Did the crowd even exist? Did you see them, or what? What DID you see, when YOU were on the field?

some of it depended on the show. For example, as discussed before, you couldn't ignore the crowd at Momence, because they were right on the sideline! Sometimes it depended on the lighting, like at State Fair, where the crowd appeared to be in complete darkness. And sometimes it depended on the stadium. In Tampa in 1980 we did a show on a baseball field (NEVER good), but instead of using the infield, they lined off the OUTfield, so the crowd was so far away it seemed like a glorified rehearsal.

I think it also had to do with your position in the corps. In the snare line I noticed the crowd less than as drum major, where I was always trying to get them involved in the performance.

In general, though, the better the performance, the less you noticed ANYTHING else, including the crowd, the judges, the color guard, etc.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73, 78-79

Bob is right .. MOST of the time we were so busy trying to do the show RIGHT that we never paid much attention to anything else.

There were times when the situation changed (stadium, lighting, judges, etc) and you did "see" something.
The 1963 Dream show was such a time, as were a few VFW National shows .. where large crowds had an impact.

We DID however, see each other while on the field! This was often a point of encouragement.

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-1963

In 1980, I saw Duke's rear end!!!!!

The the face of the snare drummers and making sure my cymbals didn't encroach on the snare players while they were playing ride or high hat on my cymbals. Otherwise, I got a crack across my knuckles.

Then the backs of the snare players.

The crowd became invisible to me. I'd see the crowd at first, then it was like I'd see right through them.

What did you do in the Corps? Cymbals, Bass Drum, Quads

What years were you a Corps member? 1980-1983

CROWD?

Except for the DREAM contest (where there were 20,000+ fans) and Momence (where the crowd was almost on the field with you) ... I never saw, heard or noticed the audience during the show!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-1963

One thing that most drummers saw (up close) was the drum JUDGE!

For many reasons, such as the need to "sample" the drum line elements during the show, to consider drum projection and field placement, we often had the drum judge within a few feet of us. Sometimes in the middle of the drum line, behind the snares/ tenors and in front of the battery! It was always interesting to have the judge in the middle of the sunburst circle with us!

As a result, we really got to know those guys during a season!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-1963