Exploring the attitudes of fans on Indianapolis 2009-2018

[cowtown]

The issue for me is the dome and the bad sound not Indy

Being in Chicago, Indy is a quick, short drive – I could do finals for $200 if I drove down the day of and back afterwards (or crashed with my cousin that lives there even)

Being so close to Indy allows me to reconsider and go at the last minute if I get caught up in the season – if DCI were in a dome far away from Chicago – no chance would I even consider it

So it’s proximity to me could mitigate its awful sound – but it hasn’t happened and its doubtful that it will

been to at least 25 DCI finals but plan on skipping a few

Indy may become about which corps is doing well – if a Midwest corps looks to be having a great year, their fans might spike attendance and come out last minute and with all the Midwest corps…. Just saying

[SoundmanG]

--

Edited January 14, 2010 by SoundmanG

[Lance]

Unless I hear about something REAL being done to deal with the horrid sound at LOS, I won't be going. I might try to get out to Allentown if I can plan a trip to NYC around that time. That works out better for me anyway because it doesn't fall so close to when I have to start teaching marching band.

[Jeff Ream]

again, I ask...why is it the bigest crowds in years were in Denver and LA?

doesnt that mean moving around is good?

[INSIDETHEFORTY]

again, I ask...why is it the bigest crowds in years were in Denver and LA?

doesnt that mean moving around is good?

I'll try to tackle this one. DCI Championships was in Denver for the first time in 1977. My wife drove from Baton Rouge, LA to Denver to be with me. I had been at Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI all summer and had only attended a few shows. I was missing my wife big time too! So, we had decided to make it a great trip and a second honeymoon! I flew in on Friday from Boston to Denver to see the Class "A" Finals, but I didn't make it because of flight delays and the torrential rain that night! My wife wanted to spend some time with me, so we "slept in" on Finals day, finally making it to the Stadium at around 5 pm. I hustled up some tickets and we attended the show. The crowd was massive! Way larger than Philadelphia or Ithaca or Whitewater! Great show, except for the over-age fiasco.

Why was the crowd so large? DCI had been having Championships in the Midwest and East for 5 years. 1977 was the first time Championships had come anywhere near the West! Many, and I mean many, of the people who have an interest in drum corps and live west of the Mississippi came out to see the Corps. Can you imagine their excitement? They had been shut out of the Championships limelight for 5 years. They finally got the opportunity to have DCI Championships in the West! Most people knew that they would not get the opportunity to go to Championships often, so the took advantage of it. Some people looked at it as a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, for various reasons, and came out to Mile High Stadium. The West Coast fans, supporters, volunteers, bands, and more came to withness the "Mile High Battle"! The crowd was so large because the people finally got a chance to attend and took it! Many felt that DCI had snubbed them. Many were "drum corps deprived". Many felt they were making history! And they did!

I don't know if the crowd in '78 was smaller of larger than in '77, but it was large! Again, many, many people came out from the East and Midwest and West Coast to enjoy the "Championships Experience"! Personally, toured that year, via Greyhound bus, from my duty station in Norfolk, VA, across the country to various competitions, to wind up in Denver. I went to all of the competitions and had a great time. Many other people came out for the entire week. I remember the Prelims crowds on Friday and Saturday were huge! But the thing I remember most about Denver '78 was how insane the fans were at Finals! I remember Mile High Stadium shaking as the fans stomped their support for the corps! As Dickie V of ESPN fame would say, "It was awesome, baby!".

It was 2004 when DCI next graced the city of Denver, CO with it's presence for what may be the last time. It had been more than a quarter century since DCI Championshoips had ventured so far west. Once again, drum corps fans were chomping at the bit to get a taste of Championships! The city had been experiencing Drum Along the Rockies for years, but this was special. DCI Championships were back in Denver and finally within reach of the West Coast fans! Blue Knight fans, especially, came out to watch their corps make Finals! Excitement was in the air, and the fans got to enjoy a great city!

What made 2004 truly unique was the Post-Championships West Coast "Tour of Champions" DCI put on. A number of the Top 8 corps toured through the state of California during the week following DCI Championships. I did not attend any of those shows as I felt the expense was too great for me at that time. However, from what other fans have told me, the Tour was a great success. One fan even went so far as to say, "The crowd at the Tour show in Pasadena was bigger than the crowd in Denver" I tend not to belive that, but he sure said it! Many people went from the East and Midwest to follow the corps, enjoy the performances, and get a much-needed change of scenery! Some had never been to the West Coast and felt that this would be their only opportunity to go. Some were right about that. There were a number of dedicated drum corps fans who never got the opportunity to witness DCI Championships, regardless of where it was held, because of various reasons.But the East Coast, Midwest and even Western fans were to get a real surprise in a few years!

In July 2007, I set out on tour. I went to many cities that year, hitting most of the major DCI competitions. But the thing that made 2007 the "Tour of Tours" for me was DCI Championships was being held in Pasadena, CA! Finally, I would get to see Championships Drum Corps in the fabled Rose Bowl! I got goosebumps any time I thought about it! I had become a person who liked to enjoy different "stadium experiences" by that time, so being in the Rose Bowl for the first time was going to be something special. I even got the opportunity to make some extra specail seating available to some friends during 1/2 finals and Finals! But the biggest thing was that I was finally experiencing drum corps in Southern California! What a tour. What a vacation! What a crowd! To my eyes, the largest crowd in DCI history! From where I sat, in the Press Box, it looked like the Finals night crowd was close to 40,000 people! I know that is more than the officail count, but that is what it looked like to me! The crowd was wrapping itself around the end zones! Check the video! Incredible!

Some people love to travel and will do so anyway. Some can't afford to travel a lot . Some people do not like to travel long distances. Some people can not travel long distances because of some phiysical condition they have. Soem people prefer not to travel long distances. For these reasons, and many more, DCI Championships should go to an annual rotation of host cities, including the West Coast at least once every 10 years. Too many people who would love to attend Championships may not get to do so because of the distance they would have to travel each year. A annual rotation of host cities gives people the opportunity to travel, whether it be long distance, or shorter distance. It gives peple, young and old, from all walks of life, to experience the excitement of DCI Championships in a city that is not too far from them to travel to, at least once every 10 years! It also gives everyone an opportunity to experience different cultrures within the US. Personally, I would love it if DCI was to put some of these cities on its Championships Host Cities list:

San Diego, CA..2017

Denver, CO..2014

Kansas City, MO,2012

Minneapolis, MN..2020

Boston, MA..2015

East Rutherford, NJ..2018

New Orleans, LA..2013

Madison, WI..2016

Portland, OR..2011

Dallas, TX..2019

Orlando, FL was omitted because of the thunderstorms that graced DCI Championships in each of the 4 years we went there!

For all drum corps,

Ron Gunn

Edited January 14, 2010 by INSIDETHEFORTY

[amadorj]

I'll try to tackle this one. DCI Championships was in Denver for the first time in 1977. My wife drove from Baton Rouge, LA to Denver to be with me. I had been at Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI all summer and had only attended a few shows. I was missing my wife big time too! So, we had decided to make it a great trip and a second honeymoon! I flew in on Friday from Boston to Denver to see the Class "A" Finals, but I didn't make it because of flight delays and the torrential rain that night! My wife wanted to spend some time with me, so we "slept in" on Finals day, finally making it to the Stadium at around 5 pm. I hustled up some tickets and we attended the show. The crowd was massive! Way larger than Philadelphia or Ithaca or Whitewater! Great show, except for the over-age fiasco.

Why was the crowd so large? DCI had been having Championships in the Midwest and East for 5 years. 1977 was the first time Championships had come anywhere near the West! Many, and I mean many, of the people who have an interest in drum corps and live west of the Mississippi came out to see the Corps. Can you imagine their excitement? They had been shut out of the Championships limelight for 5 years. They finally got the opportunity to have DCI Championships in the West! Most people knew that they would not get the opportunity to go to Championships often, so the took advantage of it. Some people looked at it as a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, for various reasons, and came out to Mile High Stadium. The West Coast fans, supporters, volunteers, bands, and more came to withness the "Mile High Battle"! The crowd was so large because the people finally got a chance to attend and took it! Many felt that DCI had snubbed them. Many were "drum corps deprived". Many felt they were making history! And they did!

I don't know if the crowd in '78 was smaller of larger than in '77, but it was large! Again, many, many people came out from the East and Midwest and West Coast to enjoy the "Championships Experience"! Personally, toured that year, via Greyhound bus, from my duty station in Norfolk, VA, across the country to various competitions, to wind up in Denver. I went to all of the competitions and had a great time. Many other people came out for the entire week. I remember the Prelims crowds on Friday and Saturday were huge! But the thing I remember most about Denver '78 was how insane the fans were at Finals! I remember Mile High Stadium shaking as the fans stomped their support for the corps! As Dickie V of ESPN fame would say, "It was awesome, baby!".

It was 2004 when DCI next graced the city of Denver, CO with it's presence for what may be the last time. It had been more than a quarter century since DCI Championshoips had ventured so far west. Once again, drum corps fans were chomping at the bit to get a taste of Championships! The city had been experiencing Drum Along the Rockies for years, but this was special. DCI Championships were back in Denver and finally within reach of the West Coast fans! Blue Knight fans, especially, came out to watch their corps make Finals! Excitement was in the air, and the fans got to enjoy a great city!

What made 2004 truly unique was the Post-Championships West Coast "Tour of Champions" DCI put on. A number of the Top 8 corps toured through the state of California during the week following DCI Championships. I did not attend any of those shows as I felt the expense was too great for me at that time. However, from what other fans have told me, the Tour was a great success. One fan even went so far as to say, "The crowd at the Tour show in Pasadena was bigger than the crowd in Denver" I tend not to belive that, but he sure said it! Many people went from the East and Midwest to follow the corps, enjoy the performances, and get a much-needed change of scenery! Some had never been to the West Coast and felt that this would be their only opportunity to go. Some were right about that. There were a number of dedicated drum corps fans who never got the opportunity to witness DCI Championships, regardless of where it was held, because of various reasons.But the East Coast, Midwest and even Western fans were to get a real surprise in a few years!

In July 2007, I set out on tour. I went to many cities that year, hitting most of the major DCI competitions. But the thing that made 2007 the "Tour of Tours" for me was DCI Championships was being held in Pasadena, CA! Finally, I would get to see Championships Drum Corps in the fabled Rose Bowl! I got goosebumps any time I thought about it! I had become a person who liked to enjoy different "stadium experiences" by that time, so being in the Rose Bowl for the first time was going to be something special. I even got the opportunity to make some extra specail seating available to some friends during 1/2 finals and Finals! But the biggest thing was that I was finally experiencing drum corps in Southern California! What a tour. What a vacation! What a crowd! To my eyes, the largest crowd in DCI history! From where I sat, in the Press Box, it looked like the Finals night crowd was close to 40,000 people! I know that is more than the officail count, but that is what it looked like to me! The crowd was wrapping itself around the end zones! Check the video! Incredible!

Some people love to travel and will do so anyway. Some can't afford to travel a lot . Some people do not like to travel long distances. Some people can not travel long distances because of some phiysical condition they have. Soem people prefer not to travel long distances. For these reasons, and many more, DCI Championships should go to an annual rotation of host cities, including the West Coast at least once every 10 years. Too many people who would love to attend Championships may not get to do so because of the distance they would have to travel each year. A annual rotation of host cities gives people the opportunity to travel, whether it be long distance, or shorter distance. It gives peple, young and old, from all walks of life, to experience the excitement of DCI Championships in a city that is not too far from them to travel to, at least once every 10 years! It also gives everyone an opportunity to experience different cultrures within the US. Personally, I would love it if DCI was to put some of these cities on its Championships Host Cities list:

San Diego, CA..2017

Denver, CO..2014

Kansas City, MO,2012

Minneapolis, MN..2020

Boston, MA..2015

East Rutherford, NJ..2018

New Orleans, LA..2013

Madison, WI..2016

Portland, OR..2011

Dallas, TX..2019

Orlando, FL was omitted because of the thunderstorms that graced DCI Championships in each of the 4 years we went there!

For all drum corps,

Ron Gunn

I love your idea but DCI is stuck being hosted in Indianapolis. I think if you reversed the tour loops each year as you got closer to DCI being say in Allentown prior to DCI one year and then say Denver, Stanford, or Pasadena the next would be great for both sides of the country. As it stands right now the west coast is completely left off the DCI Tour and only gets to see the major corps early in the season when everyone is learning their shows. As many saw in 2007 the West Coast crowd is extremely supportive of DCI when it comes their way. If we're stuck with DCI being in Indianapolis why can't DCI reverse the tours each year so EVERYBODY has an opportunity to enjoy drum corps at its finest.

Edited January 14, 2010 by amadorj

[INSIDETHEFORTY]

Sorry, folks. I got a bit excited/caught up in the moment and got way off-topic.

Ron Gunn

Edited January 15, 2010 by INSIDETHEFORTY

[Jeff Ream]

I'll try to tackle this one. DCI Championships was in Denver for the first time in 1977. My wife drove from Baton Rouge, LA to Denver to be with me. I had been at Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI all summer and had only attended a few shows. I was missing my wife big time too! So, we had decided to make it a great trip and a second honeymoon! I flew in on Friday from Boston to Denver to see the Class "A" Finals, but I didn't make it because of flight delays and the torrential rain that night! My wife wanted to spend some time with me, so we "slept in" on Finals day, finally making it to the Stadium at around 5 pm. I hustled up some tickets and we attended the show. The crowd was massive! Way larger than Philadelphia or Ithaca or Whitewater! Great show, except for the over-age fiasco.

Why was the crowd so large? DCI had been having Championships in the Midwest and East for 5 years. 1977 was the first time Championships had come anywhere near the West! Many, and I mean many, of the people who have an interest in drum corps and live west of the Mississippi came out to see the Corps. Can you imagine their excitement? They had been shut out of the Championships limelight for 5 years. They finally got the opportunity to have DCI Championships in the West! Most people knew that they would not get the opportunity to go to Championships often, so the took advantage of it. Some people looked at it as a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, for various reasons, and came out to Mile High Stadium. The West Coast fans, supporters, volunteers, bands, and more came to withness the "Mile High Battle"! The crowd was so large because the people finally got a chance to attend and took it! Many felt that DCI had snubbed them. Many were "drum corps deprived". Many felt they were making history! And they did!

I don't know if the crowd in '78 was smaller of larger than in '77, but it was large! Again, many, many people came out from the East and Midwest and West Coast to enjoy the "Championships Experience"! Personally, toured that year, via Greyhound bus, from my duty station in Norfolk, VA, across the country to various competitions, to wind up in Denver. I went to all of the competitions and had a great time. Many other people came out for the entire week. I remember the Prelims crowds on Friday and Saturday were huge! But the thing I remember most about Denver '78 was how insane the fans were at Finals! I remember Mile High Stadium shaking as the fans stomped their support for the corps! As Dickie V of ESPN fame would say, "It was awesome, baby!".

It was 2004 when DCI next graced the city of Denver, CO with it's presence for what may be the last time. It had been more than a quarter century since DCI Championshoips had ventured so far west. Once again, drum corps fans were chomping at the bit to get a taste of Championships! The city had been experiencing Drum Along the Rockies for years, but this was special. DCI Championships were back in Denver and finally within reach of the West Coast fans! Blue Knight fans, especially, came out to watch their corps make Finals! Excitement was in the air, and the fans got to enjoy a great city!

What made 2004 truly unique was the Post-Championships West Coast "Tour of Champions" DCI put on. A number of the Top 8 corps toured through the state of California during the week following DCI Championships. I did not attend any of those shows as I felt the expense was too great for me at that time. However, from what other fans have told me, the Tour was a great success. One fan even went so far as to say, "The crowd at the Tour show in Pasadena was bigger than the crowd in Denver" I tend not to belive that, but he sure said it! Many people went from the East and Midwest to follow the corps, enjoy the performances, and get a much-needed change of scenery! Some had never been to the West Coast and felt that this would be their only opportunity to go. Some were right about that. There were a number of dedicated drum corps fans who never got the opportunity to witness DCI Championships, regardless of where it was held, because of various reasons.But the East Coast, Midwest and even Western fans were to get a real surprise in a few years!

In July 2007, I set out on tour. I went to many cities that year, hitting most of the major DCI competitions. But the thing that made 2007 the "Tour of Tours" for me was DCI Championships was being held in Pasadena, CA! Finally, I would get to see Championships Drum Corps in the fabled Rose Bowl! I got goosebumps any time I thought about it! I had become a person who liked to enjoy different "stadium experiences" by that time, so being in the Rose Bowl for the first time was going to be something special. I even got the opportunity to make some extra specail seating available to some friends during 1/2 finals and Finals! But the biggest thing was that I was finally experiencing drum corps in Southern California! What a tour. What a vacation! What a crowd! To my eyes, the largest crowd in DCI history! From where I sat, in the Press Box, it looked like the Finals night crowd was close to 40,000 people! I know that is more than the officail count, but that is what it looked like to me! The crowd was wrapping itself around the end zones! Check the video! Incredible!

Some people love to travel and will do so anyway. Some can't afford to travel a lot . Some people do not like to travel long distances. Some people can not travel long distances because of some phiysical condition they have. Soem people prefer not to travel long distances. For these reasons, and many more, DCI Championships should go to an annual rotation of host cities, including the West Coast at least once every 10 years. Too many people who would love to attend Championships may not get to do so because of the distance they would have to travel each year. A annual rotation of host cities gives people the opportunity to travel, whether it be long distance, or shorter distance. It gives peple, young and old, from all walks of life, to experience the excitement of DCI Championships in a city that is not too far from them to travel to, at least once every 10 years! It also gives everyone an opportunity to experience different cultrures within the US. Personally, I would love it if DCI was to put some of these cities on its Championships Host Cities list:

San Diego, CA..2017

Denver, CO..2014

Kansas City, MO,2012

Minneapolis, MN..2020

Boston, MA..2015

East Rutherford, NJ..2018

New Orleans, LA..2013

Madison, WI..2016

Portland, OR..2011

Dallas, TX..2019

Orlando, FL was omitted because of the thunderstorms that graced DCI Championships in each of the 4 years we went there!

For all drum corps,

Ron Gunn

we all know, depending on where finals are held, some people won't go. so if you stay in the midwest all the time, there are people from the east or west that will not go. if you go to the east, west or south, midwest people may not go.

so, in order to reach all those fans, really a 4 year regional rotation makes the most sense. Sure....in some areas we may have to have a dome to deal with the heat issues. but to stay in one place forever, knowing people from certain areas will NEVER, makes no business sense in the world to me

[Jeff Ream]

Oh, if only DCI could see that the majority of fans do not like being shoved inside the "Oil Can" and made to suffer it's horrible reverberations until 2018!

Is there any relief in sight? Is there a year during the above period of imprisonment that we will be allowed to breath fresh air in an outdoor stadium? I heard somewhere that DCI Championships has to move out of the Oil can for one year. When is that blessed reprieve?

Anxious,

Ron Gunn

honestly...my hunch is in the non Indy year, they'll go to a dome

[Grumpy]

IIRC, back in the mid to late '90's, DCI had proposed to have a rotating schedule-I believe it was a seven year thing. The host cities would not change, but they would get the Championships only once every seven years. Madison was one, I think Buffalo and Boston were in there was well, I don't remember now who the other cities were. This was met with mixed reviews at best, and after a couple years of discussion about this the idea was ultimately abandoned. My memory here is a bit foggy, but I seem to remember that the Orlando three year deal and partnership with Disney, and the dire financial straits which DCI was in at the time, may have contributed to that plan being abandoned.

I personally have used the different DCI championship locations as opportunities to see other parts of the country. When Finals went to Buffalo in '95, I saw Niagara Falls for the first time; in Orlando in '96, it was the first time I had been to Disney as an adult and the first time in 20 years. I have enjoyed these trips as I've always tried to combine some tourist time along with the drum corps time. I am scratching my head as to what we can do in Indy this year besides drum corps-we've been to the Speedway, the casino in French Lick and the zoo. About the only "new" attraction that I have to look forward to is that Hooter's is next to our hotel but Indy is already starting to get old and the bad acoustics doesn't add to the appeal. I would rather see it moved around each year, but I suspect that, much like the Orlando deal, that $$$ was the deciding factor.