Jeff Ream Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 look...i know i've been critical of DCI for issues I've read/heard about from LOS. but they actually took the time to create a survey and send it out to at least some of those who purchased tickets online. that's something they never did before. thats a plus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Watching the Colts play at home- roof is open and the sun is shining in. Midfield is very bright, but the sidelines and end zones are very shady. That sight's going to take a lot of getting used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudi man Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 When are you people gonna reallize that LOS wasn't designed for drum corps or band shows they never had that in mind and I don't blame them they built this place for the Colts football team and their fans not DCI . To tell you the truth I really enjoyed the place the only problem that I had with it was where they put all of the corps souvie stands now if they ( DCI ) can do something about that problem then I'll be happy . I like the idea that I can watch a drum corp show without sweating my butt off and setting on a hard seat for 4 or 5 hours with no back support so what if there's a little echo I hardly noticed it and I was sitting in section 359 Oh yeah the price's are way to high and they need to be lowered . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brassoholic19 Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 (edited) I've heard nothing but negative opinions regarding food and lodging in Indy, logistics of Champs week for the corps (bus parking to warm-up to stadium), as well as the acoustics of the stadium. I've talked to corps members, staff members, and fans, and NONE of them liked the Indy experience, and all of them dreaded a long-term engagement with the city.All of that being said, I think that DCI seeking out the opinions of its fan base is a great start. Logistically, from what I've heard, DCI is staying in Indy. If that's the case (and all indications say it is), then I appreciate DCI doing everything they can to improve what seems to be a bad situation. They could easily sit back and metaphorically say "suck it and deal with it: BOA does." If they are trying to attract the large BOA crowd, Lucas Oil is not a unique environment: one that BOA fans are obviously used to. I appreciate that BOA is soliciting their fans for their input in this matter. Really, in the end, We're all in this together (to quote Robert De Niro from one of the greatest movies of all time). Whether we're pro-electronics or against, we're all drum corps fans, and we all want the activity to thrive. If DCI is in Indy for financial stability, then it's in everyone's best interests for DCI get fan input to make things as good as possible. I had a fantastic experience in Indy, and it confuses me when people say that they were miserable. I talked to dozens of people while I was there, and while most of what they had to say about LOS was negative, a good number of them really enjoyed the atmosphere of Indianapolis. I was only there for two days, but I paid $80.00 for a hotel room, $14.00 for parking, and $8.00 for dinner at LOS. I ate my other meals at the hotel, at Subway, Taco Bell, and Burger King. In all, I probably spent about $150.00 that whole weekend, including souvies. Indianapolis was clean, there was almost no traffic, everything was in walking distance, and the warm ups inside the Indy Convention Center were $#%^ing amazing. I think what we see on here about Indy being a bad experience, two expensive, etc. is part of what is going on in the entire country right now... the economy is in the crapper, the government is spending money they don't have... people are frustrated, so any extra money they have to shell out, any other inconvenience just makes them more miserable. Also, people are so upset with Lucas Oil stadium that they will look for anything to ##### about. If you people are looking for the perfect Drum Corps experience, then you should give up and leave right now. Thats all... Edited September 13, 2009 by brassoholic19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Watching the Colts play at home- roof is open and the sun is shining in. Midfield is very bright, but the sidelines and end zones are very shady.That sight's going to take a lot of getting used to. Also seeing a TON of shadows stretching across midfield and in the bottom right corner of the field. So with the roof open, day shows would look like absolute crap with all the patches of light and darkness going across the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Fans and alumni, most of them (I don't personally know every staff member). Also, so are most drum corps directors and designers. Ironic, IMO, that fans complain about DCI not catering to the legacy fans when the people making rules and designing the shows are in fact legacy fans. Either way (back on topic), the DCI staffers (who are fans and alumni of the activity) are doing their best to make the most of a not ideal situation and I applaud that. Like some I'm going to give DCI the benefit of the doubt and hope they work something out. Being a contributor to DCI I was hoping I would've gotten the survey. Of course my complaints are like many so I'm sure they will get an earfull from those who are taking the survey. I just hope some of these corps staff members, in particular the guard, can get over their "diva-like" mentality. If the roof can be open, then it should. I'm sorry if Mary Jane can't throw a perfect six in the wind, but it is what it is. Oh well from my experience this year, it is getting way too corporate and the negative behavior shown by many just because they donate a lot of money on a sponsorship level is the avenue DCI has found to stay afloat then good for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecamburn Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Considering that most of the questions had 5 selections to choose from, and having had courses in creating surveys, this question was not well designed. The echo issue isn't a simple question of was there enough or too much, if you listen to the podcasts recorded that week, the sound was supposedly fantastic, where is the option for being happy with the level of the echo? As a survey designer, I didn't think the questions were that bad. Certainly the questions won't allow DCI to pinpoint what the nature of the sound problem is at LOS, but that wasn't the intent of the survey. I think the intent was to get a general feel for whether people liked the sound or not, what about the sound they didn't like, and whether liking/disliking was related to a particular section of the stadium. There's no way the survey can capture the full complexity of people's perceptions of the sound and all of the factors that explain those perceptions. For example, I sat in two different sections for semis and finals and the sound was very different in both sections. The survey didn't capture that level of complexity, so given an understanding of what the survey results were likely to be used for, I opted to report on the section where I felt the sound was worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecamburn Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Greg, do we really want to start this discussion up here? Dunno if this thread is the best place, but the expertise of sound professionals seems very relevant IMO. Are you going to tell them the rental costs and setup time for a decent stadium system or shall I? When you and I look at this issue on a competition weekend, we see a high school stadium, and each junior corps rolling in a small, usually decent quality speaker cluster onto either 40, sometimes with a subwoofer. And then when we go to work on Monday we see a 5,000 seat theatre with two 20 cabinet line arrays that several pros spent several days tuning and programming to even out response in the venue. I'm curious whether you guys think there would be some benefit from having a single PA at big events that could tweaked to the venue and thoroughly sound checked. Sounds like optimal sound for these big venues would be cost prohibitive, but is there a middle ground between the current model and the ideal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brace Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 I'm with you. It seems like a college stadium would cheaper and more willing option. Spend less on hype and give more money to the people that are actually doing the hard work and drawing the audiences. I don't go to a competition to see a stadium. In fact, many people just go watch drum corps in a 100 degree parking lot. I mean Allentown is a highlighted event that even DCI describes as the following: The upper deck at the more than 60-year-old J. Birney Crum Stadium has been a fan favorite of sorts, as people return to historic Allentown year after year. In need of repairs to ensure the safety of the structure, Drum Corps International restricted seating in the upper deck after the 2006 season to wait for the facility to be upgraded. When the DCI Eastern Classic Committee learned that the upper deck of J. Birney Crum would finally undergo needed renovations this spring, there was uncertainty as to whether it would be completed in time for the events scheduled for July 31 and Aug. 1. But with improvements completed on schedule including the painting of the existing steel structure, repair and sealing of the concrete surfaces, and replacement of the existing wood with aluminum seating, drum corps fans will once again have a birds-eye view when all 22 World Class corps take the field in Allentown this summer. It's a rickety, old stadium with only one sideline of seats. Yes, drum corps deserves a "super bowl" type arena and special effects. I don't have full financial disclosure to what DCI puts into finals, but it seems like the the focus is being put into aesthetics and image instead of substance. College stadiums don't provide a reasonable alternative in most cases. Camp Randall has many logisitical issues for both fans and especially for corps. U of Maryland had many issues, chief among them, the hassles from the grounds crew as their precious field turned from green to dust. See, unlike Pro stadiums, many owned by local stadium authorities, college stadiums are owned by the football coach...well, you get the point. The football coach on many campuses with the proper seating capacity and logisitcal support, is the most powerful individual on campus and he calls the shots. These do not include having the field destroyed three weeks before their opener. See, college season starts the Thursday before Labor Day weekend. Pro football is a week later. The best stadium in the history of DCI (in my opinon) was Arrowhead in the 80s. However, it is now natural grass and outdoors/natural grass is not a great choice for the pro football teams. I'm sure that's why a return trip hasn't been planned. Invesco/Denver is also a good location but not as good as KC for Cadets, Surf and the corps from the east. In short, Indy makes some sense logistically given the SA, ATL and PA regionals. Tougher for West Coast corps than either Denver or KC, but not unmanagable given that people have to get to Allentown anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brace Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 well, HersheyPark Arena had a lot of SRO space. they could cram 10 in there for a playoff hockey game...so maybe Wilt just counted the crowd for both halves actually....for hoops...HPA could probably hold closer to 11 Not according to the book covering the event. 8500 tops. Great book by the way. I can't remember the name offhand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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