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Blue Devils 2017 60th Anniversary!


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2 minutes ago, LoveKathyG said:

My best guess is that this year won't be one of BD's legendary shows, though they certainly have plenty to their name.  For sure, their win this year is defensible, as would have been an SCV win.  No wrong answer among the top two.  

Bad guess. Lol @ defensible.

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7 hours ago, DrumManTx said:

I was gonna post this earlier but it just grew into what ended up being what I used as my review for 2017........

So.  In my infancy as a fan of the activity I was definitely off put by the Blue Devils.  Their shows were too confusing their shows were too easy blah blah.  I went through a ton of my time as a fan over almost the last decade annoyed when they would come out and go undefeated.  They were beating corps and shows I loved and it didn't seem like anyone else was being given a fair chance.  2014 I still felt the same way but they blew me away regardless.  2015 on finals night I loved a lot of other shows more but defended their win.  In 2016 I LOVED my Bluecoats riding high but began to really enjoy what Blue Devils had to offer, their ballad remains one of the moments I consider utter perfection in portrayal of a theme and visual staging.  Then this year happened.  I saw this show twice San Antonio week in Broken Arrow and San Antonio.  I was so close minded and had convinced myself that I was gonna hate it and low and behold.......I didn't enjoy it.  Then they started adding things.  The voice overs.  Stuff started cleaning up.  Atlanta weekend.........they had me in tears at the end of their performance.  What this show transformed into..........it was an INCREDIBLY emotional, beautiful, and amazing tribute to where this corps came from, their roots and incredible legacy full of amazing references to their storied past.  It was an amazing display of who they are now with incredibly challenging staging and depth for me as an audience member to sort through.  And it was an AMAZING peak into the window of what this corps future could hold.  The thread of time throughout this show and how they paid tribute to their whole history is just...........incredible.  And I have no ties to the organization.  I can't imagine what this must be like for alums or MMs of this organization.  As a future educator the level they perform at in everything is staggering.......the clarity, professionalism, and expertise they do everything with blows my mind.  But when it's all said and done, when they hit that ballad tonight with that AMAZING flag feature, the INCREDIBLE music and soloists, and just overall marriage of that moment.........it left me speechless and weak.  2017 made me a Blue Devils fan.  Any hate and distaste I had is gone.  I have nothing but respect, admiration, and gratitude for what they did this year.  I'm just sad it took me this long to get here.  Congrats on #18 Blue Devils.  What a journey this was for me, I'm dying to see what 2018 has to offer and no more taking a whole season or years to come around to shows.  I'm a fan from the get go from now on.   

If I could give this post 100 likes I swear I would.

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8 hours ago, DrumManTx said:

 It was an amazing display of who they are now with incredibly challenging staging and depth for me as an audience member to sort through.  

I think this is the key statement. For fans of more traditional shows, what BD creates can be an uncomfortable experience for a time. To truly appreciate their approach, you have to be able to let go of what a drum corps show SHOULD be and instead see what it CAN be. When you allow yourself to do that, you suddenly experience the complexity, the difficulty, the variety, the careful balance, the impeccable pacing and the incredible thought put into the smallest details. 

The lightbulb went off for me in 2008. First reaction was.."what IS this?" immediately followed by "this is...this is....WONDERFUL." The shows are never what you were expecting, and just when you think you know where they are going, they change it up again. This year, the reintroduced the concert feature with a modern twist. First reaction "I expect them to move a bit more eventually." Final reaction as the crowd is on their feet before the end of the ballad: "Incredible, why isn't EVERYONE doing this?!"

They have the confidence and vision to go against the grain, and the talent to make it an intoxicating reality. What they are doing now will ripple through the marching arts world for years. Can't wait to see what's next!

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After the glow of the show has worn, and enjoying my morning's coffee, I am still blown away on how incredible BD's show was this year. To fully appreciate how great of a show it was, consider that they just beat, arguably, SCV's finest show in their history. Doing so, just makes me appreciate Blue Devils Metamorph even more.

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I've never been able to deny the excellence this corps achieves, but this year they really hit me emotionally. From the last "diamonds in the sky" to the end, I get completely verklempt. I've never had a BD horn line draw me into a show like this before. In Nashville I could literally see the mm's pulling the crowd in at the end. They sold it. I bought it.

If anyone says they can't get into a BD show, let them watch this one.

PS: I called #18 when they announced their program. ;P

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15 minutes ago, phd-student-TTU said:

I've never been able to deny the excellence this corps achieves, but this year they really hit me emotionally. From the last "diamonds in the sky" to the end, I get completely verklempt. I've never had a BD horn line draw me into a show like this before. In Nashville I could literally see the mm's pulling the crowd in at the end. They sold it. I bought it.

If anyone says they can't get into a BD show, let them watch this one.

PS: I called #18 when they announced their program. ;P

That's what did it for me, this show is in a pretty #### small club with shows like 2014 Blue Knights and Blue Stars and 2016 Academy that go past watching drum corps and turn into something else entitirely.   When you do that you earn a special place in my heart as a fan.  

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