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Blue Devils 2017 60th Anniversary!


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Just now, 84BDsop said:

Might've been the parents of the Lions' center, Travis Swanson.   His father.Todd,  was BD's DM in 83, bari prior to that (Prior Trooper, as well.)

That's bad***!! Thanks for the info!

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12 minutes ago, Chief Guns said:

Ah ok. Corpsreps is incorrect than. Well hopefully they will get the eighth unbeaten season next year! Appreciate you setting me straight.

Ah, they probably only listed the west finals score then, which indeed was a 1st place finish.

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13 hours ago, NakedEye said:

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!

Wouldn't it be funny that after all these years of comments about BD pushing those boundaries too far that now a good old fashion blow the house down moment becomes the trend again.  BD brought it back full-circle with this show. Perhaps not trend setting but definitely brilliant programming. I think we can thank the Coats for this and their ballad in '16. BD took it a step further this year. I expect to see more of this next year and it's a win for the fans. 

On a side note, being in the stadium last night for BD's performance was electric. To the critics, they owned that audience last night with multiple standing ovations throughout.  Seriously a full standing O as soon as that last push began was just wow!  This was the best audience response I've seen for a BD corps since semis in 2002. 

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14 hours ago, NakedEye said:

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, they 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!

(Grumble. I hate it when the server eats a response I've spent a few minutes typing. Trying again...)

As regards the two statements I have bolded:

(1) 2008 was wonderful. The funniest show Velvet Knights never did. (Deliberately breaking and then rejoining forms! The plume bob that presaged what Boston did this year! The guard setting up for a big toss and then just dropping their rifles to the ground! All suggesting a Cirque reinterpretation of, say, VK's Bottle Dance "Not!") And a sure winner in almost any other year. Although as with you, it did take more than one viewing to really appreciate it. I couldn't follow the visual plan in the multicam showing at Big, Loud, and Live (my return to watching drum corps after nearly a decade away)--what they were doing was too complex for even Tom Blair's crew to convey. The music was enjoyable from my first viewing--in part maybe because I've always liked Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. But as soon as I saw the show on high camera, it clicked right into place. This year seems like a step down, in that regard. (Coincidentally, I saw neither show live. But what can one do? I saw as many shows this year as I could afford and schedule--eight this season--and BD wasn't at any of them.)

(2) If any corps could be said to have brought back the stationary concert feature, why not Bluecoats last year? I distinctly remember plenty of complaints here about how they sat down. But like BD this year, I agree that they moved just as much as they needed to sell the music. In both cases, it was awesome. I can't speak for everyone who feels (in my case, just some) disappointment in BD's 2017 visual program, but in my case, it has nothing to do with the ballad.

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4 hours ago, flammaster said:

82 was the first. Also when Jerry had a heart attack and Moxley stepped in until Gibbs took over in 91.

I was at that show they use the recording of.  It was the first competition which they had been doing exhibition the previous year when I first saw them as an 8 year old.

Now we know how old you are.

:D

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2 hours ago, NakedEye said:

Get the Kleenex ready...

 

 

I have no real affiliation with this organization, and yet just watching this video made me tear up. So happy for them, this show really was special

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On August 12, 2017 at 8:36 PM, Chief Guns said:

I am praying someone is recording the encore run! 

I Facebook live'd it.. My family in Oklahoma and in Cali were blowing up my phone saying that the Flo Live feed went dead.. Silly FloMarching!! I am trying to figure out how to post a link to it!  I filmed the best I could.. My emotions were crazy.. I am so happy for my Blue Devil, ALL the Blue Devils, the staff, and the alumni.. It was such a magical and incredible finals week journey.. Whoever went to the rehearsal on Saturday, you could just tell something special was happening and was going to happen that night.. The energy, the vibe was seriously out of this world!! Man, did they deliver Saturday night! I was in tears once the ballad started until the end of the show..  Then when they announced scores the tears started flowing again.. My son texted me when they were waiting to go on the field for scores saying that he just had "the performance of his life" I'm pretty sure all the devils felt the same!! Way to do it up Devils!! 

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3 hours ago, Mamabear77 said:

My son texted me when they were waiting to go on the field for scores saying that he just had "the performance of his life" I'm pretty sure all the devils felt the same!!

I know I did when I was standing there with my arms in the "TUG" pose and the crowd roar washing over me.

You feel like a god....and I'll take that moment to my grave.

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