The Minneapolis Mash-Up

[perc2100]

Just curious.... I don't see this as a problem in the summer. What major stadiums have you seen in use in the summer on a Saturday and a Sunday?

It seems like there are enough to go around without a problem and with the right negotiations it could make good business sense for a stadium owner to throw in Sunday too as they don't typically have to major events from one day to another. Usually it's one main event each week if there are ANY events.

In the late summer ( August) and into the fall, it's a different story with college and pro football, college groups wanting to use a stadium, or something like that.

Just something that I thought about a bit in the past.

It's not necessarily a matter of "someone else is renting out/using the stadium," it's more a matter of "the stadium ownership is doing the yearly renovations in preparation of the fast approaching sports season." Marching band/drum corps is typically seen by stadium ownership/management as being bad for the field/turf. At the high school I teach our football team made the league Championships, and we played at the Charger's stadium. There was rain, and the management was worried that the band would screw up the field during halftime. I've also had issues in the past with athletic directors who think that bands on fake turf don't mix. I don't think there's logic to either argument, but I've heard it enough times by enough people to realize that there's a common misconception.

I still think that we as a community of fans all too often assume that DCI is run by a bunch of morons with no business sense. Just because DCI doesn't a) do things exactly as we personally want/expect, or b) don't often publish their reasons for decisions doesn't mean that DCI hasn't investigated all possibilities. Perhaps we should give DCI the benefit of the doubt that there is more than likely a reason why they don't have a Sunday "rain check" day for potential Regional cancelation (and again, I wonder how many Regional competitions have been canceled due to inclement weather in the last, oh, five years).

[corpscook]

Thank you DCI for inviting the Govenaires (2006 and 2009 DCA Class A Champions) to perform at the Minneapolis show. It was an honor for us to perform in such a fine stadium, in front of our friends, families and fans.

I applaud the efforts of DCI and Minnesota Brass to make the event a success. The weather was beyond disappointing but out of their control. I appreciate the fact that all the corps had a safe (and comfortable) place to go during the tornado warnings.

Best wishes to all corps. May you have a safe and successful 2010 season.

Sandee Conlin

Director, Govenaires Drum & Bugle Corps

[Grumpy]

Just curious.... I don't see this as a problem in the summer. What major stadiums have you seen in use in the summer on a Saturday and a Sunday?

It seems like there are enough to go around without a problem and with the right negotiations it could make good business sense for a stadium owner to throw in Sunday too as they don't typically have to major events from one day to another. Usually it's one main event each week if there are ANY events.

In the late summer ( August) and into the fall, it's a different story with college and pro football, college groups wanting to use a stadium, or something like that.

Just something that I thought about a bit in the past.

A lot more than you might think. For example, Gillette Stadium-Foxboro, MA (site of 2005 DCI Championships) hosts the home games of New England's professional soccer team and a number of concerts (primarily rock and country) throughout the summer. Stadiums are quite expensive and smart business people realize that those stadiums are not making money sitting empty and unused, so they bring in everything from concerts to monster truck shows to pull in revenue-not only from the gate, but from parking and concessions as well. Especially with concerts, some of the staging is so elaborate that a stadium might need to block off the day BEFORE the event so that the stage can be erected, along with the on field seating and concessions. If a stadium has a chance at a Taylor Swift concert or a "rain date" for a DCI event, which one do YOU think would win out?

[dcikon2]

#1 Does anyone know what the total number of tickets that were sold. I know that there were over 7,000 tickets prior to the show sold.

#2 I stayed at the University Radisson Hotel and have been contacted by them twice this week about my experience. I appreciated their contacting me about my stay in Minneaoplis. I must say the 7+-hour drive made me a little tired, but I sure loved seeing drum corps in the TCF Bank stadium. That is probably one of the best venues for drum corps that I have ever attended. I wonder what the corps thought of performing in that stadium. I did think the prices at the concessions were a little high, but probably comparable to professional stadiums.

[ReformedDCFan]

Nice vid of Vanguard in practice at TCF Stadium in Minneapolis:

http://www.mndaily.com/multimedia/videos/2...-clara-vanguard

[AlanAndreasen]

I appreciate the fact that all the corps had a safe (and comfortable) place to go during the tornado warnings.

Sandee Conlin

Director, Govenaires Drum & Bugle Corps

This is blatantly not true (no disrespect to the poster). How many thousand people did the stadium staff really think could fit into the bathrooms? Our competitive unit was turned away by an officious little upstart (even though he was well into his sixties) from a large, empty, internal room because we didn't have VIP status.

Honestly, there was not enough space to put that many fans and corps into a place of safety and on the most part the event staff tried their best.

ps Nice show Govies.

[Martin I. Zing]

If weather insurance for outdoor events was such a great idea, most concert festivals and amphitheatres would use it and the answer is, they don't. So ask yourself, why not? Milwaukee's Summerfest does NOT have concert/refund inclement weather insurance. The Minnesota State Fair does NOT have concert/refund inclement weather insurance. The WE Fest does NOT have concert/refund inclement weather insurance. The Hollywood Bowl does NOT have concert/refund inclement weather insurance. ALL of them have been in the business far longer than DCI has, so this should tell you something about the value and/or ease of getting and executing a successful concert/refund inclement weather insurance policy. Not only expensive, but extremely tough to do. You're wasting everyone's time and being naive to even talk about it here.

As for cost to rent stadiums. It is extremely competitive. They all want the concession and parking money and their Convention and Visitor Bureaus want to show their hotel and restaurant members that they will go to bat for them. To get the best deal, all you need to do is get Camp Randall in Madison bidding against TCF in Minneapolis and you'll get whatever you want for the lowest price. Stadiums need event renters to generate traffic. They are used less than 20 days each year as it is. Stadiums are willing to do WHATEVER it takes to put butts in the bleachers. As it was, this stadium only had one other rental scheduled all year (the U2 concert) and it was postponed for over 12 months. Believe me, they welcomed DCI with open arms and would have done anything (including letting them stayover on Sunday) to make them happy, this year and in the future. This is Minnesota, not Philadelphia. Cost is not a factor. It just happened to rain. Next year, you will sell 15,000+ tickets to this event and it will continue to be a hot stop on the summer tour. Let's move on.

[BozzlyB]

If weather insurance for outdoor events was such a great idea, most concert festivals and amphitheatres would use it and the answer is, they don't. So ask yourself, why not? Milwaukee's Summerfest does NOT have concert/refund inclement weather insurance. The Minnesota State Fair does NOT have concert/refund inclement weather insurance. The WE Fest does NOT have concert/refund inclement weather insurance. The Hollywood Bowl does NOT have concert/refund inclement weather insurance. ALL of them have been in the business far longer than DCI has, so this should tell you something about the value and/or ease of getting and executing a successful concert/refund inclement weather insurance policy. Not only expensive, but extremely tough to do. You're wasting everyone's time and being naive to even talk about it here.

As for cost to rent stadiums. It is extremely competitive. They all want the concession and parking money and their Convention and Visitor Bureaus want to show their hotel and restaurant members that they will go to bat for them. To get the best deal, all you need to do is get Camp Randall in Madison bidding against TCF in Minneapolis and you'll get whatever you want for the lowest price. Stadiums need event renters to generate traffic. They are used less than 20 days each year as it is. Stadiums are willing to do WHATEVER it takes to put butts in the bleachers. As it was, this stadium only had one other rental scheduled all year (the U2 concert) and it was postponed for over 12 months. Believe me, they welcomed DCI with open arms and would have done anything (including letting them stayover on Sunday) to make them happy, this year and in the future. This is Minnesota, not Philadelphia. Cost is not a factor. It just happened to rain. Next year, you will sell 15,000+ tickets to this event and it will continue to be a hot stop on the summer tour. Let's move on.

Because at the end of the day, no one will be held responsible for the weather, least of all an insurance company. Just ask my (former) home owners insurance company.

Edited July 22, 2010 by BozzlyB

[corpscook]

This is blatantly not true (no disrespect to the poster). How many thousand people did the stadium staff really think could fit into the bathrooms? Our competitive unit was turned away by an officious little upstart (even though he was well into his sixties) from a large, empty, internal room because we didn't have VIP status.

Honestly, there was not enough space to put that many fans and corps into a place of safety and on the most part the event staff tried their best.

ps Nice show Govies.

My post was based on the perspective of what I experienced with my corps. I don't use the VIP perks - my preference is to be with the corps before, during and after performances - so I have no idea as to what the bad weather accomodations were for those with the All Access VIP passes.

During the first show suspension the corps who were in the parking lot were instructed to go into Mariucci Arena (for UofM hockey). It was a nice venue to be hearded into and I wish to acknowlege my appreciation to DCI for having this facility as a back-up for the corps.

During the second show suspension some of us headed into my van (the rest of our corps was at the show or on the Govie busses). We had the luxury of turning on the AC while waiting out the storm, enjoying the company of each other and watching some really cool lightening.

I would not have enjoyed being in the bathrooms during the storm and I can't imagine what it was like to be squeezed into such a small space. The good thing is no one was injured as a result of not having a back up plan.

And thank you for your compliment.

Edited July 23, 2010 by corpscook

[purenjoyment]

Nice vid of Vanguard in practice at TCF Stadium in Minneapolis:

http://www.mndaily.com/multimedia/videos/2...-clara-vanguard

Thank You!