Finals Attendace

[Penguin]

Staff and membership of II/III corps (and I can only assume Div. I corps that didn't make finals) recieved wristbands for free admission. That might be another.... 1,500 maybe?

[LancerFi]

OH and do these figures for attendance include the corps who didn't make the semi finals and the division 2/3 corps, do they pay general admission? I would think they deserve to get in free..jmho.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's what I was thinking as well. As I walked into finals, the gate next to us was for members that didn't make it. It may have included Div II and III. They had bands on, and they were going in free.

Semi's looked bare, we could have sat just about anywhere we wanted. For each corps that came on, people jumped into seats all around us on the 50 and watched and then got up. Plenty of empty seats in my section.

The #'s don't really matter to me either, to figure in all that is involved they'd have to hire PriceWaterhouse and do a year long study, etc.

[jwillis35]

I think finals in California will be awesome. I would guess that 32,000 to 38,000 attend, if not m ore. I think location and timing will have a lot to do with it.

I will be there. Can't wait for 2007. However, 2006 will also be great. Madison does drum corps well, and that city is a great location being in the midwest, close to Chicago, and it's not that far from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota. So the attendance should be good there.

Jonathan

[2CoolVK]

I really wouldn't be too worried about Finals attendance this year. First of all, in reality, there are only so many decent seats to watch a show anyway. Yes, they could have filled out the stadium beyon the goal lines, but how satisfying an experience is that for anyone? Would you sit in the upper deck outside the zero yard line? I wouldn't.

Secondly, attendance at regionals is very strong. San Antonio set a record with 14,000 and Indy had just short of that. Allentown was a success as well.

Fans within 100 miles of San Antonio and Indy got their fill of shows. They saw all the top corps in one day. Not a bad deal. So I think those shows cnabalize finals attendance, but we shouldn't call the summer a success or failure based on one night out of 40.

[Orpheus]

First of all, in reality, there are only so many decent seats to watch a show anyway.  Yes, they could have filled out the stadium beyon the goal lines, but how satisfying an experience is that for anyone?  Would you sit in the upper deck outside the zero yard line?

Ain't that the truth!

And I've been making that same argument about about the super-regionals for a few years now. Doesn't seem to phase the critics. :sshh:

[mobrien]

Given all the myriad of factors you have to take into account, comparing attendance in '05 with attendance in 1980 or '81 is hardly fair.  And anyway, it might not be better than 1981, but it is getting better than it was in the late 90s and early 00s.  That's a good thing right?  You can't just point at the best year ever and expect DCI to live up to that every season.  The "DCI can do no right" people just paint everything in colors of doom and gloom.

Look at it this way, though -- nowadays you can see all of last season's quarterfinalists together at one site three other times besides Finals.  If I live nearer Indy or San Antonio, I'm probably going to that show rather than flying all the way to New England.  Also, with so many fewer corps today, there's a lot fewer immediate friends and family buying tickets.  Back in 1981, just think how many corps there were in Quebec back then.  Considering factors like that, we're not doing too badly.

So ... any solid numbers (or educated estimates) on 2005?  That's why I clicked on this thread to begin with ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed with your final thought. The attendance figures they flashed on the scoreboard as we were setting up on the starting line in '81 was 36,000 and change. That was also the year of the highest overal number of competing corps in all divisions. Draw any conclusion you want, but the number of competitors (and their attached staff, volunteers, parents, etc) would seem to have had a big effect on those numbers. BUT...

In the late 70s/early 80s there were plenty of regional shows that had slates made up of most or all of the previous year's top 12, and they were selling 10-14,000 seats to those events too, jsut as they do for Indy and San Antonio, so I'm not sure the regional factor really comes into the picture as a reason why Finals isn't as big as it once was.

Looking at the shots from the back sideline and knowing the capacity of Gillette, my guess would be 23-25,000 at finals. Very respectable. Given how expensive tickets to finals are, I doubt they'll ever get back into the 30,000 + range, since very few people are willing to pay $30-40 to sit in the end zones and watch a show, and most stadiums can't fit THAT many people in between the goal lines. But add in the Quarterfinals cinecast, and you're looking a much greater number of total Final weeks spectators - all of which shows that DCI is headed in a good direction from a numbers standpoint.

Edited August 20, 2005 by mobrien

[BennyASU]

Given all the myriad of factors you have to take into account, comparing attendance in '05 with attendance in 1980 or '81 is hardly fair.  And anyway, it might not be better than 1981, but it is getting better than it was in the late 90s and early 00s.  That's a good thing right?  You can't just point at the best year ever and expect DCI to live up to that every season.  The "DCI can do no right" people just paint everything in colors of doom and gloom.

Look at it this way, though -- nowadays you can see all of last season's quarterfinalists together at one site three other times besides Finals.  If I live nearer Indy or San Antonio, I'm probably going to that show rather than flying all the way to New England.  Also, with so many fewer corps today, there's a lot fewer immediate friends and family buying tickets.  Back in 1981, just think how many corps there were in Quebec back then.  Considering factors like that, we're not doing too badly.

So ... any solid numbers (or educated estimates) on 2005?  That's why I clicked on this thread to begin with ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

THANK YOU! All i wanted were some numbers from 2005 to compare with RECENT trends, but i KNEW that somewhere along the line i would see the numbers 1981 and 40,000 and that the thread would become the same tired argument that it becomes every freakin year.

[Walter]

How is this attendance up?  I haven't been following attendance datum at all I must admit.  But I DO remember 41000 in 1981.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That was in CANADA wasn't it, Montreal if memory serves me correctly !!!

[Eggbert]

Perhaps a good measure of attendance is not the raw number but whether all the concert side seats are filled, is there overflow to the end zones, etc.

[DCImonkey]

You can't compare Canadian attendance figure to American. There is the exchange rate. 41,000 in Canada is roughly 27,000 American :P

Seriously..... ticket prices back in the day were not 75.00/55.00 a piece. It was much more affordable to take the kids and family to Finals back then. Imagine if DCI Finals today had special group rates for band kids, they'd fill the stadium!! Thankfully they don't.

Attendence may be slightly lower than Denver and the "old" days, but it's higher than it was in the late 90's. With the outrageous prices they are charging for Finals...I don't think they are losing money.