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WizKidRyan
01-01-2002, 05:03 PM
I swear, after seeing the pre-new years celebration DCA, they should party like they did every night. All they have to do is throw in a CD and turn on the parade lights, and they'd have an excellent crowd. It was so much fun listening to the music and just all out having a good time. I'll definately be at DCA next year for New Years.
I think it's time that all of Mouse Planet march over to guest relations and tell them they *must* throw on the music and hit the lights at night :)

bluepearl
01-01-2002, 09:21 PM
AMEN! I thought the music ROCKED last night! I would say they should have it every night - but I wonder what the crowds would be like. I mean, if there's not a big crowd, then I would imagine they have no motivation to do so. But anyway, the atmosphere was great. I definitely told myself that next New Years Eve I will spend ALL night at DCA!

Nigel2
01-01-2002, 11:18 PM
Hmmm making DCA like PI after dark may be nice but it could run the risk of attracting undesireable elements, but that probably rarely happens.

80S ERA
01-02-2002, 12:16 PM
I spent New Years at DCA, too. I actually prefered the "emptiness" over the overcrowded Disneyland across the way...

Although the countdown wasn't centralized as the one in front of Sleeping Beauty castle, it was a nice touch.

bluepearl
01-02-2002, 12:50 PM
Again, I really loved the atmosphere at DCA for NYE. I only wish I could've stayed in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot to see that last set by the Fab Four - they're so fantastic!

So how crowded was Disneyland? It didn't cross my mind at all to visit that park, seeing as I read it's one of the busiest days at the park. But I'm thinking now that I should've gone over to guest relations to tell them how much I loved everything planned at DCA that night!

80S ERA
01-02-2002, 02:43 PM
So how crowded was Disneyland? It didn't cross my mind at all to visit that park, seeing as I read it's one of the busiest days at the park. But I'm thinking now that I should've gone over to guest relations to tell them how much I loved everything planned at DCA that night!

Just to give you an idea....

took us about 15 minutes to get to NOS -- we entered DL during the worst traffic times -- during a parade! The entire place was more packed than I could ever recall. Didn't get to observe any stand-by times, though.

2CN
01-02-2002, 02:50 PM
Disneyland was very crowded- just like every year. SM and IJ both had 80+ minute wait times. PoC, Materhorn, Star Tours, Small World, Roger Rabit, BTM, and I even think Splash Mountain were all an hour or more wait times. Never made it near PeterPan, SnowWhite or any of those rides there.The shortest line my friends and I experienced were for the Tea Cups, Honey I Shrunk The Audiance and the Monorail.

Cadaverous Pallor
01-03-2002, 10:04 AM
Originally posted by Nigel2
Hmmm making DCA like PI after dark may be nice but it could run the risk of attracting undesireable elements, but that probably rarely happens.
Nigel2, you might not be far off the mark. Back in the 80's, Eisner greenlighted building the Videopolis stage in Dland (it's now the Fantasyland Theater). The original intent was to have hip young acts play there to bring in the elusive teen-twentysomething crowd. The original idea even included room to dance. After the idea worked TOO well and masses of "unruly" kids showed up for the shows, the idea was axed as being wrong for the family feeling of Disneyland.

(BTW, I was too young to remember any of the bands that played there, and don't recollect from my readings either. Anyone remember the bands that brought in the young crowds?)

A similar idea might, however, be perfect for DCA, since they obviously are trying for a younger, hipper crowd. Good idea, WizKid!

Nigel2
01-03-2002, 08:54 PM
Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that part in Mouse Tales. Hmmm that may have been where I was drawing from, or those unruly old people.:D

slaakker
01-03-2002, 09:09 PM
A friend and I came across Videopolis by accident when we were visiting DL. We were about 16 and man, did it rule! We had one of the most memorable night ever! There wasn't a band but they had a DJ and several mobile camera persons that would shoot different people as they were dancing and show it up on all the TVs they had around the place.

Sooo much fun!:D

It was also the night of my first french kiss. I know.... too much info. Just reliving a great memory!

Morrigoon
01-03-2002, 09:14 PM
Well, the only time I recall visiting Videopolis was during my first New Year's in the park, when En Vogue was the act. I didn't see anything unruly about the crowd though.

Disney has a history of popular music in the parks - at least, back in the day when a big band was popular. I guess those were less-than rowdy young crowds though. I think Disney would be fairly safe in playing towards the older crowds, maybe 70's and 80's music. It would still create a nice party atmosphere, while not being "young" enough to attract a great many of the teens who seem to be so undesired (if the closing of Videopolis is anything to judge by). They definitely need to lose the lame soundtrack they're playing now... or at least lower the volume a tad.

Nigel2
01-03-2002, 10:09 PM
According to MouseTales they banned slow dancing for younger groups becuase they didn't want same sex couples dancing together. I wonder if this was out of the disney companies views or to prevent problems between groups?

Morrigoon
01-03-2002, 10:29 PM
It wouldn't matter today. Disney is a company that now openly welcomes gays, and even provides same-sex partner benefits. They could hardly take such a stance today.

(Anyway, they already have slow dancing as an occasional part of the swing dancing at Carnation)

You know... if they wanted to ramp up weekday attendance, they should really designate one weekday as "date night", and have extended park and restaurant hours and entertainment. Salsa dancing would go over really well too. (As long as it didn't supplant my beloved big band swing on Saturdays ;))

Nigel2
01-03-2002, 10:34 PM
Yes but generally (well except for that swingers movment during the 90's) only older folks go to disneyland for the dancing now. But odds are date night would still lose out to DD since they have clubs, unless they can beat their prices.

Morrigoon
01-03-2002, 10:54 PM
Wow Nigel, you haven't hung around Carnation Plaza on Saturday nights much at all lately, have you? I'm 25, and I feel like one of the older people there. Swing is still quite big, especially in Orange County.

And DD is pretty weak on clubs, when you get right down to it. So it's got HOB and Y'Arriba Y'Arriba....and? Even if Y'Arriba Y'Arriba captured the latin market, there's still plenty of popular music styles NOT being served by businesses at DTD. There's still no "popular" style club anywhere near the property. No 70's, no 80's, no 90's, no ska, no hip-hop, no "house", no electronica.... need I go on? Certain types of music, admittedly, will attract a certain undesireable element of society, but if Disney wants to attract a young crowd, they're going to need to play something that appeals to members of that crowd (for my part, something that hopefully doesn't consist of boy bands and britney spears). DTD does NOT have the nightlife that Disney promotes it as having. In that they have failed, quite badly. It needs more restaurants, more visible clubs (perhaps something upstairs, with a balcony, so people can hear the music from below, and see all the fun they're missing by not being up there in the party), and more "fun" lighting. If you've ever been at the park for a private party, when they play rock music and use dance lighting in town square (not even for a dance, just for atmosphere), you would understand what I mean. DTD should "come alive" at night. There should have been a bandstand built and a large dancing area left availible. Sure it may compete with all two clubs there, but they can coordinate acts so that the same style is not repeated on any given night. And an outdoor band would help boost business for any restaurants in DTD. (need more of those too... some non-franchise italian, chinese, sushi, and/or grill style places would help it a lot. Something on the lower end price-wise, but still up there in atmosphere).

Nigel2
01-04-2002, 12:52 AM
Originally posted by Morrigoon
Wow Nigel, you haven't hung around Carnation Plaza on Saturday nights much at all lately, have you? I'm 25, and I feel like one of the older people there. Swing is still quite big, especially in Orange County.


Actually it has been years since most of my firends that I do go with on saturday nights don't do disney, so thanks for the info.:D
Oh I should have guessed its still big since one girl I know is trying to get me to swing with her again (which I suck at).
Also I noticed when I was at PI this summer (well I was there for a little bit, had La Nouba Tix, but my parent's stayed) they said that the clubs are generally empty (except the improv club) I guess they want to stay where the big free party is.

WizKidRyan
01-04-2002, 07:13 AM
Originally posted by Morrigoon
If you've ever been at the park for a private party, when they play rock music and use dance lighting in town square (not even for a dance, just for atmosphere), you would understand what I mean.

That's *exactly* how DCA was at night on New Years Eve :)
That's *exactly* what they should do nightly too :):):):)

80S ERA
01-04-2002, 07:20 AM
Originally posted by Morrigoon
Well, the only time I recall visiting Videopolis was during my first New Year's in the park, when En Vogue was the act. I didn't see anything unruly about the crowd though.

Disney has a history of popular music in the parks - at least, back in the day when a big band was popular. I guess those were less-than rowdy young crowds though. I think Disney would be fairly safe in playing towards the older crowds, maybe 70's and 80's music. It would still create a nice party atmosphere, while not being "young" enough to attract a great many of the teens who seem to be so undesired (if the closing of Videopolis is anything to judge by). They definitely need to lose the lame soundtrack they're playing now... or at least lower the volume a tad.

I got to see En Vogue, too -- but I don't remember if it was at the old Tomorrowland Stage or Videopolis?

Some of the bands I remember seeing were indeed teen-pop bands:
The Jets
Ready for the World
C&C Music Factory
DeBarge
The Jets(again)
The Jets(and again) :D

I think the bands not playing on the west coast anymore was in part due to the increased emphasis on Orlando. Every time I turn on the Disney channel and see a teeny band performing, where do you think they are playing from? Somewhere in Disneyworld..:rolleyes:

Hopefully with the increased attention given to DCA now, we will get some quality bands here on the neglected west coast. Anything better than the band that keeps playing the overplayed songs like, "Play that funky music, white boy" or "She's a brick...house!" Urghh!!

bluepearl
01-04-2002, 08:18 AM
Anything better than the band that keeps playing the overplayed songs like, "Play that funky music, white boy" or "She's a brick...house!" Urghh!!

Aw...if you're talking about who I think you're talking about, I really like that band! When they do their (Artist Formerly Known As) Prince set, it reminds me of when I was a little kid and when my cousin used to play all those songs. The band I'm talking about is Party Central, who's got that blond lead singer, but I'm not sure if Person to Person does those songs too (though they're there more often).

hbquikcomjamesl
01-04-2002, 08:23 AM
Funny; I thought Videopolis got reconfigured into the Fantasyland Theatre because dancing to music videos had lost its "latest fad" status, and the novelty of those LED colums that form an image if you're both looking the right way and moving your head had worn off (and they'd become standard science museum stuff, rather than standard dance club stuff). And also because the reconfiguration of the Space Mountain Stage into the Magic Eye 3-D Theatre had left the park with only the Carnation Plaza Gardens as a stage show venue.

I think I remember a few passholder parties with top-40 stuff being played in Town Square and/or on Main Street. It made me wish the'd stuck with the period stuff, and made me want to see if Rod, Johnny, or SOMEBODY was playing at the Coke Corner.

At any rate, if I were to go dancing (which is to say if I knew how, and had somebody to dance with), I'd certainly prefer the swing bands at the Plaza Gardens.

Then again, there's very little rock I like, and I find disco, punk, metal, and retro-60s stuff particularly wretched. (I might add that I consider the band organ/calliope arrangements of surf rock standards played around Paradise Pier to be a vast improvement over the originals, and everytime I hear "California Sun" {whether it's in DCA or elsewhere}, I always think about how much better it would sound with the Hammond riff played on real pipes instead.)

80S ERA
01-04-2002, 08:51 AM
Originally posted by bluepearl


Aw...if you're talking about who I think you're talking about, I really like that band! When they do their (Artist Formerly Known As) Prince set, it reminds me of when I was a little kid and when my cousin used to play all those songs. The band I'm talking about is Party Central, who's got that blond lead singer, but I'm not sure if Person to Person does those songs too (though they're there more often).
Didn't mean to bash on the band. The band is actually quite decent -- if we're talking about the same band. The one I'm speaking of has played at Lost Bar at DLH and at the former Neon Cactus.

I'm just tired of those songs....:rolleyes:

Nigel2
01-05-2002, 09:41 PM
Speaking of the "video clubs" wasn't that part of what Japan was doing for NYE at the WS in epcot?

bluepearl
01-05-2002, 09:41 PM
Originally posted by 80S ERA
Didn't mean to bash on the band. The band is actually quite decent -- if we're talking about the same band. The one I'm speaking of has played at Lost Bar at DLH and at the former Neon Cactus.

I'm just tired of those songs....:rolleyes:

Erm...I'm not sure if that's the same band because I've never been to those places. And I wasn't told they performed there. :shrug: Maybe you're talking about the other band that's there almost all the time. Either way...I understand what you mean about hearing those songs all the time.

Iceman
01-06-2002, 07:42 PM
A Pleasure Island in Anaheim... Now THERE'S an idea I'd like to see Disney make a reality! :D

Nigel2
01-07-2002, 09:03 PM
I think one of the reasons that PI works so much better at WDW is becuase there are probably more tourists there rather than locals (a guess) but here locals would be dominating and then you risk having a bad crowd frequent, but also anyone ever hear the "backstory" to why it's called pleasure island? (and no it isn't dirty):D