skywhopper Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 (edited) I just don't see it that way. Would you rather have a sellout or a facility too big for those in attendance? The Texas shows looked like a joke... the stands were mostly empty. When I'm at a sellout, big or small, there is a LOT more energy than when there are empty seats abound. I don't want this, but that venue is just not capable of supporting a sellout crowd. It's not acceptable to have to sit in one place immobile for four and a half hours, but that's basically what it amounted to. I enjoyed it the one time, but it was not all that pleasant, and if TOC came back in the same format to SOS next year I would not attend. Please don't misinterpret that as a threat or something. I know there are hundreds of fans lined up to buy my ticket. I'm just saying, I would prefer they put uber-popular shows in stadiums that were designed sometime after 1960. A high school stadium with insufficient access, impossibly narrow rows, and minimal restroom facilities is a fantastic place to have a show with 1/2 to 2/3 of a crowd. Not so much an SRO show with no actual breaks. The size of the stadium is not the issue, it's just that the facilities are inadequate to that size. Edited July 19, 2011 by skywhopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 My posts here are pointing that the *idea* of fan voting (which I support BTW) is torpedoed by the terrible implementation. The *moment* there's a whiff of irregularity (pun intended) the vote goes from a net positive (involving the audience in the activity) to a negative. Sort of like how the cute-kid gong race was totally ruined because the DCI folks didn't ensure that the kids circled the rifle eight full times? I felt really bad for the losing kid. The winner got a shako and got to conduct part of the mass encore. Just like with the fan voting, the way the game was set up was flawed. There's no way an eight year old kid is going to have any clue how many times he's revolved around the rifle with his head facing down like that. The staff ought to have made sure both kids got the same amount of dizzy. I have no idea how to make an at-show fan favorite vote that's fair and cheap to do. I kind of think asking the audience to cheer for the shows they liked at the very end and measuring the loudness of each cheer is probably the best you could do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmroth1 Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Why do you not agree with the accuracy of these votes? I'm really not trying to be rude, but from what i recall, cavaliers have been on top of the "fan vote" since the beginning. Do you feel like they shouldn't be? Because idk why else everyone would complain. I know everyone was complaining at the beginning how the green team posted it on their facebook so that's why they won. Well, it happens again and people STILL think there's outside voting being done. Not saying that there isn't, but does it really matter? Are the rankings really that important? There's one reason and one reason only that PR didn't win the fan voting.....by time they had the voting the Alumni BEER TENT was in its full glory!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I have no idea how to make an at-show fan favorite vote that's fair and cheap to do. I kind of think asking the audience to cheer for the shows they liked at the very end and measuring the loudness of each cheer is probably the best you could do. <completely unfounded speculation> Someone did a good part of this "in house". Additionally someone had the "bright idea" to try collect contact info from the vote. Developer had little experience in this sort of project. </wag> It's actually not a tough thing to do. The hard lessons have been learned already -- one need only talk to the people who learned them. Someone earlier had a good start on the process. Distribute the list of corps codes via paper and announcer and big screen if avail. Vote by text the code to a static number. Corps codes change at every show. Only one vote per cell #. You can get more sophisticated than this (filter by cell tower) if you like but it's probably overkill. 2nd setup an IVR on the same number with a simple (press 1 for Crown , 2 for Cadets, etc...) . This gets all the non-smartphone people at the show. Only one vote per cell #. Both systems are only active during the voting period. dut dut done. NO WEB INTERFACE. NO FORMS. If you want to collect marketing info, send a response text back with a special promotion coupon code to show attendees. In fact you can just put the code on the voting paper. Make it a really good deal but only for 48hr after the show. You'll get plenty of takers. DCI can pay me royalties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lastknight Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 <completely unfounded speculation> Someone did a good part of this "in house". Additionally someone had the "bright idea" to try collect contact info from the vote. Developer had little experience in this sort of project. </wag> It's actually not a tough thing to do. The hard lessons have been learned already -- one need only talk to the people who learned them. Someone earlier had a good start on the process. Distribute the list of corps codes via paper and announcer and big screen if avail. Vote by text the code to a static number. Corps codes change at every show. Only one vote per cell #. You can get more sophisticated than this (filter by cell tower) if you like but it's probably overkill. 2nd setup an IVR on the same number with a simple (press 1 for Crown , 2 for Cadets, etc...) . This gets all the non-smartphone people at the show. Only one vote per cell #. Both systems are only active during the voting period. dut dut done. NO WEB INTERFACE. NO FORMS. If you want to collect marketing info, send a response text back with a special promotion coupon code to show attendees. In fact you can just put the code on the voting paper. Make it a really good deal but only for 48hr after the show. You'll get plenty of takers. DCI can pay me royalties. Continue to do it by text. Each call costs the "voter" a buck, 90 cents of which goes to the corps voted for. Do you really think everyone who "votes" on American Idol actually watched the show that night? Do you think ABC cares if they watched that show? They know that a fan who feels vested enough to take the time to vote will be back....and they use the number of "votes" they log to sell their sponsors. Some people can't wait to go to work and tell their girlfriends they voted for Sanjaya! Drum corps will never have that water cooler dynamic, but we could turn it into a revenue stream for the activity and for the corps. Announce the results of the FAN FAVORITE votes and then announce the scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Continue to do it by text. Each call costs the "voter" a buck, 90 cents of which goes to the corps voted for. Do you really think everyone who "votes" on American Idol actually watched the show that night? Do you think ABC cares if they watched that show? They know that a fan who feels vested enough to take the time to vote will be back....and they use the number of "votes" they log to sell their sponsors. Some people can't wait to go to work and tell their girlfriends they voted for Sanjaya! Drum corps will never have that water cooler dynamic, but we could turn it into a revenue stream for the activity and for the corps. Announce the results of the FAN FAVORITE votes and then announce the scores. not a chance. nobody will spend a dollar for meaningless vote. even if they DID, the resulting revenue would be not worth the trouble of collecting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mello Dude Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Went, saw, enjoyed. Were there a ton of problems for the first TOC show...yes. Hopefully tey will consider hosting it at DeKalb next year (OLD DCM Stadium or NIU as it were). But, all the issues aside (yes even 5000 people trying to hit the same cell tower to vote, the lines etc. and the HEAT) It was a pleasant surprise to see DCI reaching out to ENTERTAIN and it definitely was that. I mean who can complain about 600+ horn players ripping your face off at the end..really? Just uber cool. Remember, this was a a first run for TOC and despite ALL the whining it was fun to be there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubaJon Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Tee hee Jon. I'm doing this for Robyn, because you know how she loves to correct spelling errors. The title of the song is "Rockin' Robin". Although, I'm sure she'd be pleased you used the spelling of her name. lol well i did it just for her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanInChicago Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Top Ten Favorite Rockford Moments 1. Arrived at 4 PM. Realized that parking on the high school grass would mean a chaotic exit. Instead, parked away from the school grounds on an exit road. Later, it was a seamless exit. 2. Phantom Regiment on-field practice. Energetic crowd of 300-400 applauding after many rehearsal segments. 3. Pre-show performance stages starting at 6 PM. A dozen Crown performed the "Friends" theme, then graciously stepped forward to meet us fans. One stage had an excellent solo snare, another stage had 5 bass drums, another stage had more brass. The acts rotated stages, and played to several audiences. 4. Found a five dollar bill on the ground near Blue Devils Retail. Shared the 5 buckaroos to them for their Fuel Fund. 5. From concessions, the hottest hot dog I've ever had. Had to allow the darn thing to cool down a few minutes before snarfing it down. 6. Seeing several cooling off in the washrooms, splashing endless sink water onto their faces. 7. Relaxing in a port-o-let, playing a few rounds of "We Will Rock You" with 2 stomped feet, and one loud clap. 8. In the stands, looking out from the top row near the 7 PM start, amazed at the long long long lines snaking in to the two small entrances. Even my 5:30 entry was slow. Though my ticket was torn, for others, the ticket was scanned. Another person hand stamped me, even though I had no intention of leaving the stadium. The center gate was opened near 7 PM(?), and more fans poured in. 9. Getting misty eyed during the show: (A) the sudden appearance of the American Flag during the "Anthem," then hearing the Vanguard member sing; (B) Phantom's romantic opening; and (letter C) Cadet's Amazing Grace, and later, their near-end-of-show backfield, hypnotic blending of the Angels and Demons. 10. At weekly Monday morning 15-person office huddle, I could not stop talking about the great evening in Rockford. The huddle leader Jaclyn was cool with my enthusiasm - she married a former Velvet Knights drummer. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumCorpsFan27 Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 No, there is speculation: not any "evidence." The evidence is past precedence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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