J. Birney Crum Stadium

In the summer of 2011, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go on a national tour with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the activity, drum corps is often described as a sort of professional marching band. There are several differences, however. Drum corps ensembles do not have any woodwind instruments or trombones. Also, the activity requires a much higher level of physicality (often compared to that of U.S. Military boot camps), due to the higher level of intensity and demands of the show. Drum corps are audition-only, and only those who meet age (16-22), musical, visual (marching and dance), and physical requirements may be considered for membership.Drum Corps International is considered the equivalent of the MLB or NFL for this activity.

After auditions in November and December (depending on which corps you want to be in), there are spring training camps for one or two weekend every month, where members stay over,  live and rehearse with the corps. In the middle of May, most corps will start move-ins, where the member must fly out to the training facilities and rehearse all day, every day while living with the corps. Finally, around June, tour starts. The corps hit the road, rehearsing all day and performing at night, running off of very little sleep and little to no free time the entire summer. We perform and compete with other corps at incredible venues across the nation, including the Alamo Dome, the Georgia Dome, the University of Utah stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium, and sometimes even right in front of the White House itself.

One of the most memorable venues I had the chance to perform and spectate at was Pennsylvania’s J. Birney Crum stadium, home of the annual DCI Eastern Classic. It was near the end of our tour stop, being the last time all 23 World Class corps would meet at one venue before heading to Finals in Indianapolis. I remember coming into this show nervous: the staff, in preparation for the show, had been repeating the mantra “J. Birney Crum, she don’t lie” for the past few days. I knew it was going to be a tough audience, just because of the snippets of history I had learned over water breaks and such. When we arrived there for our early evening warm-up slot, the area was not quite what I had expected, but it was incredible all the same.

 Warm Up Zones

The warm-up zones are pretty important to both performers and audience members. Oftentimes, a venue will have a great field and stadium, but will force the corps into a less-than-ideal warm up zone. Because drum corps are incredibly loud and the hornlines are powerful (something we pride ourselves in), there needs to be a large warm up area with plenty of space for sections of a corps to spread out. The warm up area must also be able to accommodate several corps at once, as well as the buses, equipment, semi-trucks, and food trucks that transport the corps on tour. It must be far away from the actual stadium (so those on field are not disturbed), but close enough so that audience members may come and see the groups warm up. Other considerations are the surface: visual warm ups (marching, stretching, and dance) are performed here; whether or not it is enclosed (this can affect how the corps hears the warm up, and how we tune and listen to each other) and if there is a “vibe” around the place.

When we arrived and unloaded, the first thing I noticed was the hustle and bustle around the area. All of the corps currently on location were strung trailer to trailer, bus to bus down the small back street that circled around the stadium. It was so tightly packed that not even 100 feet away from us, there was another hornline warming up. Warm up was very confusing and chaotic, and we lost much of our focus. However, the vibe was incredible. The venue’s charm and history showed through, even in warm up. The masses of experienced and knowledgeable spectators walking around the camps were motivation. We were being evaluated from the very beginning by people who were in our same position as far back as 50 years ago. The history there didn’t help our focus, but did motivate us to do better, and helped to ease us into the vibe that we would find in the stadium. This combined with the beauty of the area made it one of my favourite venues, though it was somewhat impractical for us as performers. However, fans loved it: according to an article on Drum Corps International, Allentown was perfect for fans wanting an inside glimpse; as columnist Michael Boo wrote, “You can smell the diesel fumes and see exactly how the members dine off their food trucks, and you can walk down the street after the shows and thank the members for their energy and performances. (DCI)”

 Inside The Stadium And On The Field

  stadium itself is interesting. The bleachers are concrete, and span all around the field. The press box is quite high. It feels almost like a professional sports stadium, but less comfortable and not enclosed. From a performer’s perspective, it’s quite different from most of the venues. The field itself is a very short turf (according to the author of the Marching Arenas blog, this is a vast improvement, as the field used to be uneven and choppy). This means that it’s easier to slip, especially with the type of marching techniques most corps use. However, it was very even and didn’t catch, which outweighs the slickness. What really struck me when I performed on this field was how far the field was from the audience. It took a lot of extra effort to project so far up and out, and I feel that because it was so far away, some of the smaller visual details in a lot of shows may have been missed by the audience. There were a lot of sound tricks in the venue, due to it being a fortress of concrete. From an audience perspective, many of the corps sounded a little muddy: this was something members had to fight against. However, the seating offers plenty of great vantage points for everyone. The size of the stadium and  prestige of the show meant that even more fans could be accommodated, and the venue was absolutely packed.

 The "Mecca Of Drum Corps": She Don't Lie

What really makes J. Birney Crum the “drum corps mecca” is not the actual stadium, or the warm up zones. As I said earlier, our staff members would always say “J. Birney Crum, she don’t lie”. One would expect that with the large venue, large numbers of corps, and huge number of members from past corps that the stadium would have a ton of loud, excited energy. However, the fans are knowledgeable. They know how to see and hear mistakes, and they can see past any gimmicks that may be put on field. They also know what is great, and can spot an exemplary performance. They won’t clap at any gimmicks, or really anything they deem as less than extraordinary. However, if they see something they like, something truly great, they will reward it with full force and gusto. Applause is comparatively rarer, but when it happens (maybe two or three times a show) it is thunderous. This is multiplied by the stadium itself: the sound bounces around and surrounds everybody on field.

This show is the chance to show those of corps past that the modern day evolution of this activity is just as good, if not better than how it was in the seventies, fifties, or even thirties. This audience is judging you. From the moment I stepped on the field, I could feel a completely different vibe than at other previous venues: it was almost like there was a quiet electricity in the air, tension almost. That field is where tens of thousands of other people have competed over the span of almost a century, where literal blood, sweat and tears have been spilt. You can almost feel their expectations. They all want you to succeed, but you won’t be rewarded if you don’t. To the performer, you get a glimpse into history: this is exactly where other legends before you have performed, and you know there will be many after you to perform as well. It’s an incredible and overwhelming feeling. When the audience erupts, it’s even better: you’ve proven yourself to those thousands before you, and they approve and were entertained. This is a truly unique vibe, and completely different than any of those found at other venues. This makes up for all of the other faults of the stadium. 

Images Credit: http://www.dci.org (Drum Corps International),  http://www.marching.com (marching.com)

Information Credit: http://marchingarenas.blogspot.com/2012/08/allentown-pa.html (Marching Arenas)

DCI News Article: "Allentown: What's The Big Deal?"