van

So with Teal Sound out, won't they move everyone up a time slot? The seats will be packed and it will be very warm and humid. Remember to hydrate!

I'm glad I double-checked this. I was about to book a flight to Annapolis for that weekend, and just wanted to make sure the show was still there. When I checked the schedule, it wasn't, so I checked here on dcp for that info. Ugh!

Just to clarify -- the Dr. Robert Smith that wrote this article for Drum Corps World in 1991 is NOT the composer/arranger. The person that wrote the article was a family physician that lived in Decatur, loved drum corps, and wrote for Drum Corps World. I marched mellophone with him in the 2002 Royal Airs reunion corps. Dr. Smith passed away in May of 2009 after battling brain cancer. Van Williams

This was my first visit to Allentown, after watching drum corps for 25+ years. I decided that after last year's finals, I had to try something different. I am not going to LOS this year. Overall, a very, very good experience. I was sitting in section J on about the 35 yd line, about 22 rows up (and I believe 1-2 rows in front of the French Canadians someone spoke about earlier -- it was not pretty, but I wouldn't lump all persons of a particular ethnicity for the poor actions of a few). Sound was fair on Friday night, but was much better Saturday night. I think I may (as someone suggested earlier) make Allentown my 'finals' while DCI still uses LOS. And hey -- it's cheaper too ($25/night to see corps 1 week before finals is much better than the price for the shows during finals week). Parking was an issue. I'm glad I was told I needed to arrive early (about 1.5 hrs before showtime), as parking is at a premium. Concessions and restrooms were also an issue (not enough of either), but I dealt with it. Again, this was my first time to Allentown, and if the experience was as positive as the one I had, I'll be back! Van

Everyone -- thanks so much for the advice. I called DCI today and purchased tickets in section J. Was told that should be around the 40. I've followed drum corps for 25+ years, but I have never been to Allentown. As long as I can get a cheap enough flight there (Philly? from St. Louis), I'm good to go. Again, much thanks on all the advice on getting tickets to this show. Van

That's generally what I do for DCI events. However, I didn't really seriously consider Allentown until the holidays. If I can't get good tickets thru DCI, I may just 'wing it' and take my chances on getting a good seat the day of the show... Van

Thanks for the replies. I have bought tickets from folks selling at the gate the day of the show, but, best case, would rather have tickets 'in hand' day before I make the trek (I'm in the midwest, and may fly in to Philadelphia). Not sure if DCI, Ticketmaster, or other entity is handling the tickets (via phone). DCI seems to still be on vacation (though their phone message says they're having normal business hours as of today), and Ticketmaster can't find the event in their system. Not real thrilled with paying Ticketmaster's fees, so if it's thru someone else, that would be better. Van

I'm considering going to Allentown for the shows in August. If tickets are available, where is the best seating? From the seating chart, looks like sections G, H, I, and J are the best. How many rows are in those sections? I'm looking for 'mid level' seating. Thanks!

Very sorry to hear about this. Cozy was a great guy and always a delight to talk to. I will truly miss him. Van Williams

My sympathies to his family. Harvey was a great guy. He always had a kind word to say. Van Williams

I know it's only January, but I'm trying to make plans for the summer season. Does anyone know if DCI is providing discounted rates at hotels for some of the major events in 2008? I'm particularly interested in Normal, Madison, Palo Alto, and Murfreesboro. I've generally made my own reservations outside of DCI, but in some cases (e.g. Palo Alto), the cost for a night's stay in the hotel I stayed in last year (Sheraton) right now is wayyyy too high. Last summer, the Blue Devils had a set of rooms blocked at a substantially reduced rate. I would expect that DCI would do this, but perhaps I am just too early (it's not on their web site yet).

Just off the top of my head, and in no particular order: -- Wayne Downey (okay.. he's *the* best) -- Jim Prime -- Larry Kerchner -- Truman Crawford (got a chance to be instructed by him in 2002 with the Royal Airs. The man was awesome!) -- Jay Bocook I'm leaving out many others, but it's late, and these were the first ones that came to mind. Van

Didn't have the privilege to see 76 or 77 live, but did see 86 and 02. 86 far and away the best version of Channel One. Van

Stanford was incredible. Great stadium (it's less than 2 years old). Sound was great. I hope DCI finds a way to get a show back in there next year (though it would probably have to be early-mid season for the foreseeable future).

DCI introduced 2 new major venues this year: Annapolis and Stanford. Both were excellent venues. Anyone know with any certainty whether DCI plans to return to these venues in 2008?

In no particular order.... 1) Star of Indiana 2) Suncoast Sound 3) Florida Wave 4) 27th Lancers 5) Bridgemen

Did DCI announce somewhere that the format of corps introductions was changing? At the Annapolis show, the introductions (done by Dan Potter) went something like this: "Please welcome to the field... <corps name>!" Pause for a bit as the corps comes on to the field. May warm up, may not. "Drum Major, <name>, is your corps ready?" Drum major salutes "Drum Corps International is proud to present, from <city>, <corps>!" And then the show starts. I probably missed the announcement that the format was going to change. I actually like the new way -- just takes a little getting used to. Van

At the Annapolis show, there were customers who had tickets for seats that did not exist. While this did not affect me at this particular show, I am concerned that this may happen at other shows. For the Annapolis show, I think my tickets were issued by DCI prior to TicketMaster taking the reins. I'm not sure who issued the tickets that were in error for Annapolis. However, I do recall that when I ordered tickets for a show in Columbia MO, I requested a specific row and seats. I was told by the rep at TicketMaster that the row was "not available." Not quite sure what that meant, since I had sat in that same row for the past 2 years. Perhaps those rows are being blocked off. I don't know. But with this past weekend's events, I am a little concerned. Anyone else have any issues this past weekend? Van p.s. Annapolis was a pretty decent venue. Hope the show returns there next year.

Anywhere in section 1RR 15-25 rows up (if that works in 1RR) would be perfect seats. I've sat in this section all but 1 year for this show, and these are definitely the best seats in the house.

I did just order tickets from TicketMaster for other shows, and I was able to pick my exact seats. So... if you know the exact section, row, and seat you wish to sit in, they do offer that. But.. you will you pay hefty (imo) 'convenience' fees. Trying to decide on Atlanta. From what I've gathered, middle section b/t the 40s would be the best spot. A few friends and I are driving from St. Louis to Murfreesboro, and are considering driving to Atlanta the following night (would be a long weekend). I've done the dome thing in Indy, and haven't been back to a dome since. I'm on the fence with this one. Van

Agreed. Just bought tickets for the Murfreesboro ($50/ticket plus $4.75 'convenience charge' per ticket plus a $2.60 order fee) and Columbia ($18/ticket plus a $3.75 'convenience charge'). Ouch! Van

In no particular order... SCV -- loved the show from the beginning of the season BD -- great show. Hard to pull off a known classic, but they did it well. Blue Stars -- Very accessible PR -- The only word that needs to describe this show is 'Wow!' Van

In no particular order... -- Madison Scouts Alumni Reunion Project. Probably the best alumni group to date. Awesome performances both Wednesday and Friday. -- Hanging out with old friends and making new friends. It's what the activity is all about. -- Weather. Perfect save for the wind Friday evening. -- SCV. Incredible. One of my favorite shows of the summer. -- PR. Jaw-dropping performances all 3 nights. -- Blue Stars. Welcome back. Great show! -- Blue Devils. Class. Was able to be with them on Sunday morning. Classy people - membership, staff, volunteers, parents. Van

I had heard the same thing as well. From my understanding, it was to be the weekend before championship week. However, earlier posts seem to dispute this. Van

I just got home to St. Louis from that show in Cookeville. In DCI's defense, they may have had very little choice in venues once it was determined that MTSU would not be available. That said... Either the TTU stadium did not have elevators up to the upper portions of the seating area, or DCI did not have access to them. Dan Acheson passed the group of friends I was with and said there were no elevators available. Not good for my friend that has really bad knees. We also never had our tickets checked. We just walked right in. Concessions were very limited -- only chicken sandwiches and pizza. Again, DCI may not have had many choices in the matter. Vanderbilt Stadium (where shows used to be held in the late 80s/early 90s) was a great stadium. Don't know about Murray State's stadium. There may have been financial considerations as well (e.g. Vanderbilt may have cost too much). DCI probably did the best they could with the situation at hand. I think you're correct -- if the show was in Murf, there may have been a delay, but the show would have continued. Oh well. Van