G-Rott Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Do I have rose tinted glasses or maybe a failing memory - who knows but I remember doing a show at Hershey that I really enjoyed also I think there was a show at Penn state. First time I heard Boston playing Conquest and the crowd going nuts. its over 20 years ago so I could be talking nonsense. Back in the day, there was a combo DCI/DCA show at Hershey for several years. That's where I first saw Star 1990... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 When did new Texas high school stadiums start getting to be so large? Has it been that way for a long time? That's definitely been a trend for about the last 10-15 years at least. Odessa's Ratliff Stadium, seen below, was built in the early 80's to seat almost 20,000 people, and that jump-started the trend. Nowadays it's very common to see newer stadiums in more affluent communities and school districts that seat 10,000 plus; Texasbob.com, a site I routinely visit, estimates that there are about 80 or 90 stadiums that seat over 10,000 people, and another 360 or so that seat between 5K and 10K. It's something that can be a little hard to fathom, but HS football in Texas really is something akin to a religion. On game night, it's very common for the whole community to turn out to watch. It's seen as something of a civic event, along the lines of a 4th of July parade or concert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 My favorites: Blakeslee Stadium (Mankato, MN) - Not that big for a college stadium. Kind of a dive, really. But frikin' sweet for drum corps because of how close the field is to the seating. There's not even enough room for drum major podiums; they need to conduct in the audience. Very "In-your-face." Camp Randall (Madison) - Historic venue. Great facilities. One of the best post-show environments in drum corps. More shows need to be here. TCF Bank (Minneapolis) - Kind of a poor man's Camp Randall, but shares a lot of the same great attributes to its neighbor. Mile High/Invesco - Favorite outdoor NFL stadium Georgia Dome - Favorite indoor NFL stadum (I haven't been to Lucas Oil yet, though). Lake Highlands HS stadium (Dallas) - Probably my favorite HS stadium. Good facilities and nice layout. University of Texas - Arlington - Hosts a BOA regional. Not sure if they ever had a drum corps show, but they should. Very cool, steep, Dekalb-like stadium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 One more small post today before going on thanksgiving break, but I'll be back in a few days with some more postings from Illinois and Indiana. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 That's definitely been a trend for about the last 10-15 years at least. Odessa's Ratliff Stadium, seen below, was built in the early 80's to seat almost 20,000 people, and that jump-started the trend. Nowadays it's very common to see newer stadiums in more affluent communities and school districts that seat 10,000 plus; Texasbob.com, a site I routinely visit, estimates that there are about 80 or 90 stadiums that seat over 10,000 people, and another 360 or so that seat between 5K and 10K. It's something that can be a little hard to fathom, but HS football in Texas really is something akin to a religion. On game night, it's very common for the whole community to turn out to watch. It's seen as something of a civic event, along the lines of a 4th of July parade or concert. This may assist in your post. Always ready to help a "Final Three" teammate. http://www.texasbob.com/stadium/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Back with a nice post about a former championship host site. Look for a few more posts over the next couple weeks with lots of shots from my thanksgiving travels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 My favorites: Blakeslee Stadium (Mankato, MN) - Not that big for a college stadium. Kind of a dive, really. But frikin' sweet for drum corps because of how close the field is to the seating. There's not even enough room for drum major podiums; they need to conduct in the audience. Very "In-your-face." Camp Randall (Madison) - Historic venue. Great facilities. One of the best post-show environments in drum corps. More shows need to be here. TCF Bank (Minneapolis) - Kind of a poor man's Camp Randall, but shares a lot of the same great attributes to its neighbor. Mile High/Invesco - Favorite outdoor NFL stadium Georgia Dome - Favorite indoor NFL stadum (I haven't been to Lucas Oil yet, though). Lake Highlands HS stadium (Dallas) - Probably my favorite HS stadium. Good facilities and nice layout. University of Texas - Arlington - Hosts a BOA regional. Not sure if they ever had a drum corps show, but they should. Very cool, steep, Dekalb-like stadium. One of the venues on this list will be appearing in an upcoming post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalTones2012 Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 (edited) There's some great stadiums out in the east too! Like..... MetLife Stadium; East Rutherford, NJ Went there for the TOC show this year and it was amazing! All of the corps sounded great! I was sitting in the front row almost all the way to the left and still got to see most of the action. After the deal at Lucas Oil expires and if finals ever comes back to the east coast, this would be the perfect place for it! Clifton Stadium; Clifton, NJ A historic stadium, and not just because drum corps have been using it for a long time. It's not the most comfortable place for the audience and the performers, but behind it lays a nice park which serves as both a beautiful backdrop for the show and a great place to watch corps in the lot. Sprague Field (Montclair University); Montclair, NJ I know it's not used for drum corps lately, but it's been the home of the North Jersey Band Festival for a very long time (which used to be at Clifton stadium). I've performed in that festival so it has special meaning to me, but the stands are incredibly comfortable and the stadium is in a very beautiful area. I would highly recommend it for drum corps shows! Memorial Stadium; Scranton, PA Another historic stadium, but not in a bad way at all! Pretty much anywhere you sit here will give you a great view of the show, and the field is turf so the performers have a great time as well. There's another field right behind the home stands and the lot where the caravans park is just next to it, so you won't have to go far to see the corps in the lot. Lion Stadium (The College of New Jersey); Ewing, NJ Honestly, I didn't like this stadium at all. The concession area was constantly overcrowded, and there isn't much room in the stands either. At one point in the 2010 show, there was literally an ocean of people standing in the small area between the entrance gate and the stands because there weren't enough seats for everyone. Probably average for Open Class or DCA, but definitely not a good place to watch World Class corps. That's all I've got. I had images but the forum won't let me post them. Hope this helps! Edited November 29, 2011 by MetalTones2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted November 29, 2011 Author Share Posted November 29, 2011 That's all I've got. I had images but the forum won't let me post them. Hope this helps! Try uploading your pictures to Photobucket and then posting the links here. That's always worked for me in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted November 29, 2011 Author Share Posted November 29, 2011 Tonight's update theme is "Sweet Home Chicago", with profiles of 7 different venues in the Chicago area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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