NakedEye

That's always how he struck me as well. I can't remember any past CEO not doing basic minor cheerleading like a note to the fan community to start the season, a few interviews, or whatever. He seemed totally non-present during the season, other than posing for pictures with award recipients at Finals, where his expression conveyed all the excitement of someone rearranging his sock drawer. Of course the CEO has to have needed business/sponsorship/fiduciary experience for a job like this, but another key element is at least some passion for the performers/product. Otherwise, why even bother to take on the responsibility of leading what is already such an unwieldy beast?

The show somehow managed to have too much guard and not enough guard at the same time. They were front and center so much, but with 75% dance and weapon, it just didn't read from any distance. My favorite part was the "Fugue" section where a couple of groups of flags finally joined several rifle groups and, combined with lots of fast drill, it captured so much of the musical nuance and was really exciting. Regarding the body with the MM - it kind of felt like the limits of how far that can be pushed may have been reached this year. I saw so many putting in incredibly valiant efforts with the choreography, but at the end of the day not everyone can be a stellar natural mover, especially when it is outside the wheelhouse of their musicianship background. It's the same even on Broadway, where the "triple threat" of sing/dance/act can be rare. Maybe time to dial it back a bit to less demanding, but still very expressive, body that worked well a few seasons ago.

Whatever they come up with, I hope it allows for some time for the members to have a bit more fun with the material. 2025 was filled with moods like aloofness, contemplation, measured control, some grandeur and occasional intensity, but the performers rarely got a chance to cut loose with moments of joy. That doesn't mean inject the show with "tricks and giggles" like BAC, but some sections where they can engage with the audience a bit more. A lot of the great shows of the past have had that - the tap shoes in 2019, ballad in 2017, tambourines in 2014, "Say a Little Prayer" in 2011, the "monkey drumming" and cymbal rack in 2003, etc. etc." The Bluecoats kids this year looked like they were having the absolute time of their lives through much of their production, and after a few years in the cerebral wilderness, BD is overdue for a taste of that.

This Crown show is such a huge step up in energy from their last two seasons which came across as extremely controlled and “pleasant.” They move faster and have so much more passion. I think it’s Sacktig’s best drill since he joined them. If they can keep everything in place and build on it next year, they have a shot at elbowing their way back up the ranks.

Did they really need to put a mic on the tractor? 😖

The guy with the pipe arms is probably my favorite moment of the season. It’s so completely intriguing and open to interpretation that everyone can put their own meaning on it. That’s a rare bit of breakthrough communication. Also, SCV guard brought it. By far the most clean they have been.

They seriously need to go directly from the stadium to a 24 hour Walmart and buy every washer and fishing weight they can find. The kids are getting a face full of fabric every time they go behind them. It’s definitely not the look they were aiming for, and it looked much better than this in their most recent outdoor show.

Ironic that all season most thought the curtains would be best indoors and instead this is the most messy they have ever looked 😬

This leads to something I've been thinking about with some seeming to suggest that BD is ONLY responsible for their own successes or less successes. But they don't operate in a vacuum. Happenstance also played a part in the incredible record of the past few decades. Had Crown not had a lousy Finals run in 2015, that outcome could have been different. Had Bluecoats better nailed their ending in 2019, that could have gone the other way. On the flip side, if Phantom had not set the crowd on fire in '08, BD might have grabbed that one. Even in dominant, and deservedly so, years like '23, SCV was not around to pick at the flesh of percussion (at a minimum) subcaption numbers. In '22, based on their consistent excellence and member welfare reputation, they were simply the best target destination for highly talented (and near ageout) kids squeamish from two years of pandemic. BD's consistent staffing, strong design vision, and first class organization has pretty much always prepared them to win. This year is no different, even if the record on paper looks that way. They just happened to produce a high-level show that was a bit dour and cerebral in a year where three others went really bold, dynamic, and brought the fire. Their response next year should be pretty interesting.

From this super high camera position, you can really see how excellent Bloo’s visual composition is. A lot of what came across as “clutter” early in the season works beautifully now. It’s really intricate and layered and helps support the pixelated/halftone dots mesh idea.

Crown has definitely injected some octane into this show. It sells SO much better than a few weeks ago. And they finally have some genuine velocity in the drill, unlike the past few years. I think it is now clearly a stronger package than Phantom.

This. I feel they are more effective related to the total show than anyone else. The work is SO well written that it helps you hear the music better. BD and BAC are both, obviously, super strong, but each have sections where the work comes across as being difficult just to be difficult, without adding much visual support to anything else. That's fine in an all-guard indoor setting, but contributes less impact on a massive stage where a lot of the audience is farther away. Two parts of Bloo's work always get me: this isolated, paired/contrary motion flag toss in the back early in the section after the ballad. There's a bit of a pause right before and right after it, and it perfectly emphasizes the corresponding horn blast. Near the end, they have three lateral lines of flags across the front, which keeps adding people and then turns into a combination of staggered work/split parts that seems to hit every little subdivision in the music, until it resolves in a unison toss. Just great stuff.

The Bloo show is just pure joy. All the layered details. The excellent pacing, and the range of moods from pure octane, to intrigue, to delicate beauty, to humor. And none of it comes across as forced. Really woven together expertly. The mic placement at the last few shows has finally caught the sidechaining and it’s such an interesting effect. This show just makes me happy!

I’d place the leaky pipe above the optic overload. 😵‍💫

It's the content that keeps getting hammered, though, and I really looked for it tonight and I can see it. They don't have anywhere near the variety of work or density of composition present in rest of the cluster. They perform it great, but it is very thin writing compared to Bloo, BD, Boston and more.