dugada

I hope it's just a simple virus running through the corps. BD 82 had some type of flu that took us out of a show and we came back strong. Get well soon and good luck. Looking forward to seeing you in Indi.

I watched BDB run throughs at Mars yesterday. Wow, they are getting realy good. The new ending is a swirling mass of excitment! I think BDB will do very well this year indeed. I also know that there is great competition in open class with a lot of unpredictability. BDB is pushing hard as are all the other corps. I am happy to say that I will be in Indi to witness what will be a fantasitc open class finals! Go BDB! As a Blue Devil it's your job to beat BDB every day. Anything else is just a byproduct of that effort.

Good concept. However who's to say the changes made are any good? What about the judges input, they like to be a part of your growth and by staying home you miss that. Being on tour is far different from going home each night which could result in much different membership cohesion. I say there are pros and cons. Given a choice I'm sure they would like to be on tour. If cutting back on tour expenses allows some of these corps to remain on the field, I say go for it. As for this thread. I like the concept but in no way count on it's accuracy. But what is wrong with comparing BD to Cav's after Cav's have met up with Crown and HNC? It's all speculation anyway. Good job Tez.

WCI cure. DCI West. Stanford University. June 26, 2010 Featuring: Blue Devils SCV Cavaliers Phantom Cadets Bluecoats Crown ....you get the picture. Yeah I know, it's not fair to expect these corps to travel. BD is only visiting the West, Southwest, Midwest, Southeast and Northeast. Completely snubbing the Northwest. Slackers.

I agree that scores are meaningless at this point with the exception of the point spreads between corps at the same show. However there is a point were individual sections start to pop into box 5 on the judging sheets? That is a significant mental milestone that a judge probably puts more weight into. So could it be the score of 80, 85, 90 mean that a corps has significantly crossed that milestone in the opinion of multiple judges?

That's very cool. Kind of a where are they now. I know the BD 80's buses have been spotted hauling prisoners in the deserts of Arizona. My wife came across the oringinal Vanguard "Miss Amana" food truck in a storage yard a few months back and took this snap shot:

Wish I could be there. The "Stillwater Saloon" title brings back great memories. Meister Bar and Grill on 4th St was the hang out for the Blue Devils in the early 80's. We would stop in Stillwater for about a week during the 2nd tour and put the final touches on the show. Some hot BD corps were perfected in that town and cooled down nicely at Meisters in the evening. Keep dry tonight.

I have a solution to the so called inflation. Every year have a significant portion of the East and Midwest corps tour through the west coast. Not just one or two token corps but 5 or 6 of the best of the best. This will give all corps a chance to see each other, get accurate comparison and push the level of competition even higher. In return the west coast corps promise to travel east every year as they have for the last 40 or so years.

BDB had their first shows this weekend looking big and strong! You never know in open class which makes it some of the best competition at DCI! SCVC. Not sure of their final numbers but a bit smaller this year. However they make up for it with a nice sound, accessable music and new uniforms that will give them much better field presence than last years version. This photo is from Saturday with new white pants. At their show on Sunday they added new tops to the uniform with shiny red, white and green accents on the front.

One last thought on the evening. All the corps except BDC and Renegades were using the newly allowed electrionic keyboard. Although I favor a pure hornline sound I'm not opposed to the use of electronics per se. I found that some corps used them sparingly to compliment the corps. Others used them fully exposed for which I did not enjoy. As with all new things we will get used to it. Remember a live brass sound is more vibrant and warmer than anything coming out of those speakers.

Blue Devils. Show is 1930. This will take several viewings to see it all the wonderful things this guard is capable of. The most obvious item is the use of folding chairs. Sometimes to great effect, and sometimes a bit distracting. The music is engaging and surprisingly diverse. I'm really looking forward to another view tomorrow night!

SCV. Appalacian Spring is used throughout the show. Very interesting variations of the chart and use of staging and voices. They did not have the end of the show on the field but formed an arc and hit the crowd with the full on old school version of the chart! Absolutely beautiful, cannot wait to see it with the drill!

BDB. The crowd was amazed at how big this corps is this year. Perhaps not the full 150 but it is said that they have 68 brass! The show is called Pursuit and there are sections of the corps the break out into runs from time to time. Looks to be a very good year for BDB!

Vanguard Cadets were up next. White pants were added to the uniform this year for good effect. Many recognizable tunes and a nice sound from the 30+ horn line.

Blue Devils C corps. Perennial crowd favorite. This years show is a departure for a Blue Devils show, clasical music! Being an old school Blue Devils most of my classical knowlege comes from the old Bugs Bunny cartoons for which I recogninze many of the tunes . The guard was dressed like Marie Antoinette.

The Renegades kicked off the show portion of the evening. Starting the year off with a complete show they are strong will only get stronger from here out. Special treat is the BD standard, One More Time Chuck Corea!

Tonights show was a non-judged event that allows the Blue Devils family and some good friends to come together and kick off the season. As such I'm just going to post a few photos and quick comments. Welcome to 2009! First up was the traditional combined Blue Devil corps family day activities. This is always a lot of fun as the corps combined to rock out on a C corps tune and space cords! It always amazes me to see the diverse age group this organization serves and makes me proud to be a part of it. It was a nice evening, a bit on the cool side but not as bad as some years. DVC has a brand new "funky" turf field to replace the old carpet that turned your shoes green. I had the pleasure of being on top of the press box. One of the advantages of a non-judged show. :)

Jeff getting set up to video the nights festivities. I'll add a few photo's of the corps in the review section.

Without a doubt: 76 Blue Devils and variations throughout the 80's. Bridgemen 27th Lancers Early 80 Freelancers Kilties Phantom Oh and this soon to be Classic:

Sounds like a government run program.

BD 88 Nod to BD 85 for a unique music book that I find myself revisiting often. Recent: 04 SCV

Yeah, I know I marched this year but knowing it from the inside and enjoying the later videos and recordings there is only one choice for me to this day: 1982 Blue Devils

Bad photoshop? A shako would look great! Wearing a shako is miserable. It's bad enough the Renegade do most of their shows in the blazing afternoon sun and wear black. Placing a hot box on their heads is sadistic.

That's awesome, which half? Contribute as you don't want to see these guy's half dressed. I'm not kidding around, they'll do it

The California Don's had the coolest drumcorps buses in history....the Blue Devils Scenic Cruisers. I know that they broke down a lot but you got instant credentials pulling into the parking lot in those bad boys. Strange BD memory I had was when the corps being lectured because someone called them the California Dog's. We were confused as they were a new corps, with Mel Stratton playing latin jazz. What's not to love?