FinanceBuzz

As a Max Verstappen and a Blue Devils fan, I endorse this post! Max has been sheer dominance since the early stages of 2022 when he swapped a few races with Le Clerc in his Ferrari. But he eventually pulled away and only lost a handful of races down the stretch. Then last year the only losx not to Checo early in the season (and I think, as you noted, he may have had car troubles) was the Singapore race when Sainz won on a night when it was just not working for Max. This year he is looking as dominant as ever. I think he's been on every poll (not counting the Chinese sprint race). That gap he put up on Hamilton in the sprint Sunday after he passed him after he worked out his battery settings was astounding. Made me think of Schumi pulling away and leaving everyone in the vast distance 20 years ago. Now, if only my college football team could be as dominant as BD and Max instead of our hated rivals. But, you can't have everything!

I thought I read that someone said it was the last major show announcement. I don't follow things too closely until June (aside from BD) so I assumed all the corps had announced. My bad. I generally like the Bluecoats show music but last year was the first time I really liked Crown's probably since the space show. They are hit-and-miss with me and often more miss. I am curious to what they both will do.

Save the best for last of course!

Just pulled up the charts that I could on Apple Music and...WOW. this could be a good show muscially! That ballad already has me....it could be their best one since 2017. Normally, it takes me to around DCI Southwest to really connect to a show. Might not take that long this summer! I'm already excited! Threepeat! GO DEVS!! Note: I finally read the description. I am not a huge art person and don't usually pay a ton of attention to the art description of these shows. But after reading their show summary, I did some Googling. Turns out I am planning to be in Paris on vacation this summer and am planning to visit the Pompidou Centre where they have the BLUE Nude II which is a Cut-Out painting! Oh, what timing for that! I still won't know much about the piece of art, but I can appreciate its connection to the Devils!

I was watching them warmup last week and I was amazed at how few faces I had seen from the past. In fact, the only one I recognized was Brandon Olander. I had to go to the Roster on the BD app to see if there were any other vets. I can't remember a year where there were so few. Did they have a lot of age outs or just guys that did not return?

For me, these "uniforms" this season may be the straw that breaks the camel's back. I am not saying I will stop paying any attention to DCI - I have been avidly following it for over 30 years. But when DCI is becoming WGI on a football, my interest wanes. Yes, I am old school. To me, DCI peaked in the 80s and 90s. But I rolled with the punches through the 00s when electronics took the activity down a path that has resulted in major changes to what it is - a decline IMO. I have put up with the singing, the pianos, the guitars, the sound effects. etc. I have tolerated and, in some cases, come to like the stage pieces that has cluttered the football field and detracted from the drill. I have lived with the checklist of swaying, rolling on the ground, etc. that all corps seem to insert into each show, all transforming the movement from marching more toward dance and performance "art." Despite all that, I accepted that corps could still be great in the "new" system even if I personally don't consider that level of greatness on par with the 80s and 90s. But with the Bluecoats "color guard unis" two years ago, things have fallen apart FAST. To me, DCI is not just about the music otherwise, corps would just sit in chair and play a concert. I love the visual aspect, especially the look of the corps. Seeing the crisp uniforms and headgear, juxtaposed against the themed color guard attire was a look that screamed DCI to me. Despite some tweaks in unis, you could tell who the old-line corps were. Some almost never changed at all. Though I am not a big Cadets fan, they held to their look, for the most part, the entire 30-plus years of the activity while I have been a fan. But when I pulled up their uni photos last night (I have been traveling the first week and a half of the season, so I have been a little out of the loop) I was shocked by what I saw. When they have completely abandoned tradition, I knew DCI has moved to a phase where it is getting close to unrecognizable to the activity I loved for so long. I love the Blue Devils, but they can't seem to keep a look either and this year, they largely abandoned their classic blue on black that has at least been pretty consistent. I already have tickets to the Southeastern championship and I would not consider skipping it. I also plan to hit the lot at a local show in metro Atlanta next week. I had toyed with making a trip to Indy for the first time since 2014, but, due to waning interest and other reasons, that is now off the table. I am just not excited like I normally am. I am still checking scores, but I don't feel that same drive to look at late scores first thing every morning. Maybe that will change in the next few weeks. I expect to subscribe to FloMarching again now that I am back home and can stream shows, so we will see what my impression is Saturday night. I do think many of the musical books this year and over the last few years have really improved over five to 10 years ago. However, maybe this is the year, where I just check on Finals scores the next morning as I spend July looking forward more to the start of college football than I do to DCI Finals. I am sure DCI won't miss me or any other of the old guard that may lose interest, but I already miss the DCI I loved for years.

Classic Blue Devils....while last year had some classic-feeling moments, and I personally thought parts of 2011 sounded old school, I can't remember the last time I could say that more than a snippet of a BD show sounded like "classic Blue Devils." Granted, depending on age, I guess we all have a difference definition of classic! Part of me wants to wait to see any clips until Family Day...but I know I will be scouring the interwebs later tonight for something from tonight! GO DEVS!! 19!!

That is music to my ears! I am more excited, at this point in the pre-season, for BD than I have been in years! Can't wait to find out the musical selections! GO DEVS!! 19!!

we shall see. I focused in on the window last night and ignored everything else going on...and nothing. I was a little disappointed and it took away from the quarterfinals experience for me since I was truly expecting something. I think for tonight and tomorrow, I will just take the show in as it comes. If something happens with the window, great. If not, I plan to just enjoy the last two (hopefully three with an encore Saturday night! ;) ) performances of Metamorph! GO DEVS!! 18!!

I actually thought the audio was pretty poor for BD. Seems like the mix was muffled during the ballad. Of course, I have been watching a lot of YouTube video with audio likely recorded on a phone.

Did they drop AMC? I went to AMC last year IIRC and I know I went there for most years in the last decade. I have moved, so the AMC I used to go isn't convenient and one of the local AMCs play BLL. Fortunately, the Regal near me now is the most comfortable in my area, though I prefer the AMC rewards program to Regal's. I have been to the Tour Premiere last year and this year at that Regal as well as Final two years ago and tonight. Can't wait to see BD! GO DEVS!!! 18!!

I have not watched it yet, but I agree. If there are changes re: the window, I do NOT want to see them until I am in the theater tonight so I get the full effect of it's performance unveiling. Minor drill changes I am fine with seeing now. I just keep hearing that closer replaying in my head. Absolutely cannot wait to see them tonight. I will always be an old-school guy, but there is something about this musical book that has connected with me in a way that almost no BD show has in nearly 25 years! GO DEVS!!! 18!!

Nice analysis! I have recently starting to look into modeling, so, while I did not grasp a lot of your discussion, I followed some and found it quite interesting. I have saved it to Evernote so I can refer to later as I learn more! Thanks for posting! (And I hope your model is wrong and that the Devs get 17!! #SpillSomeInk ;) )

The new ending really makes this show pop. I didn't see them live until Nashville last night. Between that, rehearsal today and the Dome tonight I'm really liking this show. Seeing it in person gives a different feel that online just can't convey. Now I did wind up liking 2012 and 2013 but I am a diehard Devs fan and am just a tad biased.

I'd rather have trombones than electronics. That being said, the pitch bend is the best use electronics since these were added. Perhaps I'm getting soft with my "unplug" perspective but I think it's an incredibly creative and innovative effect.

Not a bad looking uniform if you are a Johnny Come Lately corps with no heritage formed at a community center three years ago in Wheeling, WV. Not as crazy from what I can tell as the last three years, but...and here is the rub...it doesn't immediately say "This is the Blue Devils." I was hoping it was the B or C corps. What is up with the shakos? No matter how weird BD unis got, they have ALWAYS had the eagle on the front of the shako...and now that tradition has been tossed aside. Very sad to see. :( It looks more like Blue Knights or Bluecoats. Kinda like 89 when BD was the Black Devils. Just don't get why a corps with as rich or richer a heritage as does BD, doesn't embrace it. When Cadets, Cavies or Phantom walk onto the field, you KNOW who it is. Tons of respect for Cadets because they have looked about the same almost every year since I started following DCI in 1987. Hope I like the show. I like the uni...it is really sharp looking....but NOT for BD. It's not "them." Regardless...GO DEVS!! 16!! #BDWantsTheirTrophyBack

2018...ugh. I knew LOS was the site for a while, but I did not realize it was that long. It is a nice stadium and, from where I live in Atlanta, I can make it a weekend road trip which helps the cost. But I HATE drum corps in Domes - LOS and the Georgia Dome. Even more than football, DCI needs to be outdoors. I have gone to DCI Minnesota the last two years and that is a great place for drum corps. I also enjoy DCI Masters at MTSU in Murfreesboro. But I would love to see DCI get out of these domes or, in the case of LOS, at least open the roof.

I am not trying to diss on Crown's show at all. They had a really good show and I think it is one I will enjoy watching and listening to in the future. Had BD not been in contention, I would have been pleased such an appealing show won. And I agree they have some great moving parts as well. Just those respective parts of the shows are what really stand out in my mind's eye as highlights of the respective shows.

I did not phrase that very well. I was comparing two subsets of the show for each corps that stand out in my mind. I was thinking of the "Fanfare for the Common Man" part for Crown which was fanstastic. It was not a "ton of notes" chart but was the loud, slow and in control. For BD, while the "Apollo 13" part is as you describe, I was thinking more about the running notes in the various voices in "Bird and Bela."

Let me first say, I do agree with the general idea that DCI has gotten away from its roots. I will link that to synthesizers and electronics primarily. Unlike G v. B-flat horns or other old v. new debates, synthesizers fundamentally altered the key definition of drum and bugle corps. I have railed and railed against electronics since 2005 and especially since 2009 when the synthesizers arrived. About three years ago, I too contemplated whether I would continue going to DCI shows. I watched my first broadcast on PBS in 1987 and have gone to at least one show annually every year except one since 1989. That includes six world championships and other "travel" shows where I have wrapped a vacation around travelling to DCI shows. I am a pretty intense fan who never marched. Where I will disagree is the state of drum corps currently. These last two years have restored my faith in the activity. I still hate the electronics and think the one, best thing we could do for DCI is simply pull the plug. But this year I made my peace that the pre-2005 style of drum corps is likely never coming back (though there could eventually be a "DCI Unplugged" backlash, but I am not holding my breath). What was great in 1986 or 1995 is great on a higher unattainable plane post-2004. However, "modern" drum corps can be great in and of itself. And I think we have seen that the last two years. I think hiring Michael Cesario to oversee this focus on entertainment has been a phenomenal success. I just returned from Finals and I also attended DCI Minnesota and DCI Atlanta this year. This season had the most enjoyable shows in a very, very long time. In Minneosta, I said there were two unentertaining shows - by last night, I said there was only one. More on that in a moment. Bottomline, though 2011-2012 pales compared to the 1980s and 1990s drum corps, I consider these two years to be the best in 10-15 years. Where I have to seriously disagree with you is with the Blue Devils. I will preface this by noting, I am a die-hard BD fan. I have loved them since the first time I saw them on that PBS broadcast in 1987. I am not going to tell you I have loved every one of their shows. I consider most of their shows from 1994 and later to be largely unmemorable or distinctive in my mind, though I tended to enjoy most of them over other shows in any given year. When I heard their family day recording for this season, I was appalled at the "yapping French guy" who distracted from what I even then thought was a pretty solid musical book. I really, really hated the narration. My opinion did not change when I saw them rehearse the day of DCI Minnesota or that night at UM. Before scores were announced that evening, I tweeted that, though I love BD and hoped they won, I would have a hard time defending them placing ahead of Crown or Cadets. I was honestly shocked but mildly pleased that they won DCI Minnesota, but I had a forboding thought that if they win with that show over all the other fantastic shows, what does that portend for the future of DCI? Would that get us off this track of improved shows? Unlike recent years, I did not rush to buy and download the recording from San Antonio. I was solidly behind my Devs, but was really underwhelmed. I went to their rehearsal the day of DCI Atlanta with a friend who marched with them in 1986. Our views, both tending toward old school, were pretty much in line - what in the world is up with this show design? What happened after that I cannot fully explain. I had a seat in the upper deck of the Georgia Dome that night and it was the first time I had seen "Cabaret Voltaire" from up high. Something clicked that night and, while I cannot say I grasped all the artistic mumbo-jumbo (I am an engineer and finance professional by training..I don't "do" art! ;) ), the show clicked as far as the music, the intensity, the drill and the overall production concept. From that moment, I was gaga over Dada. I have come to love this show. I finally fell into the flow of the music and appreciated that there was far more of BD's signature jazz in this show than in many shows 10 years or so ago. I even came to find some of the "French jabbering," when paired with the opener soprano (sorry...as I said old school...I hate admitting they are trumpets now!) and flugel solos was hauntingly beautiful. Crown had a fine show. Unlike last year, I really enjoyed Crown's show and could have lived with it had it beaten BD. But it did not win because it was not better. This was apparent from up high in Lucas Oil Stadium last night. Their drill was not as crisp as BD and at times, while innovative and impressive, was cluttered. A friend felt their drums where much dirtier than BD, a fact reflected by the drum scores. Though they won high brass, and while I appreciate playing loud, slow and in control is not easy, I personally found their brass book to lack some of the difficultly of BD's. BD's brass in the encore was sizzling and while I am sure they let loose at that point and while I don't argue that Crown had excellent brass, again born out by the scores, their gap over BD in horns was not as large as BD's gap in drums. Even to my friend who is not biased toward BD like I am and had not been to a show this year and loathed the "French dude," he admitted that BD was better and deserved to win. I am not going to tell you what should and should not entertain you. It is highly unlikely that you are going to like every show when you see it or maybe ever. When I saw Star in 1993, I hated that show. But later, I came to realize that was a show ahead of its time and I have come to really enjoy it. If you don't like 2012 (or 2011, or...) Blue Devils that is fine. And you may never like it. I said earlier, I thought there were two unentertaining shows in Minnesota but I had come down to one by last night. It should be apparent that the one I removed from that list was the Blue Devils. The other show I found tedious, completely "uncorpslike" with an excessive reliance on extremely edgy and annoying electronics that were far more offensive even than the "French dude" was the Cavaliers. In fact, I knew from when I saw Cavies back in Minnepolis, that was my bathroom break corps this year. I had already planned last night to head out to not have to see Cavies and stay out for the intermission. (I actually wound up heading out to hear Devs do Space Chords last night in the park and I was very glad I did...it was ELECTRIC!). Obviously, Cavies get a ton of love from people. Personally, I don't get it and I have not gotten it in a very long time. To me, they are the worst offenders in the area of electronics and their show designs simply don't typically connect with me. While I may not like Cavies and can give you lots of reasons along the lines that you have for BD this year why I don't, I am not going to drop the activity because of one show that I don't like. You can do as you wish. I realize "Cabaret Voltaire" was not the fan favorite. When I was in the theater Thursday, I heard some boos on the rundown of upcoming corps that you mentioned. While most corps received applause in the theater, I was the only one applauding - loudly! :) - for BD. Last night, Crown got a big ovation, but plenty of people - more than I expected honestly - applauded BD. My point is - don't assume that because you don't like the Blue Devils show, that no one does. As for whether DCI should be about competition, to each his own, but I love competition. I realized last night, I could not fully enjoy Crown's show because they were the threat to BD's fifteenth title and I was really nervous they could pull off the upset. That got me to thinking about would I keep coming to drum corps shows if there was no the competitve element. I have heard George Hopkins talk about how he dislikes it being competitive (though Cadets do try to win so go figure). Yes, there have been times when BD has not blown me away, but, in the spirit of competition, I have been intensely into the season and their show. Basically, I am not sure I would keep coming if it were just exhibitions, especially given that in this modern age of drum corps, so few shows can blow me away like they did in the 80s and 90s. When I saw Madison in Minneapolis, that was the first time, in a very long time, I had a "throwing babies" moment. Both during Malagueña and the final company front, I was on my feet, both arms thrust in the air, cheering. Almost no show, even BD, has had that effect on my in probably nearly 20 years. Given that, without the competitive angle, I don't see any point in continuing to spend the time and money to attend shows, barring a return to the style that made DCI unique and very distinct from being merely a "BOA on a much higher level." All I can say is, today, while I am sure I am in the vast minority of the DCI fan base, I am thrilled to death that the Blue Devils are the 2012 DCI Champions and I thoroughly enjoyed the show that won. DADA!

I agree whole-heartedly. Open the roof! Even more than football, drum corps should be outside. I have gone to DCI Minnesota the last two years and Masters in Murfreesboro for over a decade. The Georgia Dome and Lucas Oil are nice, but the sound is horrible comapred to the open-air stadiums. Now, I don't know if a dome with an open roof qualifies sound-wise as open air or not. Indy is a driveable trip for me - I plan to drive to my second Finals there Friday and Saturday - but I would much rather see Finals return to a college stadium that is a traditional outdoor stadium. The sound quality will be much better and Finals should have the best of that. Regadless...GO DEVS!! 15!! DADA!!

I too must congratulate the Cadets. I am a die hard Devils fan and was definitely hoping for number 15 this weekend. But I have said ever since I saw Cadets in the theater in June that they had a really good show this year. I have some serious issues with a lot of the BOA feel in too many shows recently. Crown, Cavies (last year), Blue Stars, Bluecoats and even, with the props, Devs come to mind. That being said, there were some really good shows this year and Cadets had one of them. I have not liked many of the Cadets shows since electronics started. I hated 2005 and the "Tony Robbins Self Esteem" show in 07 (???) but last year and this year, Cadets have gone back to doing solid shows that really feel more like classic drum corps. So if BD could not have won this year, I am glad to see a solid drum corps show like Angels and Demons take the title. Congrats to their members, Hoppy and staff, alums and their fans. Enjoy it! But don't count on 11 next year...BD is getting 15 in just under 52 weeks! ;)

I still advocate that whenever possible, drum corps should be outdoors. I definitely see your point and I was thinking last night as I read comments on Twitter about the storms in Indy, that that was the first being inside as a good thing. I oppose indoor drum corps because of the sound quality. I go to the Southeastern regional in the Georgia Dome every year and went to Indy two years ago and the acoustics ,especially in Atlanta, are terrible. Personally, I prefer college football stadium to pro facilities in general (I am a die hard college football guy who doesn't care much about the NFL so that is where that comes from). I was at Finals in 93 when there was some heavy rain that night and it was not fun. I seem to recall someone from Cavies slipping and falling on the rain-slick field. But, similar to you, I do see the advantage of a facility like Lucas Oil Stadium with a retractable roof. Except when there is rain, they should keep the roof open at all times but, should storms roll in, they can opt to go with an indoor show.

You should have seen Twitter last night. I was tweeting and monitoring it from the Dome. There was a lot more of the "I hope BD doesn't win" sentiment than there was for other corps. I get it. Winners get a lot of hate. See the Yankees, the Dallas Cowboys, etc. It's just party of the territory. You go to the shows and you see far more Cavies shirts and hats than most other corps but for the life of me I fail to see what is so great about their shows year in and year out (aside from usually being clean and they do have cool drill at many points) to warrant all the love. I just had an exchange with a guy on Twitter saying the same things about difficulty and such. Fine. I love BD, I don't apologize for it and I am enjoying them riding this wave. Cadets may still well beat them - I think Cavies have peaked but I could be wrong - and if they do, because they have a really good and entertaining show, I can live with that. The last two years, the run up to Finals was sort of a coronation for BD with only a little drama and suspense. I hate that they are not undefeated this year, but, combined with a show I really love, I am enjoying this year so much more because when I saw them in the theater I said "No threepeat" and the wave they are riding now has been a lot of fun and so much more exciting then most things in 09 and 10. GO DEVS!! 15!!

Precisely. I got met with incredulity on Twitter that I found Cavies boring. Sorry, but that show doesn't do much for me. Wow. They can do drum playing gimmicks. Been there, done that with BD in 08 (and I will note, despite loving the Devs, that show was so-so to me). I am not philosophically opposed to Cavies like I was last year when their overbearing audio clips and electronics, it just does not excite me. Most of their shows don't. That's fine. I don't boo them or even hate them, even last year when I had serious disagreements with the basic components of their show. For me Carolina Crown is where I had Cavies last year philosophically. I hate the components of the show and think it has no place in DCI. I can appreciate Crown's talent and, were it not in DCI, could even enjoy the show. I refuse to applaud or stand at the end of the show, but I do not boo them and I keep my criticism in public forums to those of a philisophical nature that is necessary to support the activity and its future.