Temperature remains issue in LOS

[Tom Brace]

I'm not sure we have even broken 90 this summer in Chicago

summers around here are not what they use to be

yeah...it's been a wierd year weather-wise in the Midwest. I was there Memorial Day and it was perfect...70s and partly cloudy. I was also there for a week at 4th of July...it was a carbon copy...70s and partly cloudy. Generally, July is 90s in the Chicago area. I don't think they hit 80 very much this summer. Wierd.

[Tom Brace]

snipped for this...

Somehow, I suspect things are being addressed and will be addressed for quite some months. The powers that be don't live in a vacuum.

BUT.....if they DID live in a vacuum, what type of vacuum would it be?

I'm guessing Eureka after the SCV show.

But, regardless....vacuums are the same on one count...they all suck.

[Tom Brace]

Even in the BEST place they could find horn lines sound weak. Blaming DCI for this stadium is only part of the issue.

Can you please cite some examples of the weak sounding hornlines?

Crown? No.

Regiment? No.

SVC? Not at the end.

Troopers, Bluecoats, BD and Madison had huge moments. That's just to name a few.

I believe the acoustics in the stadium did not serve the brass players well. However, by listening to other recordings throughout the season, I had no issues with the volume of sound being produced by hornlines.

[bawker]

Somehow, I suspect things are being addressed and will be addressed for quite some months. The powers that be don't live in a vacuum.

. . .you could have fooled me. Nothing but the usual "this season was great, everything is great" white noise that every season seems to have on dci.org.

If Dan Acheson has time to rule on whether or not the 1975 Madison Scouts were undefeated via e-mail, I figure he might have a few moments in his day to construct a press release concerning the stadium, the acoustics and next steps for the organization.

[Jeff Ream]

. . .you could have fooled me. Nothing but the usual "this season was great, everything is great" white noise that every season seems to have on dci.org.

If Dan Acheson has time to rule on whether or not the 1975 Madison Scouts were undefeated via e-mail, I figure he might have a few moments in his day to construct a press release concerning the stadium, the acoustics and next steps for the organization.

well, in his defense, he may have needed some time to assess. not 3 weeks, but a week or 2 maybe

[bawker]

well, in his defense, he may have needed some time to assess. not 3 weeks, but a week or 2 maybe

That's fair enough; however, we're about to hit the three week mark here with nothing but "Hooray!" when the general thought process from some fairly even-handed posters here and first hand reports from others seem to be a little less than optimum.

Not that I think that the fan base should whine about everything, but half of drum corps is in the aural component . . .so anything that impedes that is at least somewhat troubling. Hop and Casella seem to think it's a little off sound-wise, amongst others.

Surely, as with any major undertaking or project (especially with this, as this is the first time out) . . .there's a "lessons learned" project after-phase that lets the major players in this: Dan, Lucas Oil staff, DCI BoD members, etc sit down and discuss the ins and outs of Finals week logistically, financially, etc and what to do going forward on a variety of fronts there.

[Jeff Ream]

That's fair enough; however, we're about to hit the three week mark here with nothing but "Hooray!" when the general thought process from some fairly even-handed posters here and first hand reports from others seem to be a little less than optimum.

Not that I think that the fan base should whine about everything, but half of drum corps is in the aural component . . .so anything that impedes that is at least somewhat troubling. Hop and Casella seem to think it's a little off sound-wise, amongst others.

Surely, as with any major undertaking or project (especially with this, as this is the first time out) . . .there's a "lessons learned" project after-phase that lets the major players in this: Dan, Lucas Oil staff, DCI BoD members, etc sit down and discuss the ins and outs of Finals week logistically, financially, etc and what to do going forward on a variety of fronts there.

oh i agree 100%. I am sure right after finals Dan has a zillion loose ends to tie up.

But they did email me and say a survey was coming. I would hope sooner than later

[Mello Dude]

That's fair enough; however, we're about to hit the three week mark here with nothing but "Hooray!" when the general thought process from some fairly even-handed posters here and first hand reports from others seem to be a little less than optimum.

Not that I think that the fan base should whine about everything, but half of drum corps is in the aural component . . .so anything that impedes that is at least somewhat troubling. Hop and Casella seem to think it's a little off sound-wise, amongst others.

Surely, as with any major undertaking or project (especially with this, as this is the first time out) . . .there's a "lessons learned" project after-phase that lets the major players in this: Dan, Lucas Oil staff, DCI BoD members, etc sit down and discuss the ins and outs of Finals week logistically, financially, etc and what to do going forward on a variety of fronts there.

I think my sig applies to this......

[oldschooldbc]

I have a random question. Since DCI signed a contract to have finals in LOS for the next 10 years starting last year (am I correct?), and since the stadium wasn't ready for finals in 2008, is that considered a breach of contract? I've always been curious about it.

It most certainly would be considered a breach. However, the question is whether this constitutes a material breach. There are essentially two types of breaches of contract: material and immaterial. Here's an example to illustrate the differences.

Let's say you are operating a zoo, and you need bananas to feed your monkey cage. If you have a contract to deliver 10,000 bananas, and you only receive 9,999, then the absence of 1 banana would not be considered material. You still would be able to take delivery, and you could still feed your monkeys.

However, if you received a delivery of 10,000 apples, then you could not take delivery, and feed your monkeys. (I presume monkeys don't like apples.) That would be considered a material breach. Then you could conceivably take legal action.

Now, were the construction delays last year a material breach? We obviously could not use the LOS stadium, and had to switch to another location. This could be considered material, and yes, DCI could ask for the courts to dissolve the contract. And yes, DCI could ask for liquidated damages - i.e., damages generated by having to find another contract and supplier. These are common, when large, long-term deals like this go south.

However, strategically, this may not make sense. DCI has their offices in Indianapolis, and holding finals there makes a lot of logistical sense. DCI still thinks they got a really good deal from the stadium authority. And if they break the contract with Indianapolis, this could undercut their ability to negotiate another deal with another city.

You don't have to break a deal, just because you have a material breach. You may have very limited options, if you do. Sometimes, you just have to grin and bear it. You may simply have no negotiating leverage in the marketplace, and you just have to make the best of things.

[ItsOnTheField]

Considering the scope of the issue most people on DCP seem to think in regard to LOS...I think it would be more then fair to allow DCI to take the time needed to discuss issues/concerns with the city of Indianapolis and LOS. We do not know what is going on in the DCI offices, or in the offices of LOS. I'm sure the stadium people are a little more focused on football right now.

Better to wait and get correct and more absolute answers/solutions then to rush through everything (which most DCPer's would complain about, too) and leave loose ends.