Subject: Re: "Drumline" movie ? for drummers
Date: 12/28/2003 1:28 PM Eastern Standard Time
Post by JeffsnewjettaSteve,
I am not sayingband is better than corps.
But i am stating drum corps draws in more fans. the local circuit here has
their finals the same place DCA does. when you take out of the picture all
the
Post by Jeffsnewjettakids in the stands that make it look full, those who had competed earlier
in
Post by Jeffsnewjettathe night/day, the paid total in attendance is 1/3 of what DCA pulls.
the other local circuit who runs in HersheyPark Stadium maybe pulls 1000
paid,
Post by Jeffsnewjettaand the summer corps show pulls anywhere from 4500-6000.
so yes, overall, drum corps pulls in moe paying fans than band shows do.
Thanx, Jeff. I better understand your POV. Maybe this is an east/west coast kinda
thing?
I dunno. TOB, who runs in Scranton is huge. pulls in roughly 120 bands over 2
days.Show runs from 8 amish to 11pmish. Part of the problem may be the huge
distances some of the bands have to travel to get there. TOB encompasses PA,
NY, NJ, MD, DE, VA, WVA and NC...used to be some from Ohio too.
Plus band size varies. if Group 1, 35 musicians or less is on, less parents to
pull in. But the bigger bands seem to have more parent helpers, who of course
get in free then stay in the stands to watch the rest of the show.
Cavalcade, who runs in Hershey is a smaller circuit....maybe 20 bands total
anymore.
Band shows are BIG here. They run about an 18 hour day with pre-lims during the
afternoon and a finals show at night. Almost every kid on the field has parents
and/or friends in the stands. At $10 a pop, we're talking about some big bucks
when dealing with volume.
I know the local shows get full, but most of the stadiums hold 1000 max.
Not to mention my consumption of hot chocolate alone, on a cold October night.
:-)
Now there, TOB makes nothing on at ACC's, as they have local groups come in and
run the conccseions...the stadium may even set that up. I know the Stadium Club
makes a killing on the buffet and the bar.
Corps shows, on the other hand, (we only get one, late June/early July) charge
$20 a pop. DCI does little to no marketing of this show locally, whatsoever. The
stands are filled with 60's alums, when corps once flourished around Seattle and
the Puget Sound area. This number dwindles each year as corps moves toward a
bando style.
crowd sizes have gotten smaller here too...i see lot less of dad's friends
around. Hershey, the return of Lewisburg and Reading are basically the only
shows in this part of PA anymore. Used to have those three, plus Danville,
Carlisle, Hanover, Mechanicsburg, Allentown, Lewistown,Lansdale, Red Lion,
Cedar Cliff, Millersville, and others i am sure i forgot.
hell, in the early 90's, Scranton had a regular season show plus they sponsored
finals.
Since most of the corps are from out of state, you find very few parents and
friends in the stands. We cheer most corps based on past reputation. And what we
remember.
same here. hell at Hershey, you have a ton of locals cheering on corps who have
local members...yet the corps are from out of state!
The total numbers are small and getting smaller with each year as people lose
interest. Competitive Jr. Corps is fading fast in the Pac NW.
look at senior corps around here....you have Reading. Used to have Westshore,
Hanover, Archie, Yankee Rebels, Steel City, Chieftains and the Keystoners all
within 2 hours.
now, we have members locally in Reading, but also in Bush, Cabs, Empire, Brigs
and Sky.
Senior Corps is almost non-existent (once again). It's a wonder NWVenture can
stay afloat. I fully expect them to bite the dust very shortly. Apathy and
mis-management will be the major cause. They refuse to listen to a very strong
alum base. Their loss. IMO.
then i say get more involved. I am.
--
Steve
Jeff Ream
I am the drummer your color guard captain warned you about