N.E. Brigand Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Yea, I'm gonna start a thread... or two... I will say, our Kona Ice truck ran out of ice, twice. Almost all the food trucks were, literally, empty by the time the stands cleared. There was nothing left. Congratulation, garfield! I don't think it was quite a full house (there seemed to be some empty seats yet in the middle on the house right side), but it was so much more crowded than last year that I missed the first three corps. And the taco food truck stopped taking orders for ten minutes right after me so that they could catch up. And the pizza / cotton candy / water vending station was completely out of pizza and water during intermission. But the crowd seemed to take the long lines in stride, and your volunteers were friendly and helpful. One named Ron in particular made a point of chatting up people who got stuck waiting to enter the stands while both Colts and Troopers played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 My only complaint was with having only an electronic program. I'm sure it saved some $, but I missed the printed version. Ah, that explains it. I just figured they'd sold out, as happened last year in Massillon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Of the four corps I saw, I would have had Blue Stars farther ahead of Crossmen, although they do have some cleaning to do especially in the second half, and Bluecoats closer to, if not ahead of, Blue Devils. Bluecoats need to tighten up some transitions and clean. BD's show sounds amazing, but the story plays much better on multicam video than it does live. I got some feedback from audience members near me, 30 rows up, which was about 10 rows in front of the judges. Many of them couldn't tell that the books were books (the writing is hard to make out), didn't notice the Pied Piper, and generally didn't know what was supposed to be going on. And BD needs to clean every bit as much as Bloo does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Lancer Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Yea, I'm gonna start a thread... or two... I will say, our Kona Ice truck ran out of ice, twice. Almost all the food trucks were, literally, empty by the time the stands cleared. There was nothing left. Congratulations Garfield on a marvelously well run show! From what I could tell, you must have set attendance records last night! The food trucks were a big hit. I thought the electronic programs were very smart. I didn’t miss the paper and ink versions at all, although Blue Devils may have missed the ink. I hope you raised bucket loads of $$$ for the program! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 Congratulations Garfield on a marvelously well run show! From what I could tell, you must have set attendance records last night! The food trucks were a big hit. I thought the electronic programs were very smart. I didn’t miss the paper and ink versions at all, although Blue Devils may have missed the ink. I hope you raised bucket loads of $$$ for the program! I'm very glad you found me and I enjoyed speaking with your wife at the ticket booth! I was hanging QR code signs and had my "show shirt" on; she correctly took a stab that it might be me. Sorry I didn't have more time to chat. I very much appreciate all of the comments here from those who attended, significantly on the E-program. This was our first year, and we'll see how many logged-in within the next day or so. Many fans, correctly and happily, have no idea of the work that goes into hosting a drum corps show, let alone one in late season when interest is highest. I'm more sunburned than exhausted. We're tallying today but it looks VERY promising! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 (edited) Of the four corps I saw, I would have had Blue Stars farther ahead of Crossmen, although they do have some cleaning to do especially in the second half, and Bluecoats closer to, if not ahead of, Blue Devils. Bluecoats need to tighten up some transitions and clean. BD's show sounds amazing, but the story plays much better on multicam video than it does live. I got some feedback from audience members near me, 30 rows up, which was about 10 rows in front of the judges. Many of them couldn't tell that the books were books (the writing is hard to make out), didn't notice the Pied Piper, and generally didn't know what was supposed to be going on. And BD needs to clean every bit as much as Bloo does. Hey N.E. we had some comments about the amount of traffic. Did you choose to miss the opening three or were you caught in traffic? Edited July 28, 2015 by garfield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Lancer Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 (edited) Random thoughts: I haven’t posted on DCP since early July since I haven’t seen any shows live since that time. One thing I think is clear: for some shows , this year more than in the past, you just have to see live and in person (e.g. Bluecoats), and for that reason I have been quiet on the boards. That, and I don’t really enjoy huddling over my desktop squinting at DCI Live! But … Wow! What a show! There are years I admire, respect and am in awe of Blue Devils. Some years, like last year, I even enjoy them. This year, I admire, respect and am in awe of Blue Devils … and I really like the show! That guard is simply amazing! I am not a guard person by any measure. When I marched, I was a horn player, so I tend to focus on the horn line and drill (or body movements) of the corps proper. But with Blue Devils, I simply could not take my eyes off of the guard. OK, every once and a while, I would check out the drill, and there were some very interesting and innovative progressions, but still … that guard! I love how they keep those sabers in the air for what seems like hours for each toss. And the height of those tosses! If this was last year, Major Tom could have snatched some of those sabers when he was in low earth orbit! I remember back in the day when tossing 6s or 7s was a big deal and those tosses were reserved for big impact moments. I swear BD was tossing 10s and 12s all the freaking time!* It was like good old-school guard on steroids! That rifle exchange from the step ladders to the field and back was just brilliant! And I loved how those guard members emerged from the pages of the books at the start of the show. Yes, BD is sometimes poo-pooed for staging their technical horn runs in such a way that the eye is drawn away from the parked brass, and that is true this year … until the last minute of the show which is pure run and gun. I loved it! Great show, BD! And then there is Bluecoats. I love this show! A lot of cyber-ink has been spilled describing the innovations of this show so I will cut right to the chase. The new ending is spectacular! From the frenetic movement around the orbs like electrons around a nucleus , to the new and improved horn push, to the levitating of the horn player on the central orb at the end is a huge improvement over the early season version. By the way, a bit of trivia: the horn player featured on top of the orb at the end of the show is the same horn player who leaped off the ramp at the end of last year’s show. Now all that Coats have to do is have the guard run with that orb off a ramp with the horn player, and land in the assembled tuba section to really kick the GE into high gear. * OK, as has been pointed out by those who are much more qualified than I am, the tosses were more likely 6s and possible 7s. Still, they seemed to last forever to me. Edited July 28, 2015 by Jurassic Lancer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Lancer Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Hey N.E. we had some comments about the amount of traffic. Did you choose to miss the opening three or were caught in traffic? I think the construction on the new ramp from I 270 to Rt 33 was a big factor for a lot of people not familiar with the Columbus construction this year. Hopefully, next year this won't be an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Lancer Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I'm very glad you found me and I enjoyed speaking with your wife at the ticket booth! I was hanging QR code signs and had my "show shirt" on; she correctly took a stab that it might be me. Sorry I didn't have more time to chat. I was very happy to meet you as well! I felt kind of awkward interrupting your conversation last night. I could tell you were engaged, but I thought you would want to know about the passing of VIc Firth in case you wanted to make an announcement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 As always the Dublin show was very well organized. The food truck idea is fantastic. My only complaint was with having only an electronic program. I'm sure it saved some $, but I missed the printed version. I'll add a second complaint...that stadium needs hand rails in the aisle. Something they (the administration/AD) have known for years, but haven't figured out how to do it. One suggestion...have a 2-3 tables under the stands just for selling COLD bottled water...or even better, have some band kids selling them in the stands. (Although the narrow aisles probably won't allow that.) I'm guessing you made some pretty good $$$ tonight...which is great. Yes, isn't that strange that the stadium doesn't have hand rails? The aisles are not wide enough for it and I've always found it strange that there are none. I usually sit up at the top and I see LOTS of people huffing and puffing trying to get up the steps. I wish I had control over that one, but thankfully we've had no accidents. The water issue was strange last night, too. The food trucks were out of drinks way early. The concession stand had donated water from a local grocery story and they were the only source essentially once the show began. I don't know how much food they sold with the trucks there, but the concession manager said they sold more water in one night than they do at any other event they hold (and this stadium has lots of them) and more than they do in an entire football season. It was obviously a backup at concessions and, as a consequence, the entire area near the stadium ramps gets packed with fans. The suggestion to sell water in the stand between shows is EXCELLENT. Like a baseball game! I'll definitely suggest that to the boosters. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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