Gorgo Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I talked with some folks who work there and some others who were there covering the event. The overwhelming consensus was - a variety of reasons were behind the decision to keep the lid closed on the Oil Can, all of which have already been pegged in this thread. Fairness to all corps, the acoustic qualities of the backdrop (which could be blown about with an open roof), chance of precip (and ACTUAL precip), lack of drainage, comfort level of the performers AND fans. And ALL of those reasons make sense to me. Even though. . . heck, on Thursday night, we were directly under an air vent and got so cold, The Missus bought some thermals at the Cavies souvie stand. They told her that those items were "hot sellers" that evening. At least it beat the sun-stroke at Bloomington last year. And the bottom line pour moi. . . the sound was nowhere nearly as undesirable as the previous indoor venue in Indy, which was legendary for its hellish echo. There was some nice reverb on big chord releases, only a little "roof-ping", and good projection of playing to the front AND to backfield. Case in point - Vanguard's show opens with so many soft, quick, highly exposed solos. Each one was crystal clear, even from the cheap seats we occupied. I'm not so sure how things would have sounded with the roof open - I fear some things may have gotten lost in the vertical infinity. That alone justified the decision to close the lid, at least in my humble estimation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCIHasBeen Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 And ALL of those reasons make sense to me ... Granted, all the reasons make sense ... But all those reasons, in conjunction with the poor quality of experience that the majority of fans are reporting, also add up to the Oil Can not being a place that DCI should go back to. Don't care what kind of a deal Indy is giving DCI, if the Finals experience is not going to be a good one for the audience, it does not make sense to host THE event of the season in this facility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blucoater Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Didn't Rondo or someone mention on last Thursday's live-cast that the roof would not be opened because of air conditioning/comfort for the performers?? Right, cause after an entire summer of performing outside in the heat, there's no way they could make it through 3 shows..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 DCI Fans = Biggest whiners ever. I'm almost embarrassed to like this activity. . . .'cause God forbid we should want an acoustically sound facility for our Championships. Yeah, that's whining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blucoater Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Looking at the design of the stadium, I don't think you'd notice a significant difference in the acoustics with the moonroof open. The upper decks are still covered by a non-retractable roof structure, and the overall concept of the stadium is a large box with a field inside. Given the shape of the space (a box with a cut-out in one side rather than a box with the top side missing or a bowl), you're still going to get a significant amount of reverb. It was the same situation as at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal the first year Finals were there; it was nominally an open air stadium, but the huge overhang made it sound like a dome (listen to the recordings from finals that year, and you couldn't tell that they weren't being performed indoors). I'm kind of in the sound business. Believe me, it would have sounded completely different with the roof open, much flatter and far less reverb. The only other thing they could do is hang insulation panels to kill the reverb bounce off the roof. I have to say that I really liked the way Allentown sounded. I think that trying to keep the roof in one position for performance consistancy is preposterous. Keep the roof open until you can't. At least some of the show will sound decent. How is that a penalty for corps under a closed roof? The corps have to be flexible enough to perform in either format. Its the audience that suffers the most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob984 Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 When we purchased our tickets, we were under the understanding that the roof would be open, unless there was a weather problem. I thought this was a great idea, as at least the show would go on even if there were storms in the area. No weather delays. I can't tell you how many people I talked with over the weekend that said they will not be coming back. The accoustics were horrible. One rumor I did hear, was that the contract was an 8 out of 10 years to be held at that stadium, with an option to back out after the first year if the conditions were not acceptable to DCI. I heard this from several people, but would like to know if anyone here has any more information on this. I think the horrible accoustics would be great reason to cancel out of their contract with the stadium, especially if there is no plan to actually leave the retractable roof open. One of my friends who went to the broadcast was telling me they were talking about how these shows were all designed to be performed in a closed roof dome, indicating the corps all knew that the roof wasn't going to be open. I am totally in agreement with you here..........the acoustics were terrible, as Lucas was a total reverb chamber..........I can't believe any "music person" would have given the green light to the sound in this place.......I will go to other shows next year, but not here.........it is kind of ironic that last year DCI was forced late to move the show to Bloomington.....and the sound was great there, and I felt it was a fine drum corps stadium and heard many others say the same.........I will say it is quite comfortable to sit in AC and hang out in a lounge area on the breaks, but I would gladly rather sit out and sweat in a stadium where the corps can sound their best. If was fine for visual, but sound-wise, again....terrible. I think that it would be to DCI's advantage to back out of their contract if they can, but I highly doubt that they will......I didn't think such a long term contract was a good idea, anyway, although I know that planning for finances/tours was a big part of it, and I think Indy offered them a good deal fiscally, but who knows.....regarding the roof, I really don't know if opening the dome would have dramatically improved the sound or not, without someone actually testing it out.......... GB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bersurkman Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I must be the only one who actually LIKED the roof closed. I sat in 4 different spots. The 200 level was acoustically muddy, the 600 level was better, but the 500 and 400 sections about the 50 yard line were GREAT! I didn't mind the slight echo. Actually I liked hearing the chord diminish after a good release. I enjoyed the cool air, much better than sweating next to someone who is as sticky and uncomfortable as I. What I enjoyed the most is the visual aspect of the closed roof. Every corps had the same lighting. There were no daylight corps versus night corps. Everyone was under the lights and I felt that it evened the playing field, visually. Sparkles and flashes came across great. The added sparkles and mirrors on Bluecoats would not have been as noticable in daylight. All in all I am looking forward to going back. As long as the roof is closed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Granted, all the reasons make sense ... But all those reasons, in conjunction with the poor quality of experience that the majority of fans are reporting, also add up to the Oil Can not being a place that DCI should go back to.Don't care what kind of a deal Indy is giving DCI, if the Finals experience is not going to be a good one for the audience, it does not make sense to host THE event of the season in this facility. mark this down....we agree. Remember Orlando? Jackson Miss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 ...What I enjoyed the most is the visual aspect of the closed roof. Every corps had the same lighting. There were no daylight corps versus night corps. Everyone was under the lights and I felt that it evened the playing field, visually. ... Wow, I never thought of that element. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Wow, I never thought of that element. Make sure to mention it to DCI, 'cause they're going to need all the reasons they can find to make the spin on some of the experiences at Lucas Oil positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.