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Where is the strangest stadium


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Just thought of another one. The old Baltimore Memorial Stadium. I believe it was the Rebels show in 1984 or 1985. We hit a company front and the end of the horn line was up against the outfield wall.

That was the old March of Champions show, put on by the Yanke Rebels and the Hamilton post. That stadium was a mess. We were there after rain showers and the judges told us if we fell down, we could get back up with no penalty. You'd just be covered in mud. Always the pitchers mound too. And bad site lines. Prolly gopher holes too, but I was fortunate not to hit any..............

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In 1986 we had a show scheduled in Rhode Island.

It rained all day and the competition was eventually moved inside a hockey arena, with no ice.

It was really odd. I think that they dropped the visual caption that night as well.

Dave, I recall that as well. If I remember correctly, it was 1980 . . . and boy was THAT interesting! I believe there was quite an echo as well. That Crowd was very supportive, but it was a very interesting experience!

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That would be a show we (SCV) did in I think Wisconsin at a NASCAR track where we had to shorten the show to fit the track plus we had to march uphill toward the stands because the track was banked. Color guard had to do the bottle dance uphill on the asphalt. It wasn't fun!

:blink:

Edited by amadorj
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Frontier Field - Rochester - DCA Championships 1996 - anyone that was there knows what I mean. Crowd was another football field away at least

Springfield, Mass I think - Minor League baseball stadium - Jr. and Sr. Corps shows there - same deal as frontier except LOWER STANDS.

Someplace in CT in 1996 I think - DCA show where the crowd sat on the side of a hill and the judges stood on top of the hill.

I am sure there are more in my memory somewhere - but that is it for now!

Agree also about both fields you mentioned for 1996 - Frontier Field and the Connecticut show where the crowd sat on the sit of the hill.

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In 1995 the Marine D&B did our "Field" show in a "Field house" at the BOA camp...The Cadets did a standstill as well as The Cavies...Our field crew set up a field in 15 minutes, and OUT WE MARCHED....When the drumline turned backfield for Stars and Stripes we realized we had 2 steps before we hit a WALL...there was a unison OH ####!!! We made it through with NO TEARS!!!! Bothe the Cadets and Cavies watched and were amazed we could adapt so quickly...

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In 1986 we had a show scheduled in Rhode Island.

It rained all day and the competition was eventually moved inside a hockey arena, with no ice.

It was really odd. I think that they dropped the visual caption that night as well.

Dave you are correct .. 1986 .. Matadors show. It rained for most of the day, and the contest field was a mess. So Red somehow got them to open the Civic Center and they moved the show downtown . ice hockey rink.yep... They gave you the option of standstill or "trying" to do a full movement! :blink:

Doreen, in 79 or 80, they tried to do a reinactment of the Madison Garden Show, but in Providence .. didn't work there either..lol Think I still have the posters from those shows at my Mom's house!

Edited by hurcwave
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Just about any baseball stadium was a nightmare, when baselines and stands aren't aligned. Baltimore was one we dealt with every season, so we pretty much got used to it. DC Stadium (Now RFK Stadium) for the '66 A.L. title show in Washington was no picnic, nor was MacArthur in Syracuse.

The absolute worst experience for me personally, though, was the Houston Astrodome for the Legion Nationals in 1971. We might have had a realistic shot at defeating the Rebels that night, until we started drilling off-center. The first base line was the front sideline, but like many ballparks, not parallel with the stands. I think we blew any chance we had when the drill went awry. Every corps had to deal with it, but I think it hurt us more than most.

In those days, all you had was a starting line, a 50, a finish line, and the front and back sidelines: No yard lines, no hash marks, etc. If they had been able to re-set the stadium in the football configuration for that show, it would have been better for everyone, but it was the middle of the baseball season.

And then there was the echo! That's another story altogether.

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Dave you are correct .. 1986 .. Matadors show. It rained for most of the day, and the contest field was a mess. So Red somehow got them to open the Civic Center and they moved the show downtown . ice hockey rink.yep... They gave you the option of standstill or "trying" to do a full movement! :thumbdown:

Doreen, in 79 or 80, they tried to do a reinactment of the Madison Garden Show, but in Providence .. didn't work there either..lol Think I still have the posters from those shows at my Mom's house!

Just as an aside... A number of people have mentioned the old Providence Civic Center - early home of the Rhode Island Reds hockey team.

Back in '87, I worked for a time at a hospital just up the hill from that arena. We purchased it - to gain more administrative office space.

I walked through it, just after we had purchased it and was dumbfounded. First off, it hadn't been used for hockey in years - so the arena itself was a mess. Secondly, a part of it had been converted to a stripper bar - with "private" rooms. The flotsam and jetsam on the floors was absolutely unbelieveable!!! There was a small pool in the "private" area - the water in which hadn't been changed since the place closed down months (or years) before. The water in it was a greenish-brown, and when I threw a small metal key ring into it - THE WATER JUST SHIVERED, as though it was Jello.

I sincerely hope that this wasn't the venue for the shows that some of you are referring to, because if it was, then you should STILL be on antibiotics! Or at least your shoes should still be....

I don't know the eventual outcome of the whole deal, but one of the plans was to demolish it and build a new office building on the site. If that were the case, then the demo crew should definitely have been wearing hazmat gear!!

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Just to get myself back on topic.... Those of you who were in drum corps in New England waaaay back when remember that there were a lot of contests up in New Hampshire.

Now we all kid about having marched in cow pastures..... But we DID!! Real, genuine, true-to-life, authentic cow pastures - with "everything" that entails.

Someone complained earlier that their pants had dust and dirt "up to their knees" after a show. For us, dust and dirt would have been a definite improvement!!

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The other two would be 1977/1978 Madison Square Garden .. another baby step show

I believe in 1978 we also did a show at the Providence Civic Center!

Yep....I remember both those indoor venues well. (The fact that the Sunrisers won all three of those shows helps to jog my memory.....LOL).

The Providence one, in 1978....wow. I remember that there either was no wall, or a very short wall, separating the first row of seats from the floor... we ended our show with our horn line almost right on top of those front-row fans.... and we were playing REALLY loud at the end of our "Evergreen" closer. The looks on the faces of those people......LOL!!!!!

Fran

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