A Lapsed Fan's Guide to DCI 2022, Part Three
The final part of a three part series covering what has changed since the last competitive season of DCI
This is the first weekend where we’ll have most of the corps performing, so here is the final part of three, catching you up on DCI’s past 3 years. You can find Part One HERE, and Part Two HERE
WHAT DOES THE BEST SEASON POSSIBLE LOOK LIKE, WHAT WILL A SUCCESS LOOK LIKE
Over the past few years prior to COVID, DCI was averaging a little north of 20,000 people for finals night, according to the numbers they’ve released publicly. The ideal scenario for DCI and all the corps participating in this summer’s events is that the Marching Arts return in a big way, pushing the numbers higher than ever as a result of fans coming out to see live DCI again. With anecdotal numbers from the Celebration last year, this seems like a bit too much to ask for at this point. With reports from people in the stadium last year saying that there were about 8,000 people a night, give or take a thousand, having over 22,000 people in the stadium on finals night would be amazing. When it comes to realistic numbers, I’d place a likelier attendance anywhere between 16,000 and 20,000. With parts of the country still on restrictions due to COVID, there’s surely a lot of people that may feel a little more comfortable going to their local show than making the trek all the way to Indy.
Right now, when it comes to corps that were at the 2019 DCI Championships, there is only one corps across Open or World that won’t be attending a DCI show due to issues caused by the pandemic (Spirit of Atlanta and Shadow also will not be fielding corps due to ongoing reorganizations due to allegations of improper behavior). This is a pretty big deal due to the fears of DCI’s downfall that a lot of us had at the start of COVID. That being said, the effects are still being felt, with many corps facing significant membership drops, as well as outbreaks across corps both last season and this season. Because of this, my personal vision of what a successful season will be has three parts. Minimal show cancellations or last minute pull-outs, 16,000 or so fans in the stands on finals night, and every corps making it to the Thursday show.
Here’s why.
With minimal cancellations, this would mean that the corps got the COVID situation dealt with during spring training, and finish off the outbreaks before they hit the road. This provides an optimal setting for quarantining, because there wouldn’t be long bus rides where infected and non-infected members have to share the same space. Additionally, if a member requires medical attention, this makes it far easier to provide support and a presence at the medical center when needed without taking away the support for the corps at the spring training site. Minimal cancellations also reassure paying fans that DCI is stable and here for the future as they can go to a show, see the hard work that the members are putting in, and not have to worry about not seeing their favorite corps due to the issues mentioned above.
When it comes to the 16,000 fans in the building on finals night, that would be a significant increase over the reported numbers from last year, essentially doubling it depending on who you talk to. That may be a huge boost for those who doubt the long term viability coming out of one canceled season, as well as a heavily modified one. In addition to this, in 2015 DCI and the City of Indianapolis extended their contract to host DCI Championships at Lucas Oil through the 2028 season. With the loss of income in 2020, and what I can only assume was not a wildly profitable 2021, considering the low attendance, this would be a significant step towards getting back into making Finals Week profitable, and ensuring the long term financial health of DCI.
Finally, having every corps make it to their prelims performance on Thursday would show that each organization that was able to get to this point has solidified their financial base to the point where they were able to make it through DCI’s most challenging times, and also gives each member a chance to perform at Lucas Oil Stadium, something many of them have been dreaming about for years. Having that experience will help revitalize the recruiting base, due to those members going back to their schools, sharing that experience with their friends, and inspiring the next generation of DCI performers in the stands, at the theatres, and in the band rooms across the country.
This won’t be an easy season by any stretch of the imagination, but it might be one of the most important for Drum Corps as a whole.
Welcome back, and for those of you who’ve been out of it for a while, welcome home.
Saturday Night Lights is currently GEM’s Managing Editor. He has been involved in the Pageantry Arts for over a decade, as a performer at the highest level, an instructor, and a fan. You can find him on Twitter at @SatNightLites. He currently lives in Florida with his partner and their two dogs.