5thbassman Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 NOTE: this is coming from a former (I guess) non-BD fan, but this year I have a friend in the corps, so I put my bias aside to enjoy the show. I haven't seen it live, just video. Honestly I'm willing to accept that the blue devils are different... they don't make me cry, but they have their own thing going on and it's just different. Not bad. Not boring if you can really pay attention. And as far as a show about Dadaism goes... totally perfect for them. It's abstract art. And that's really what the blue devils have become... many of the other corps cover the "Van Gogh"s and "Da Vinci"s... Let's just say, the blue devils are... Picasso.... with a drum set Doesn't mean that for what it is, it isn't good... Love the hoops, love the opener. Looking forward to seeing the rest. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sportster Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 First time seeing Devils show. Love the Corps but I'm to the point I don't care to see em anymore. The talking through the thing is ridiculous to the point of making it very hard to pay attention to the show-VERY distracting. Been involved with the activity since 76'. Seen some very impressive shows in that time frame, marched in a few, and I'd have to say I'm more and more disappointed in the activity as time goes by. BD's fragmented music is one such disappointment. I crave a good musical show like 88's Devils. Instead what I get is a fragment of this, a shard of that and I leave wondering WTH I just saw. If I were to buy the CD to listen to, what am I going to hear? A whole lotta nonsense talking. Bring a new person to the activity and they're gonna see JC Penney's dressing room LIVE! This is considered clean stuff, huh. Clean dressing, A+! Clean narration, A+!! Like it if you want, I heard quite a few unhappy folks directing their unhappiness BD's way. Sure there's some to like. A blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally. The activity is losing many MANY older folks who made the activity what it is today. Work with a former Cavie who won't go to a show anymore. Too much talking, synths, it 'isn't Drum Corps' anymore, says he. I try to defend it and then see exactly what he's saying. I left this show disappointed and that just doesn't happen. I truly love Drum Corps. Many corps still have the ability to enthrall a audience. But the direction the Devils are headed will drive off many of those who marched years ago and bring in a totally different Drum Corps enthusiast. But what's left to love? Talking in a show does not one thing to excite me. Played snare, used to LOVE the drum feature...that's long gone. That was one of the things that brought me to DC. Used to love powerful horn lines. Now a corps with a larger line is playing less volume than a smaller one from years past. Music used to be a key ingredient in a show. I'd leave humming the song. Now it's getting less and less enjoyably music wise. What I get is half a song,a lot of talking, and fragments of who know's what. There's still some good there and I grab on to it with all I got like a man starving. But sadly it's become less enjoyable. As for the 'new, improved' TOC, it sucks. Bring back the after show jam from last season. If they're gonna go with the all corps song afterwards, it might as well be the 'America,Oh Canada' from years past. The show was over by 10:30, and I was shocked. That's it?? And Phantom isn't even out there?!? VERY disappointed. Like Phantom's show. Just want a WHOLE lot more out of Devils and year after year, just don't get it.....sadly.... 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatbrassboy Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 You can't argue with clean. So until anyone can execute their show better than they can, get use to seeing them dominate. Clean? How can anyone tell if BD is clean or not? It is impossible because it is all so random. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdlykdad Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 I just got back from Rockford. It was a great show, but the lowlight for me was the Blue Devils show. In my opinion, it was by far the least audience engaging show of the night. They went on first, and I liked all the shows that followed better. And the the judges put them in first by a comfortable margin? I understand they are an extremely talented group of kids, but aren't the new scoring sheets supposed to reward entertaining and engaging the audience? They sounded like they were back to bleeps and blops which the judges apparently still eat up. Play a frickin melody that will leave me humming to myself after the show. My only other gripe is that there were no 'instant encores' this year at this TOC event. Disappointing. Guess the corps wanted to get out of there. Long drive ahead of them. Otherwise, the show was great. Great venue. Nice summer evening. Phantom was great. Also enjoyed the Cadets much more than I thought I would. Actually BD play lots of melodies this year, and if you thought about it you could probably hum some of them. At the same time, can you hum melodies from each of the other corps performances? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warsawstory Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 (edited) All the trashing of BD just makes me want to become a BD honk. They've given me plenty of ammo. edit (By the way, when I was leaving the stands a middle-aged soccer mom was whistling Erik Satie). Edited July 16, 2012 by warsawstory 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatbrassboy Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Talked to a few marching members tonight in Rockford. They all said they are strongly encouraged NOT to visit DCP because it is just opinions of random strangers. Almost reminds me of the judging system! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardman Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 (edited) if you aren't hearing melodies in this year's Devils show, you are probably deaf. They are there, and they are fantastic. Also, there's a ton of jazz in the show as well. Two pieces the corps has tackled before. Yes, sadly two pieces I didn't care for the first time. Probably two of my least favorite pieces played by the Blue Devils ever. Except that it isn't. Not to mention that even if you were right (and you aren't), screaming fans isn't the only way to show appreciation. Sometimes it's not even appropriate. And as others have asked you tonight, please stop presuming to speak for "the fans". No, he is right. Go back and listen to the reactions of the crowd, both after the Blue Devils (and compare it to the reactions of the other corps) and then listen at the end when they are announcing the drum majors for the different corps. BD got one of the weakest (if not THE weakest) responses from the crowd. Oh, and he can speak for this fan (on this topic) any time. Blue Devils boring ### formula works. They march, play, spin, drum and stand still very well. They also elicit an ovation worthy of an 8th place Open Class corps. The kids work their butts off, and the staff knows how to clean. Unfortunately....like when most geniuses copulate and make a baby together, they tend to be highly intelligent, yet ugly ### babies. If we keep rewarding Blue Devils for their technically impressive, yet coma inducing shows, while Cadets and Crown and Regiment are running around playing their ##### off and getting fans literally off their butts, what does that say for the activity? BD is only "tenths" of a point better.....it's not like Crown or Cadets or PR are that much dirtier. I Predict a roar that might topple the Oil Can in August if Blue Devils win, and I don't think it'll be the good kind. Perhaps a little harsher than I would have put it, but I pretty much agree with everything you just said. I had never actually seen the video for that song, and now I wish I still hadn't lol. Still, I'd watch that video 10 more times before watching the Blue Devils show once more. Actually BD play lots of melodies this year, and if you thought about it you could probably hum some of them. At the same time, can you hum melodies from each of the other corps performances? Yes, I can hum melodies from Phantom Regiment, Carolina Crown, Bluecoats, Santa Clara Vanguard, Cadets (who doesn't know "Jingle Bells" anyway?), Cavaliers, Spirit of Atlanta (Luck be a lady tonight!, classic song.), etc, etc, etc as the king would say... Edited July 16, 2012 by Cardman 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 No, he is right. Go back and listen to the reactions of the crowd, both after the Blue Devils (and compare it to the reactions of the other corps) and then listen at the end when they are announcing the drum majors for the different corps. BD got one of the weakest (if not THE weakest) responses from the crowd. Oh, and he can speak for this fan (on this topic) any time. Devils have amassed a great deal of haters because of their undeniable track record of success. Not every show has to end with people standing up and screaming. Sometimes, a show can be high art, engaging, or simply really cool without driving people to a frenzy. People the want an audience applause meter clearly think movies like Saving Private Ryan, The Back Swan, Inception, The Artist, The King's Speech were all crap because they didn't elicit the correct response. You can have a drum corps show that evokes a different kind of response. If "the masses" miss the point, fine. That doesn't make an intellectual program bad. It just means the masses didn't get it. Then again, the masses aren't judging. And before anyone says "we judge with our wallet", I'm pretty sure Devils souvie sails aren't exactly slumping the last few years. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdlykdad Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Yes, I can hum melodies from Phantom Regiment, Carolina Crown, Bluecoats, Santa Clara Vanguard, Cadets (who doesn't know "Jingle Bells" anyway?), Cavaliers, Spirit of Atlanta (Luck be a lady tonight!, classic song.), etc, etc, etc as the king would say... I'm sorry ... I was talking to the OP. since you interjected though ..... Can you hum any of the BD show this year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BACsader Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 From the way I see it, and the judges see it, BD deserves to be on top at this point in time. Personally, I think their show is okay from FN viewings, but I am waiting until a live viewing at Allentown to make my final decision. As much as I enjoy Crown's show, right now they are a mess from a visual perspective. There are points of the show where the drill is illegible and transitions from set to set are not making any visual sense. There is no doubt that their demand is extremely high. I remember I watched this the first available FN show and said "if they clean this show, they will win it all." I still whole-heartedly believe this, but right now they are far from clean, and BD is performing at an incredibly high level and doing it much cleaner than is Crown. There is still plenty of time left. We'll see how the rest of the season goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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