BDCorno

Bloo >>> Boston >>> Crown if they clean it up.

I'll take the other finals ticket if available

Yeah a couple. They’re looking very good.

They should be. Boston been cleaning and BD have been making changes.

Blue Devils have made substantial changes in drill, music, staging and sound since San Antonio. The performance was what I’d expect when they have to think about new material in multiple areas. Knowing BD, they’ll be cleaning nonstop the rest of the week and will be ready for Atlanta.

Hey I thought *I* was the legend. 😝

Have a guy interested in one seat for semi ‘s, would you consider selling?Have a guy interested in one seat for semi ‘s, would you consider selling?

They just had their day off in Denver after the show there. I can tell that they’re still getting back on track. Look out.

Yes, yes, it was. It was.

Sorry, I thought you were referring to something elseSorry, I thought you were referring to something else

None

Me too. No protection though. Bring it on.

I just laugh at the “play to the sheets” conspiracy theory. If anyone has seen the sheets...I haven’t in a few years, but as a former judge, the most recent sheets I’ve seen were so vague, you couldn’t really write a show or create a template based on the criteria. They speak of design depth and performance quality, but there’s nothing specific that says you have to have this many tosses, or X amount of notes from the horns, or a certain advanced rudiment to “put you over the top”. It is open source, there is not some secret sword that needs to be removed from a stone, or some ancient manuscript which needs to be translated. The thought is just asinine and ridiculous. I think there are three basic things that set Blue Devils apart from the immediate competition (many times, not always but they succeed at these more often than not) : 1. Layered and varied movement vocabulary from all sections 2. transitions, transitions, and transitions. Absolutely the best transitions in the business. 3. Getting the absolute best out of the performers and program at the right time. The ability of staff to have the corps peaking not only at Indy, but also on finals night, is probably the most compelling and important distinction. I have attended most of the finals over the past 10 years, and can think of two specific instances in which they may have finished second on any other night without a peak performance - 2015 and 2019. In both instances, they pulled out that ace and turned the two pairs into a full house. This type of phenomenon has happened repeatedly over the years, and that’s what sets them apart. This is not to discredit or discount any of the top contenders such as crown, bluecoats, etc. The performance and design quality of all groups, especially at the top, is really outstanding. When you get up into the medals, the difference between groups is almost imperceptible and requires a very critical eye and ear. Just as with Olympics and professional athletes, the difference between rings and second place Is the ability to deliver when the chips are down.

In my opinion, it will be the death knell for the activity. Most of the amazing things you see and hear are based on a competitive framework. The spirit of one-upsmanship is what motivates designers and performers to constantly push the envelope on what is possible, and how well they do it. That has been the lifeblood of the activity, spanning decades prior to the DCI era. How fans, parents and members treat the competitive aspects of the activity is a different story. Competition has been so downplayed in the past couple of decades, I find the vast majority of marching members to be quite supportive of other groups and not overly obsessed with winning. There is a healthy percentage of fandom that share the same sentiment. If one is overly stressed, or a feeling the need to bash/make an enemy of groups competing with their favorite, then perhaps they need some introspection and/or therapy. it doesn’t matter if it’s Little League baseball, professional sports or DCI, there will always be people who behave badly. There isn’t much anyone can do about that other than shake their head and move on. Those types are in a distinct and small minority, but social media gives a disproportionate impression as to their presence. I think removing the one thing that has made the biggest impact on progress of the activity would be a huge mistake.

2019 finals. So a couple years, but only a show or two.

What are you saying? 🤣

Could be worse...at least it’s not alumni costuming. 🤣

Don’t want to throw the uniform company under the bus, but they arrived late and there were some major fit issues. Not sure if this particular issue was part of it, but they have a way to go to get everyone fitted properly

Love the performance level and such, but the program really looks and feels like Babylon 3. The 2019 production had that similar vibe, and maybe they're just adopting that persona permanently, but it felt a bit stale in terms of concept. As with most of the top groups, they'll figure it all out and have everything dialed in...but they missed an opportunity to assume the alpha spot. Seems they're playing catch-up at this point, and BD have the attention of the younger crowd. You could feel the energy level of the kids in the stands from SCV to BD. BD is the trendy choice, at least at the moment. Good job capturing a bit of the pop culture vibe.

I'd say they are way better. I know of a person that took video from the stands at finals a few times, and the sound was better then FloMarching, and almost as good as the official recordings. Wouldn't surprise me. I do believe the tapes and such are a cloud based platform.

Uniform delivery was waaay behind. Some of the uniform components weren't used this weekend, so we'll see those in subsequent performances. Apparently many fitting issues as well. It does suck when you have those types of distractions at the worst time (like when they finally delivered our jackets in 1976 at the Concord show), but you adapt and overcome. Color scheme and all is nice, and working well. As always, excited for the finished product. Many fail to realize it, but BD programs are a constantly evolving organism until very, very late in the season. "Blocked in" visually early season, a "once over" refining of major show components/concept early season to San Antonio, a second pass through the show to focus and smooth transitions, then frosting on the cake between Allentown and Indy. Definitely a method that has proven effective, and they'll continue to grow until the last minute of the last rehearsal before finals. Never coasting.

Wellll maybe. The show was complete for the Friday rehearsal...the past couple active years, the ending wasn't really in, so in a way they are more complete but with less dotted i's and crossed t's. It's a really young (BD experience) but very talented group. The "test" was very much passed with their performance at Pasadena. Something close to 155 new Blue Devils, experiencing the excitement, extreme stress and sheer terror of that first performance with the historical kings of DCI. The run at the Rose Bowl was a huge step up from Friday night. Parts that were a little loose tightened up, and I was pleasantly surprised with the response to the challenge. At this point, not my favorite show but it's early. I've said this many times, and by the end of the year I'm grinning big time. I am impressed and do enjoy what they have now, but miles to go. As discussed with staff, they're already making huge strides from day to day. The kids are just scratching the surface and already impressing. Drum line already going toe to toe with SCV, winning drums last night. Brass line sounding great with Chip Crotts heading up the caption and bringing a more aggressive approach. Color guard has tons of potential, some of the dance work is pretty impressive already. Equipment book is featuring "level up" versions of tosses and such (direct response to Boston's repertoire in 2019), but still a long way to go. Excited for the final version of the program, and if the kids max it out, they'll absolutely be in the discussion.

For sure. If anyone found out exactly who I was... 😨😁

And it’s a very small base at that. During our alumni get together yesterday, I asked someone involved with the organization closely, how many members they have that marched 2019. Answer is about 8...out of 162. That’s just an incredible turnover, but not surprising during a time where groups like BD were almost all 18 to 21-year-olds. Take two full years off, you’re not gonna have much left. The talent level is obvious, staff and design team still at the top of the activity. Where things get interesting is trying to upload the history, traditions, culture, and mindset of the organization into an empty vessel. That is going to be a process. It was heartening to see the excitement of the group after they came off the field last night. Was really proud of the performance they put on for a first show. To think that about 155 performers were simultaneously experiencing the excitement, stress, and sheer terror of a first performance with Blue Devils! Annnd pulling it off well enough to get a standing O from discriminating and hard-to-impress alumni like myself, and another who is on staff with another top tier brass program. All that said, they have such a long way to go but the initial iteration is a great start. I was chatting with a long time friend and staff member at rehearsal on Friday. They alluded to how this group has made huge leaps forward in terms of performance, and they expect more of the same all summer. I think it’s going to be a special bunch by August.

Hi, I am hoping you could leave the New England Patriots out of comparisons. They simply don’t win often enough to be in the discussion. 😜