garfield Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 For the second time since its reintroduction in 2011, the TOC series (as we currently know it) will have a new participant in 2016: The Blue Knights. (Boston Crusaders edging out Cavaliers in 2012 was the other.) My understanding is that the production format will again be changing in 2016, with a wider selection of corps and fewer "extra" production elements to the shows. I've heard it's reasonable to assume that more corps will participate in the TOC series over time due both to "qualification" and tour schedule limitations. So I wonder what's been proven by the effort since it was reintroduced. Originally, it was devised to allow the G7 corps to produce the shows and split profits only among the participants, and I know several non-G7 corps who were looking forward to learning how to produce shows better than DCI execs on their own. Did the TOC result in: - greater fan enjoyment of show format? - increased ticket sales due to lineup? - increased net income to participant corps? - production elements that DCI can introduce to the wider tour and/or regional shows? Were the shows actually run by the participant corps, or were they DCI produced with elements requested by participant corps? Does the series actually represent autonomous show production by the G7 corps; did they get a fair chance to succeed on their own alongside the regular tour schedule? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wog Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 I will jump in with a pure “DCI fan” perspective… noting I never marched nor am I affiliated to any corp but have followed DCI since 1986 and watching Spirit of Atlanta win at Parkersburg, WV with that incredible big “Southern style” hornline. From that moment I have been hooked on this activity. Since the mid-90’s I will consider NightBEAT as my home show and an event that cannot be missed. This show has routinely had several of the top corps attending including the dream lineup of 1997 with the Blue Devils, Cadets, and SCV headlining in a scoring shoot-out. Now with NightBEAT being a TOC event… from a fan getting to see only one show a year live… this becomes extremely value added in a line-up that is guaranteed to be incredible. From a venue change and larger crowd… holding NightBEAT at Wake Forest University was a brilliant move. Much better acoustics and easy for the fans to get into and out of the stadium (compared to Charlotte Memorial Stadium). Record crowd hopefully translates to better revenue. A couple of points on the line-ups and performance order and retreat: 1. I am a huge fan of “In the Lot” warm-ups… so having the Blue Devils or Cadets perform 1st gives a very rare opportunity to go watch them perform outside the stadium before the big event… in this case seeing the Cadets play Mahler and Rocky Point this year in a close range horn arc was just plain “ear-phonic euphoria!!” Without this quirky rotating performance order… where else can you experience this PLUS see the entire event line-up?? 2. Noting point 1… there is missed entertainment in the parking lot!! 3. At the expense of point 1… I really would prefer having a order of performance based on the previous regional’s scores. Maybe a slight modification would be to allow the home corp to play last regardless of regional score. It seems the corp directors (Hopkins??) and even fans seem to want this. Keeps the competition better aligned to "scoring groups" and I think allows a better "air" of scoring tension. 4. The 2014 line-up for NightBEAT missed having the Bluecoats… a big disappointment considering their historic run. Is there a need to drop a corp during the season for scheduling? I agree it gives others a chance… but does get into what does a TOC invite mean? 5. There is a need to improve INT…fans don’t want to pay for memory games and such…my suggestion is possibly schedule another event the same night as the TOC and go to a “Live” video cut in on the big screen at the TOC stadium. Gives folks and judges a chance to do what they need but also keeps some entertainment value going for those staying in the stands. 6. Finally… bring back the full encore for the winner or at least schedule a corp to do this… I have great memories of the Blue Devils playing “F Tuning” plus their full show in arc and pinning the crowd’s ears back. Phantom Regiment is another that always puts on an incredible encore. Again… another shot at improving entertainment value while waiting for the scores or getting value from the winner. 7. Lastly…the TOC seems it wants to exist as a “fan favorite” contest yet has failed to do so at the moment… there needs to be a way to tie in the fan’s sentiment…I acknowledge some of the previous attempts to do this but I do think some additional experiments are worth trying… maybe giving out a code in a select few programs, or having a small “fan” panel, or having the crowd cheer to set the order of the “cards from the memory game” and then give a small kicker to the “fans choice.” Either way… get the fans involved in the final outcome. Bottom line is that there is value to the TOC shows from a fan’s perspective and I will definitely pay to see this style of event. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 My understanding is that the production format will again be changing in 2016, with a wider selection of corps and fewer "extra" production elements to the shows. I've heard it's reasonable to assume that more corps will participate in the TOC series over time due both to "qualification" and tour schedule limitations. The two times the ToC had a Massillon stop, in 2014 and 2015, I never noticed said extras, and had figured they already had been dropped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted September 6, 2015 Author Share Posted September 6, 2015 The two times the ToC had a Massillon stop, in 2014 and 2015, I never noticed said extras, and had figured they already had been dropped. This was the description of the 2015 TOC - Texas show (still up on DCI.org): "Debuting in 2011, the Tour of Champions brings an exciting nontraditional and experimental event format to the DCI Tour. With unique pre-show entertainment and other special performances throughout the evening, the TOC is an engaging and interactive experience for the audience and participating corps members alike." Maybe it's a matter of degrees... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted September 6, 2015 Author Share Posted September 6, 2015 (edited) It appears to me that every top-12 placing corps performed in a TOC show in 2015. I see only three TOC shows were in the home stadium of a top-7 corps (Crown, 'Coats, Cadets). The TOC is becoming the "Top-12" series, apparently. Edited September 6, 2015 by garfield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rd&10 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Here is what I have learned from the TOC... 1. Order of appearance matters 2. The directors of these corps bit off more than they could chew, with the exception of putting a gun to the head of the DCO body and demanding more money for themselves. 3. My disgust for them (Gibbs, Coates, Glasgow, Hopkins, Fiedler, et al) is unabated. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Here is what I have learned from the TOC... 1. Order of appearance matters 2. The directors of these corps bit off more than they could chew, with the exception of putting a gun to the head of the DCO body and demanding more money for themselves. 3. My disgust for them (Gibbs, Coates, Glasgow, Hopkins, Fiedler, et al) is unabated. Order of appearance matters? I'd argue that's the opposite case. BD went off first at a TOC show this summer and won the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Guns Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Here is what I have learned from the TOC... 1. Order of appearance matters 2. The directors of these corps bit off more than they could chew, with the exception of putting a gun to the head of the DCO body and demanding more money for themselves. 3. My disgust for them (Gibbs, Coates, Glasgow, Hopkins, Fiedler, et al) is unabated. Ah yes TOC/G7 talk. As a BD honk it's the only time Crown and Bluecoats get the same amount of hatred as BD lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Guns Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Order of appearance matters? I'd argue that's the opposite case. BD went off first at a TOC show this summer and won the show. Furthermore, BD has went on first at the Rockford TOC every year since 2012 winning every year except 2013. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcorpsfever Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 I love TOC shows for the highest quality they bring. I am not a fan of the random show order. I've been to many of them. They are well attended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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