Make Finals outdoors, PLEASE!

[mchromik]

so in other words, pay $125 for ###### sound and like it.

I was in those $125 seats, and the sound was not that bad. By far the best dome show I have ever been to and I have seen a ton. Remember the early RCA Dome shows? Oh the horror! We must have had some extra bodies in the seats for finals since it was a tad boomy in Prelims Thursday, but much of that was gone for finals. I love a great outdoor venue (looking at you Memorial Stadium, Bloomington :), but it is really comforting to sit in a wide padded seat in perfect 72 degree comfort and enjoy a performance where the kids have perfect turf and zero wind. Each year there have little tweaks from both the corps and the venue, that are really starting to pay off sound-wise.

Having survived Finals nights where it was hot and rained, 93' Jackson, and even sat through a tropical depression, 06' DCA Prelims, I have come around to believe that DCI Finals should be permanently based in the Oil Can. It takes all the variables out for the most important show, and coddles the fans like no other venue I've been to. Others have better sight lines, or better sound, or even more intimacy, But few can boast such an overall positive experience. I look forward to great outdoor venues like Camp Randall and look forward to many a show under the stars, but lets keep the biggest show where all the variables are known. And is one of the finest compromises for the needs of the performer and the audience.

[mchromik]

My last point and I'll be quiet. If Finals this year happened to be outside and we had that storm like this year it would not have "ruined everything." It would have been a rain delay. The weather was nice again after the the storm passed. Safety would have been the same as it was this year since the kids had to deal with the storm during the warm-up procedure. The kids were definitely outside or on the buses when that storm went through THIS year. So, no need to talk about safety or the state fair when the kids were underneath overhangs or on buses in the warm up area during the storm as it was THIS year. Now, it wouldn't have been optimal and I am grateful that we were indoors this year but lets not exaggerate and say that the roof saved DCI. We have had rain delays before. It would have been no fun but we would have still had a Finals night. Once again, lets not exaggerate to make a point.

I am not sure if you where there or not, but it would not have been a bit more then a 'rain delay'. Even discounting the considerable wind and lightning, it poured hard for at least good quarter of Finals, and we got drowned apon leaving the Oil Can and heading over to Basey's (Crown & Star alum base) during retreat. It rained on and off for hours. It wasn't some kind of deluge then the suns out and all is well kind of thing like Orlando. It might not of rained the show out, but it would have been a long, miserable, and considerably delayed Finals. The roof saved the Finals experience for both the performers and the audience.

[HMM]

I was also able to sit through far more of prelims and semis than I have done previously as well. 93 Jackson and the Orlando years certainly spring to mind for uncomfortable viewing for long periods

Sounds down reasonably low in the 140 section were awesome to be honest. Having heard some recordings on a certain video site since i returned home I do agree that others who were either higher up or watching on TV/screens etc may not have had the same sound experience I do appreciate - but personally this was my best finals experience overall

i would add we saw them open up the large window on the Wednesday for cleaning / airing presumably and presumably it didn't take three days to then cool it back down?

[audiodb]

After discussions directly with the DCI staff, there are three major reasons why the roof will just not be opened;

1. Curtains - (as previously mentioned). It's just not that easy to lay down every curtain in the place, especially since they're hung from the top of the building (did you look up?). It's labor and cost intensive and also takes intt account the banners and marketing issues that would have to resolved. The safety rules would probably also prohibit hanging curtains in an environment that would be exposed to a potential wind gust (see Indiana State Fair 8-13-11) and fall on fans or even on the corps. Even barring a gust, which staff do you think would stand for nice flowing curtains during their performance? (see Rose Bowl / hash marks). If you lay down the curtains to open the roof, now you've drastically changed the accoustic environment.

2. Weather potential....(the horse is dead...move on!)

3. LOS is 4 times the air volume that the RCA Dome was. The reason they can open it for football in 60 or 70 degree weather is that it takes only 4 hours or so to heat it 20 degrees. It takes THREE DAYS to cool it that much with the humidity that has to be withdrawn from the air. 65 degree temps with humidity about 50% ain't happening anywhere in August except MAYBE Denver. Minneapolis...great location, lovely stadium, one rain out and one hotter than the maroon side of Cadets show! Just an example.

But all these factors were the same a year ago, when DCI planned to open the roof on Thursday. That alone makes it very difficult to believe what you're saying....especially the part about requiring three days to cool the LOS interior.

[audiodb]

IMcom, I've spoken with Glassmen and Tom Blair people about that rehearsal day they had in 2010 with the roof open, and by all accounts, it was WONDERFUL.

Wonderful compared to what?

Apparently, judging from the previous account, the roof was open the whole time Glassmen were there that day. Without trying both open/closed roof conditions, there's no way to gauge what difference it makes.

Of course, a true A/B test may never be possible, as we'd need to compare the fully open stadium (including removal of the side panels, apparently) to the closed/curtained stadium, and it takes so much time and labor to make that switch.

[audiodb]

I know in 2010 I sat on the 39, and sound sucked. stuff coming out of the amps was lost ( tho that could be a positive for some corps).

Is that why ticket sales for finals are up?

[audiodb]

Also, just for the record, the crap about how "there has to be 0% chance of rain" because of the lack of drainage is BS also, because I've seen Colts games go on, WITH THE ROOF OPEN, and a 30% chance of rain outside. I've also seen Colts games when it was only 50 degrees outside and the roof open (rare, but it happened on SNF). The glass also retracts and comes down. So those of you that think it wouldn't help the sound anyway because of the glass paneling are incorrect as well.

Maybe you know, then, whether the roof has ever been opened for any of the fall marching band contests held in LOS (ISSMA or BOA). If so, how did it work out? If not, why haven't they?

[CUDAKITE]

Just move finals to Southern California. It doesn't rain in August there. Ever. Problem solved.

[cowtown]

The big sound improvements came after 2009 and were in place for 2010 but only for very limited sections – I only did finals in 2010, which have better sound due to more bodies in the seats

I moved around a bit at prelims and quickly re-discovered some really bad sounding sections this year (the horror, the horror)

I won't go if I can't sit in certain sections now

I don’t understand this line of thought that good thing finals were in a dome Saturday because of the rain because if finals weren’t in the dome, doubtful they’d even be in Indy and there were many areas of the nation that had great weather Saturday night

It’s a false bit of spin

I think a nice comprise might be plan A Bloomington with a back up in the Dome for bad weather of huge tickets sales or even just prelims and semi’s in Bloomington – allowing for rain-outs to be made up in the dome on Saturday

I think tickets sales were higher due to the competiveness of the top corps towards the end of the season, more people booked just in case their corps pulled it out before the separation started to occur. Cadets travel well, more so when they might win as well as certain mid-west corps (with in driving distance) were having better years. Plus people are more use to the dome in accepting it will sound badly. The initial sock of the unfilled promises of 2009 with regards to the dome plus it being a weak show year with a run away winner early only helped tank 2010, again, plagued by a run away winner

All just my opinion and based upon nothing but a lot of early rage against the dome was due to the misleading sell job by DCI, that raged has settled down to frustrated anger

It seems to be changing the dynamics of finals a bit, I feel like I see more ‘bands parents’ as opposed to hard corps annual fans, makes me worry about retention of the fan base

Edited August 18, 2011 by cowtown

[Cadets98]

I am not sure if you where there or not, but it would not have been a bit more then a 'rain delay'. Even discounting the considerable wind and lightning, it poured hard for at least good quarter of Finals, and we got drowned apon leaving the Oil Can and heading over to Basey's (Crown & Star alum base) during retreat. It rained on and off for hours. It wasn't some kind of deluge then the suns out and all is well kind of thing like Orlando. It might not of rained the show out, but it would have been a long, miserable, and considerably delayed Finals. The roof saved the Finals experience for both the performers and the audience.

I was there but was inside during retreat with the corps. By the time I got out after retreat it might have rained a little more, maybe kind of light for a few minutes. By the time I got to Basey's after you did it was nice. We were all standing outside in the street cause it was so packed. And I think we are in agreement. I think that it would have been a real drag, but we would have had a Finals night. That was my only point. Keep in mind, I like LOS, I just would like to have the roof opened if available. Like why not Prelims this year.