DCA Finals Attendance?

[Tom Brace]

Wow, If I recall correctly in the late 80's it was about 40,000 for DCI and 5 or 6k for DCA. Looks like my personal feeling of DCA having the staying power and the better business model is coming true. DCI has become a slavish, insular, fringe club with many unwritten design rules and clubby do's and don'ts, that if broken become competitive suicide. To me, this results in homogenization of the product.

DCA is a more open, audience oriented product which encourages broader ranging, more audience oriented shows and material presented and package more as the original composers had indended them. All in the spirit of the original geneous that created them. DCA is also improving the quality and polish of their productions with each year. Lets see where it all is 10 more years hence.

Never 40K paid. Never.

Others are correct. DCI made changes during the 1980s but really what hurt DCI was financial issues during those times, some of which we won't mention here.

The 1990s was the breaking point...the model was becoming financially unsustainable and at least one of the best corps out there decided to dump DCI altogether...they did pretty well out on their own too.

DCI has become much more stable when they hired Dan Acheson as ED. From a high paid attendance of 24K+ in Pasadena and respectable crowds in Denver, DCI has rebounded somewhat. There were miserable crowds in Orlando for those years but some of the costs were also subsidized to go there.

So, in the end...like another thread in here...it's apples and it's cucumbers. Trying to determine which product is more successful based on mere audience attendance compared to venue size doesn't do the comparison justice.

[dustyboo]

it is....it has a warmness i've yet to experience in the many times i've gone to DCI Finals.

it;s as much about the social aspects as it is about what is on the field

Jeff, I agree. After many DCI championships I decided to go to my first DCA this year (since I gave up on DCI) and it was so amazing. The most fun I have had at a drum corps show in years. Not only do the corps connect with the audience they are really good! I've already been spreading the word to friends that they need to add this to their list of shows.

[Geneva]

Speaking of Aquinas stadium I was there in 1969 when the Hurcs won and it was SRO. I believe I heard the stadium held 20,000. Tom P. would probably know for sure.

One of the bigger drum corps crowds I recall playing for was at Aquinas in 1966 at the New York/Canadian championship finals. My memory is of the whole horseshoe being full . The Rochester Crusaders being the defending AL national champs at the time could have had something to do with that!