of the brass rule changes. The whole discussion is almost an hour long, but an interesting look at various points of view. One of the participants was a past Finals judge, and in fact judged GE Music at last year's World Class Prelims. Is it just me, or did it seem like Joe (and others) were basically saying to those opposed to the rule change (without actually saying it) "You're entitled to your opinion, but your opinion is obselete?" http://www.marchingroundtable.com/2014/02/16/290-trombones-dci/

There is an acoustical anomoly in LOS which not many know about. In the lower part of the 600 level, the sound is not good. However, in the upper 1/2 of the 600 level, under the press box overhang the sound is MUCH better. I believe the overhang keeps the sound from bouncing around. I can tell you I heard things much better 10 rows from the top of the 600 level than I did at the bottom of the 600 level.

Avon 2009... If you can find a video of their BOA championship show that year.... uncanny resemblence (I think Bocook arranged that show as well).

I believe it was a Madison Scouts t shirt sometime in the 1980s.

From a strictly entertainment perspective, I felt more entertained last night at the WGI World Class percussion finals than I have at DCI Finals. I love DCI and BOA as well, but I felt like I saw the future of the activity there. The breadth of the variety in the shows was incredible. The thread about DCI on tv made me think that this should be on TV since the shows are in the right timing window for commercials between shows. I won't get into specific shows, but will say there were some highly creative people involved with these groups to put these things together. Oh, and congrats to Blue Knights, Oregon Crusaders, and Minnesota Brass for having lines in finals. If you've never seen this stuff live, you owe it to yourself to see it at least once even if you're not a percussionist. All I can say is "Wow!"