Did The Bluecoats Set A Paradigm Shift in DCI?

[jwillis35]

Often when these questions get asked you will see many say things like "it was no big deal," "it was just the electronics," or "they didn't change anything, it was another corps."  

Sorry, but the Bluecoats have designed three very modern shows over the last 3 years. I have called them Future Corps on a few occasions. Was this past year's show a continuum from their Tilt show of 2014? Yes. It's been obvious to see the direction they have been moving. Was this past year's show the most innovative to date? Maybe. It depends on your definition of innovative. Was it the most modern show we've seen in a long time? I think so. Will their 2016 show have an effect on the activity? Absolutely. How much is hard to tell. That chapter has yet to be written.

For history sake, let us consider Star of Indiana 1993. Many have argued this show was one of the changing moments in DCI history. Yet, did we see all guards begin using poles only in years after 93? No. Did we see music arranging move toward something as complex as Bartok? Only with a few. The shift that took place after Star 93 was more subtle. Drill design, body movement, uniform, show concepts, how to showcase the horns and drums differently, and things like that were the effects of that show on the activity. But it was subtle. 

After Garfield 82, 83, 84 did we see everyone move to whiplash drill and killer, demanding music arranging? No.  And as good as 1982 and 1983 Garfield was, I actually consider their 1984 West Side Story show to be the Bellwether show. Star of Indiana 1993 was a Bellwether. The Cavaliers 2002 show was a Bellwether.  And I definitely think the Bluecoats 2016 Down Side Up show was a Bellwether. 

To me, Bellwether shows are not just about innovation, but they are about finding a unique and mostly new combination of elements that get used in a creative way on the field.  

Consider the Apple iPhone. In 2007 there is little doubt that phone changed a lot about smart phones and the direction of mobile apps.  Now, was the iPhone completely innovative? No. Touch screens had been around since the late 80s. Often we would sign for packages with UPS or Fed Ex using a stylus on a touch sensitive screen. Software that played music had been around (iTunes and others). Small, mobile apps that allowed users to check email had already begun to show (Blackberry).  The concept of the iPod had already been around since 2000, 2001. Visual voice mail was a nice feature that had not yet been really explored.  But basically the iPhone was not entirely innovative, yet the combination of features, parts, and the re-imagining of all those tools put to use in one device made it innovative.  The iPhone was all about convergence. A smattering of technologies coming together in one device in a way never before seen.  So good was the concept, especially considering the earlier versions had poor audio/talking quality, that almost from day one you had a sense that Windows CE phones, Nokia phones, and Blackberry phones were about to be obsolete. Now they are. 

Well, drum & bugle corps is not quite as obvious when we see Bellwether shows that change the activity. Changes are more subtle. This is in part for 2 reasons. 

1) A corps is not trying to capture market share like a consumer product.

2) Every new summer is a chance for each corps and their staff to try and create something new, something unique, and to innovate when they can.  So there is a natural tendency to avoid copying others in drum corps. 

Having said that, what the Bluecoats have done in the last 3 years has had an effect. We've already seen it with numerous corps. You just have to look closely.  They have certainly pioneered electronics and soundscapes.  But don't overlook what they did with costume, props, and staging (for which this past year's show goes even further than what I have seen from Crown or BD).  Also considere music arranging. They have taken minimalist music and exploited it's natural constructive style to help feature sections and show elements in ways I have not yet seen in the activity.  If the nature of innovation is to bring many elements into a whole in a completely new way in order to create a final product that is unusual and perhaps never before seen, then the Bluecoats show was innovative. It's the most modern thing I have seen in this activity.

Is what they do and how they do it to everyone's liking? No, just like with Star 93 or early Garfield Cadets.  People often made fun of the late 90s, early 2000s Cavaliers for playing easy effect music (like underscoring to a movie) while marching their kaleidoscopic drills. The nature of innovative will not appeal to everyone. It will anger a few, and some will wish to deny it's greatness in order to prop-up their own favorites.  The fact that Bluecoats 2016 show was discussed to such a level by so many, and the fact that it has incited so many conversations both for and against is a sign of its' innovative qualities. 

Other Bellwether shows (IMHO):

1973 SCV, 1974 Anaheim Kingsmen, 1976 Blue Devils

Other shows I thought came close to being Bellwethers are as follows:

Santa Clara 1988 - they had done theatrical productions before, and while this was not as well performed as their 1987 show, it was a stunner from a conceptual and programming/staging standpoint. You can argue that it should be considered a Bellwether and that most modern theatrical productions have been affected by, and taken ideas from, SCV's 1988 show.

Phantom Regiment 2008 - for obvious reasons

Carolina Crown 2013 - also for obvious reasons 

 

Edited February 16, 2017 by jwillis35

[2000Cadet]

Gosh I hope not. I appreciate what Bluecoats did last year and don't take anything away from how hard they worked, how excellent the show was, and the fact they got a championship from it. But I did not really love the show.

[craiga]

The 2016 Bluecoats are an interesting study to me.  Here is my perspective:  I brought a group of my band kids to the show in July in Lynn, MA.  It turned out that the Bluecoats had the Manning Stadium (the show venue) for the day.  We arrived around 1pm, so were able to watch an entire ensemble rehearsal.  Other than some visual dirt in the feet, I found their show exciting, captivating, and very enjoyable to watch (and listen to).  The snare drummers on the top of the riser early on was one of the many elements which I thought were genius.  We had a great time.

And then, the show happened.  To be fair, I think they performed their show as well if not better than the ensemble rehearsal/runthrough which we had seen earlier in the day.  For me, it was those costumes.  I just couldn't get past them.  Now, lest anyone accuse me of being "some old dinosaur", I probably do qualify for that title in terms of my age.  But, I am an active writer/designer/teacher and have been for 30 years, including indoor guard and for the past 5 years, indoor percussion.   I would have had zero issues with Bluecoats costumes had it been WGI.   I personally just found the shapeless bodysuits and lack of any kind of headgear unappealing...just my opinion.

Did the physicality of their production necessitate the costume choices?  Quite possibly, and if so, I do get it.  Having said that, like many other corps, the uniform "look" of the Bluecoats (including the helmets) have been quintessential in their overall  badassery over the past several years in particular.  As I stated in the uniform thread, the headgear (regardless of type---I even like Crown's hats) along with a chiseled uniform "line" provide a visual pop that the amorphous bodysuits simply cannot. 

I absoluely give Bluecoats credit for changing and enhancing the paradigm with regard to the use of electronics and methodology of show programming...both of which I am all for.  I really hope, however, that their costuming choice for 2016 was a one off and, much like Star's silkless flag poles all those years ago, doesn't catch on.  But, that which is rewarded is perpetuated in DCI so we can logically assume there will be some followers to this.

[N.E. Brigand]

6 hours ago, jwillis35 said:

Often when these questions get asked you will see many say things like "it was no big deal," "it was just the electronics," or "they didn't change anything, it was another corps."  

Sorry, but the Bluecoats have designed three very modern shows over the last 3 years. I have called them Future Corps on a few occasions. Was this past year's show a continuum from their Tilt show of 2014? Yes. It's been obvious to see the direction they have been moving. Was this past year's show the most innovative to date? Maybe. It depends on your definition of innovative. Was it the most modern show we've seen in a long time? I think so. Will their 2016 show have an effect on the activity? Absolutely. How much is hard to tell. That chapter has yet to be written.

I rather liked the perspective someone here offered last summer: the 2016 Bluecoats was, in entertainment terms, an update of what Madison Scouts were doing in the 1990s.

[mingusmonk]

21 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

I rather liked the perspective someone here offered last summer: the 2016 Bluecoats was, in entertainment terms, an update of what Madison Scouts were doing in the 1990s.

Right?

 

When is the last time Bluecoats, once known for their jazz roots, were actually jazz'ish? Or even this jazzy? 

[jwillis35]

1 hour ago, N.E. Brigand said:

I rather liked the perspective someone here offered last summer: the 2016 Bluecoats was, in entertainment terms, an update of what Madison Scouts were doing in the 1990s.

That was me :).  Well, I was one of the people making that claim.   And yes, musically what Blooo did after their opener had a lot in common with a 1990s Madison Scout horn book. That was one element combined with an ultra modern visual program and show concept.  When all these elements came together as they did it created a super modern and innovative show without sacrificing entertainment value.  And I do stand by what I said...Bluecoats 2016 was absolutely a Bellwether show. 

Edited February 16, 2017 by jwillis35

[corpsband]

2 hours ago, N.E. Brigand said:

I rather liked the perspective someone here offered last summer: the 2016 Bluecoats was, in entertainment terms, an update of what Madison Scouts were doing in the 1990s.

You're welcome :-) 

Oh -- I see Jwillis is attempting to steal my thunder :-)   I'm pretty sure it was in a reply to him but I'll have to wrestle with the search engine to find that thread.  As I recall he said he was thinking the same thing.  No mater who said it first -- I agree that it pretty much nails it. 

fwiw here's the original thread.  

http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/index.php?/topic/164669-denton-tx-duelings/&do=findComment&comment=3555149

As to whether it's some sort of paradigm shift / bellwether design..  I don't think so.  Once you get past the electronics, it truly is the Madison Scouts.  A musical book that's easy to relate to with a focus on entertainment.  They've just updated with a modern visual book.   The formula worked for Madison for a long time and it works for Bloo as well. In fact it made judges overlook quite a bit of visual dirt just like it did for Madison!

My biggest "complaint" if you will is that it crosses the line in electronics.  Their utilization of electronics was so seamless that it's completely impossible to tell what's live and what's electronic.  That's a "bad" thing to me.  I think it's important that the electronic voices and/or amplified voices always be clearly distinguishable from the acoustic voices.  That's certainly NOT the case with Bloo 2016.

Anyway I thought the Bluecoats deserved the win last season.  The program had the elusive "it" factor (just like PR '08)  and was entertaining as hell.  Unfortunately that's a really challenging thing to reproduce.  

 

Edited February 16, 2017 by corpsband

[BRASSO]

10 hours ago, jwillis35 said:

 

To me, Bellwether shows are not just about innovation, but they are about finding a unique and mostly new combination of elements that get used in a creative way on the field.  

.

Having said that, what the Bluecoats have done in the last 3 years has had an effect. .  They have certainly pioneered electronics

 

 Indeed the Bluecoats have pioneered the use of " electronics ". Had the  Bluecoats utilized in competition last season an unauthorized electronics device of some sort... and were willing to take 2 point penalties before they stepped off in every competition for its usege, then I would have REALLY called the 2016 Bluecoats not only " innovative ", but admirally even " rebellious " in their quest to be " different " and to push the activity in the direction that they personally chose. Any Corps that is willing to take penalties in shows in order to create something never before done in a Drum Corps competition show, receives a special place at the very top, imo.,when it comes to " pioneering electronics ". As such, while we rightly applaud the 2016 Bluecoats for their quite clever utilization of " electronics ", lets not forget in such conversations in the " pioneering of electronics " that the first " pioneer " in the use of electronics in DCI  Field competition was the 1985 Boston Crusaders. They were the first Corps to ever use Electronics ( a synthesizer ) and were willing to take penalties in their competition shows that season for its unauthorized useage. No Corps before, nor since. has been willing to take a  penalty before they even stepped off in competition, in order to both express their own creativities in instrumentation, but to expand the activity as a " pioneer" that allowed the day to arrive that future DCI corps will follow suit in the utilization of electronics for their own Corps musical expressions. Again, the 2016 Bluecoats cleverly creative use of electronics the last 3 seasons has provided new musical soundscapes that has set them apart from the pack, and its quite commendable the innovative uses they have explored in the use of their electronics. I loved their show last season.. all of it..., and look forward eagerly this season for what new things they might have in store for us fans.

Edited February 16, 2017 by BRASSO

[cowtown]

1 hour ago, corpsband said:

 

My biggest "complaint" if you will is that it crosses the line in electronics.  Their utilization of electronics was so seamless that it's completely impossible to tell what's live and what's electronic.  That's a "bad" thing to me.  I think it's important that the electronic voices and/or amplified voices always be clearly distinguishable from the acoustic voices.  That's certainly NOT the case with Bloo 2016.

 

 

Many folks still don’t get the climax of the show last year, just prior to the final blast cords, musically; was a small ensemble playing over a cranked up backing track. Sad!

I really hate when they have a synth doubling a soloist, hiding under it in the mix. Near a speaker or on recordings, it’s like diapers. Messy! They've been doing that since what, 2010? And that keytar sound, ick!  

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2017 by cowtown
new board, not use to it yet

[cowtown]

2 hours ago, corpsband said:

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2017 by cowtown
I said I wasn't use to it