What would get you going to more shows and or finals?

[jjeffeory]

I mean if shows are boring to you does that really have anything to do with electronics?

I'll take a shot at answering...

For me, I'm a little more tolerant than my friends who I got to go with me.

The think the electronics ruin the sound.

Also, you've kind of lead the question a bit, I think...

The electronic don't make a boring show more boring, but they have more of a potential to make a good show, not so good...

Ugh, this ain't going to be pretty...

They change the fundamental sound of drum corps to something else...

Many don't go because of that.

I know, it wasn't one of the poll questions, but it is a significant factor.

[camel lips]

> One only has to look in the stands or read on DCP to see that attendance is way off the mark at shows and at finals.

Over the past three years I have been to many local shows all around the nation as well as regionals and finals. To me it is a venue capacity issue not a shear numbers issue. Every local show that I went to was packed to overflow; this is because 2,000 people at each show were attending an event at stadiums with 2,000-seat capacities. Finals in 2008 was pretty well packed and the energy was high, but the stadium capacity was much smaller than Lucas. When you have 25,000 people attending finals a venue that holds 30,000 it is a packed house, almost a sellout, and energy levels are high for both the audience and performers; but when you have 25,000 attending a venue that seats well over 60,000, the attendance looks rather sparse and it can seem dull in comparison. Therefore the problem is "not" lack of attendance because if you address the percentage of ticket sales vs seating capacity at local shows DCI is doing very well; but the problem is directors like GH thinking the elite corps' should be able to pack Lucas, the Alamo Dome, etc. at the same percentage of capacity in which they pack a standard high school stadium for local shows. My solution, but like every other paltry nobody has no sway with DCI, would be to hold the regionals and finals at University stadiums like Bloomington or Madison instead of Pro stadiums like Indy or Atlanta.

Stu,

Im not the brightest lamp in the room but it does not take a rocket scientist to know that attendance is off.

Ive been attending the same shows for the last 10 years and pretty well can gauge crowds. I know empty seats when I see them compared to 7 years ago when those seats were full.

MTSU Tn show is the most significant impact I have seen. In 04 or 05 I cannot remember which year it was completely sold out and every seat in the stands spilling out into the ends zones were full. No seat hopping that night.

Jump to 2010 and the stands look deserted. Lots of open areas outside the 30 yard lines which was unheard of a few years back. The Louisville show is another example as I am sure many others are.

[charlie1223]

> One only has to look in the stands or read on DCP to see that attendance is way off the mark at shows and at finals.

Over the past three years I have been to many local shows all around the nation as well as regionals and finals. To me it is a venue capacity issue not a shear numbers issue. Every local show that I went to was packed to overflow; this is because 2,000 people at each show were attending an event at stadiums with 2,000-seat capacities. Finals in 2008 was pretty well packed and the energy was high, but the stadium capacity was much smaller than Lucas. When you have 25,000 people attending finals a venue that holds 30,000 it is a packed house, almost a sellout, and energy levels are high for both the audience and performers; but when you have 25,000 attending a venue that seats well over 60,000, the attendance looks rather sparse and it can seem dull in comparison. Therefore the problem is "not" lack of attendance because if you address the percentage of ticket sales vs seating capacity at local shows DCI is doing very well; but the problem is directors like GH thinking the elite corps' should be able to pack Lucas, the Alamo Dome, etc. at the same percentage of capacity in which they pack a standard high school stadium for local shows. My solution, but like every other paltry nobody has no sway with DCI, would be to hold the regionals and finals at University stadiums like Bloomington or Madison instead of Pro stadiums like Indy or Atlanta.

Interesting point of view. I guess in that sense the visual attendance is an optical illusion. I mean, in the 2009 and 2010 dvd's you look at the stands from the back camera angle and they look dark and not packed. The stands are just not lit very well and a lot of the audience is hidden in shadows. While if you look at 2008 its something incredibly different. It looks like a tsunami of people!

The Interaction between audience and performing corps is ESSENTIAL. Drum corps is more like a rock concert in those terms then a orchestra concert or play or musical. Sometimes I think DCI forgets that the venue has just as much an effect on the performance then any other factor.

Edited January 20, 2011 by charlie1223

[charlie1223]

Stu,

Im not the brightest lamp in the room but it does not take a rocket scientist to know that attendance is off.

Ive been attending the same shows for the last 10 years and pretty well can gauge crowds. I know empty seats when I see them compared to 7 years ago when those seats were full.

MTSU Tn show is the most significant impact I have seen. In 04 or 05 I cannot remember which year it was completely sold out and every seat in the stands spilling out into the ends zones were full. No seat hopping that night.

Jump to 2010 and the stands look deserted. Lots of open areas outside the 30 yard lines which was unheard of a few years back. The Louisville show is another example as I am sure many others are.

At the same time DCI's marketing has gone downhill, there is less and less public outreact each year. I think that could ALSO be a factor.

Bottom line, every corps next year could have the most entertaining show in the world but if people don't know about it, they won't come.

This has been mentioned before but a reality series on TV about a drum corps would seriously do wonders for the activity. There is so much drama in drum corps that isn't esoteric that any number of people can find it entertaining. Plus a good editor can do wonders too. I mean, fox picks up some pretty poopy shows, Dan needs to pitch the idea of a series called "Hard Corps" or something to MTV or FOX or something!

Bring Drumcorps back on ESPN2!

Edited January 20, 2011 by charlie1223

[Super Don-O]

Growing up in southern New England there were a ton of local shows within a 3 hour drive of my house, and I would often get to see anywhere from 6 to 10 shows a summer (Lynn, Bristol, Clifton, Bridgeport, Boston, plus Allentown and the Meadowlands.) I realize that was because there were lots of local corps to host/support the shows back then.

Where I now live (Atlanta area) there used to be a few local shows every year, but in the past few years that number seems to have dropped to 1 or none. Nowadays all I get to see is the Atlanta regional and maybe one night of Murfreesboro.

If there were more local small-venue shows in my area I would go.

[Calistar]

...Top 12 Corps in California after the second week of July.

It rarely happens.

It would be nice if the finals were closer than 2000 miles away every year.

Cali.

[Jeff Ream]

I mean if shows are boring to you does that really have anything to do with electronics?

yes, cause the electronics usually drive me to distraction until i find myself daydreaming about Cadets 2000, SCV 01, BD 86......

[Jeff Ream]

Stu,

Im not the brightest lamp in the room but it does not take a rocket scientist to know that attendance is off.

Ive been attending the same shows for the last 10 years and pretty well can gauge crowds. I know empty seats when I see them compared to 7 years ago when those seats were full.

MTSU Tn show is the most significant impact I have seen. In 04 or 05 I cannot remember which year it was completely sold out and every seat in the stands spilling out into the ends zones were full. No seat hopping that night.

Jump to 2010 and the stands look deserted. Lots of open areas outside the 30 yard lines which was unheard of a few years back. The Louisville show is another example as I am sure many others are.

the head honchos admitted as much in their whole "DCI is broken" stuff in DCW a few months ago.

[skewerz]

> One only has to look in the stands or read on DCP to see that attendance is way off the mark at shows and at finals.

Over the past three years I have been to many local shows all around the nation as well as regionals and finals. To me it is a venue capacity issue not a shear numbers issue. Every local show that I went to was packed to overflow; this is because 2,000 people at each show were attending an event at stadiums with 2,000-seat capacities. Finals in 2008 was pretty well packed and the energy was high, but the stadium capacity was much smaller than Lucas. When you have 25,000 people attending finals a venue that holds 30,000 it is a packed house, almost a sellout, and energy levels are high for both the audience and performers; but when you have 25,000 attending a venue that seats well over 60,000, the attendance looks rather sparse and it can seem dull in comparison. Therefore the problem is "not" lack of attendance because if you address the percentage of ticket sales vs seating capacity at local shows DCI is doing very well; but the problem is directors like GH thinking the elite corps' should be able to pack Lucas, the Alamo Dome, etc. at the same percentage of capacity in which they pack a standard high school stadium for local shows. My solution, but like every other paltry nobody has no sway with DCI, would be to hold the regionals and finals at University stadiums like Bloomington or Madison instead of Pro stadiums like Indy or Atlanta.

Lucas holds 10,000 more people than Memorial, but the home side is larger at Memorial than the visitor's side. Lucas is symmetrical, so the comparison of attendance on the home side of both stadiums is probably negligible.

[Stu]

> Bring Drum Corps back on ESPN2!

Go find out how much DCI had to fork out to get the ESPN2 package and then re-post.

> I’m not the brightest lamp in the room but it does not take a rocket scientist to know that attendance is off.

At larger huge venues like MTSU that may be the case. But at local shows where the corps’ perform at high school stadiums the majority of shows are near sell-outs.

> Lucas is symmetrical, so the comparison of attendance on the home side of both stadiums is probably negligible.

It is an illusion; if the same number of people attended a show in Bloomington and Indy, it would “appear” that there were more people at Bloomington. Also, it is more exciting to perform in a stadium where the home side appears packed than a huge symmetrical one in which looks mostly empty. And that illusion is vital concerning the psychology of marketing an event!

> If there were more local small-venue shows in my area I would go.

That is up to local sponsors not DCI and the up-front fee to get the elite WC corps is a rather large gamble. Also, if you go west from Georgia there are a bunch of Local shows.

> The Interaction between audience and performing corps is ESSENTIAL. Drum corps is more like a rock concert in those terms then a orchestra concert or play or musical. Sometimes I think DCI forgets that the venue has just as much an effect on the performance then any other factor.

Yes, Yes, Yes! If it appears to the public that a smaller event is "packed" as they drive by, as opposed to seeing a "sparse looking crowd of the same size" at a large venue, then more people will be curious to enter the next time around because it appears "everyone" is going to that event. And lets face it folks, no DCI corps will ever have the following of U2 or the Rolling Stones!

Edited January 21, 2011 by Stu