John Anderson's comments in another thread got me to thinking the annual Nationals trip in August of each year. What were some of your favorite (or, not so favorite) locations for Nationals? Think about the stadium, the trip itself, and any free time you got.

Mine (no surprise) would be New Orleans! VFW was there in 1973, and we were there again in 1978 and 1979, though I don't remember which years were which organizations. The free time on Bourbon Street was obviously a highlight, but the crowds at the parade and the show were really positive. And the parade was at night, which was some relief from the incredible heat.

As far as stadiums, Warhawk Stadium in Whitewater, Wisconsin is bar far my best (I think it's something about the bowl shape, especially when we used to enter from the front side, down those stairs - whose idea was that?!). Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama was probably the biggest stadium I was ever in (1980 DCI), and Franklin Field in Philadelphia was also good - I remember the crowd being more packed in there.

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

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

My choices for location would be New York (Roosevelt Stadium) and Minneapolis (Parade Stadium). Parade Stadium was somewhat like Whitewater. Those of you who marched in corps like Atlanta or Madison in 1980 and 1981 probably marched in DCI shows in Parade Stadium as DCI had contests in Minneapolis and Whitewater in those years (I lived in Minneapolis at the time and attended shows at both venues).

Worst location was McCormick Place in Chicago in 1965. Inside and we were home--no road trip.

What years were you a Corps member? 59-61 Cadets 62-66 Imperials

Interesting thought. My favorites would be:

1. Ebbets Field (NY) 1958 VFW. A great 'old time" stadium, not unlike the old Comisky Park. It was great for drum corps ...the crowd was close. The corps contest was great too. New York was a great visit for us ...had free time to explore.

2. 1960 Detroit was similar ...an old style stadium. Great contest. We stayed in Canada (Windsor) so had fun there.

3. 1962 VFW. Parade stadium was very nice. Another great contest .. and we did really well. It was fun staying with all the other corps in the dorms, practicing among the corps.

4. In 1963, we didn't go to Nationals but went to the Dream instead. What an experience! Roosevelt Stadium was great and the show was awesome (juniors and seniors). The 20,000 + crowd was very drum corps oriented and very appreciative.

While I never marched in Whitewater's Warhawk Stadium, many drum corps shows have been held there. (I judged some of them and watched some too). This is a great stadium for drum corps, as the bowl shape helps focus the sound for the audience.

Also agree with John about McMcormick Place .. that was a terrible place for a drum corps show. Probably was no real choice due to the rain damaged fields. I was surprised they did that, usually when there is a problem like that, they simply use the PRELIM results to determine the champion. Could have been some "pressure" on this from Sie Lurye? Also, NO road trip ..made it seem not as much fun.

Also, some of the stadiums used over the years are BIG stadiums. That isn't always a good thing. The acoustics can be really bad, and you can be really far away from the field (making it difficult to really see well). I judged GE at a DCI show in Denver's Mile High Stadium and practically needed binoculars to SEE the corps!

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What did you do in the Corps? drummer; quartermaster 1964-66; asst. drum instr. 1964-70

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

Dave's comment about being far away from the corps is true for performers and GE judges. In 1980 we did a show in Tampa on a baseball field (which is never good anyway), but they put the field in the baseball outfield, so we seemed to be miles from the crowd - could hardly even hear them! It was more like a dress rehearsal.

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, just to refresh your memory, we performed in American Legion at New Orleans and VFW at Dallas in 1978 and in American Legion at Houston and VFW at New Orleans in 1979. The shows in 1978 were both in large stadiums the Super Bowl in New Orleans and the
Cotton Bowl in Dallas. We also had a chance to perform at a show at Lambeau Field in 1979, but we turned it down because it came on late notice and was scheduled in the middle of the week. Later, when Cathy marched with the Guardsmen, I had the opportunity to see a show there and greatly regreted passing on the opportunity since the response from the crowd could not have been better if the Packers were playing. Suprisingly this was not a DCI show, but was run by Parade Specalists and Annie Mixdorf.

Thanks, Jim, and good to see you here again! I hope you're feeling well.

I had forgotten about Parade Specialists!

And I always thought that 78 and 79 were strange, with Legion and VFW basically swapping Nationals sites.

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

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

Only DCI championship I've attended was Franklin Field and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 1976. That was also a great venue for a contest.

Don't see DCI coming to California anytime soon for their championship, but the Leland Stanford Junior University stadium would be a great place. Seats about 50000. All seats are good seats and the sound is great. Moderate weather (about 70 degrees in August)and no rain in the summer. I haven't attended a DCI national a Lucas Oil stadium but being indoors isn't drum corps.

What did you do in the Corps? Baritone

What years were you a Corps member? 59-61 Cadets 62-66 Imperials

The Leland Stanford stadium sounds good. I still believe that Warhawk stadium in Whitewater was / is the best site for watching a drum corps show. Excellent acoustics and view. Major problems...

1. Whitewater is a small town with limited support services for the crowds... food, lodging, other recreation, etc.

2. It is also hard to get to if you fly.... closest airport is Madison
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What did you do in the Corps? drummer; quartermaster 1964-66; asst. drum instr. 1964-70

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

I have always told my wife that I want my ashes spread up and down the 50-yard line in Whitewater (which was the only part of the field I was familiar with). By far my favorite stadium!

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

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

I attended a show at Whitewater that included all the major DCI corps in summer of 1979. It was ok but didn't seem all that special to me. It was similar to Parade Stadium in Minneapolis and to Eastern Michigan University's stadium (Ypsilanti, MI)--attended a show there in 1982 when I lived in Ann Arbor.

University of Pennsylvania and Stanford have seats that had a much better view and the sound is clear. In my view the venues that are used for major college football seem to be the best. The stadiums don't have a track so sidelines are closer to seats, they don't have a roof and they are more elevated for fan's view of performance. I'd love to see a contest in the "Big House" in Ann Arbor or "The Swamp" in Gainesville.