Team_Hawk

I have one more thing to interject here and then I am done with this topic and on to the next one.... Bold Prediction: BD will be a fan favorite at finals. Boom

LOVE your assessment... deconstructing deconstruction! As the activity attempts to become "more innovative/original" it manages to become less innovative, less original.

I am sure you are right... for every person who like BD there will be another who hates them and so the world remains in constant balance haha I am sure a lot of people in Devnver cheered loudly for BD, while some booed, and others may have refrained from clapping or making any sound all together. Unless BD goes 10 years without winning they will never be the fan favorite. We believe in the American Dream, we want the underdog to win... that Cinderalla story. Unless you are a die-hard Yankee fan are you hoping to see them win another World Series? Unless you are a Laker fan do you root for LA to win the NBA finals most of the time? Die-hard BD fans young and old will continue to support them vehemently, and until someone knocks them off the top of the mountain (which Cavies did for a while) others will either dislike them winning or feel completely indifferent about it. Human nature desires the spontaneous.

You're missing the point... the Tupac comment was merely a basic example to illusrate my point. As artforms evolve they tend to become more abstract. Think about how literature has evolved from Shakespeare to the like of Franz Kafka. Or how jazz music evolved from classical orchestras... this type of transformation takes place in all art forms. While rap music has nothing to do with my point, it serves as a comparitive device. I also want to expand my though process to say that it has nothing to do with "better." You might prefer the classic rock of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Zeppelin, etc. over more contemporary music by say the Killers, or Kings of Leon. While the old stuff is most appealing to a hard core rock and rol enthusiast, the new stuff is really good too. I wish some old school folks could open their minds up to the new... it does not have to be "better" than the drum corps you know and love because it is very different...accept it for what it is and appreciate the value in it. I admit, this year BD is a visual spectacle first and foremost and the music serves as a backdrop to the visual package... but it is really effing cool!

While BD's more esoteric "post-modern" style shows may not be fan-favorites of the hardcore Drum Corps enthusiast, I do think their product (especially this year!) is very accessible to casual observers and those in the audience who simply want to be entertained. This is not the 70's, the old style of drum corps is dead... naturally this is how all artistic genres (music, film, art, etc.) evolve. How'd we get from Michaelangelo and Da Vinci to Salvador Dali and Picasso? As a hip-hop fan I can think of a more accessible example. Do you think Grand Master Flash (or even Tupac and Biggie) would have predicted that the hyper-electronic, overly-processed music of artists like Kanye and Drake would become the face of rap music? Wild wildly different from the original product, there is no denying that these modern artists put out an amazing product that is, dare I say, better than what came before it. There is always nostalgia for the past, but I respect how BD has revolutionized drum corps and believe it is GOOD for the activity (granted other ensembles are also revolutionizing the activity in their own way, which is awesome!). This is not drum corps, it is the deconstruction of drum corps, it is meta-Drum Corps and it is wildly entertaining! Two great examples: Fans at the Rose Bowl 4th of July celebration (mostly not drum corps fans but instead regular civilians) paid little attention to the drum corps performances taking place until BD took the field, at which point this non drum-corps crowd did something astonishing.. they actually watched the performance and they loved what they saw. The same weekend a family friend who knows nothing about drum corps attended one of the shows... their reaction... "Interesting activity, very entertaining stuff across all groups, and WOW BD is so much better than everyone else!" This is a marketable product accessible to non drum-corps, non marching-band people and it is good for the activity. Lastly, I know there are many people on these forums who believe Blue Devils perform "non-demanding" programs musically and visually. In my opinion that is absolutely false. Look at the athleticism of their performers the next time you see them live, it is awesome! As is that of other groups. Thoughts?

Please excuse my ignorance... I have been reviewing the G7 discussion forum and I am a little confused what G7 is. Anyone out there care to outline a summary of the G7 Proposal?

I completely agree that Crown deserved the brass title, they sounded amazing. I also agree that the GE caption is confusing and annoying... I have been on the wrong side of GE scores many times in the past.

The notion that Crown was "robbed" of this year's title is completely absurd! I was embarrassed by the response of many Blue Devil fans after last year's upset, which was a true upset in the sense BD was actually winning and was passed at Finals. Crown had a great show, and YES the drill was harder. But I have a news flash for anyone who thinks Crown was robbed... the show was not as clean as BD, especially visually. So we're back at the age old difficulty vs. execution connundrum. Comparing Crown and BD from someone who was there... look at the foot timing, the posture, the clarity of sets, etc. BD was VERY clean this year and they were on top the entire season because of it. Just look at the visual scores... that is not a gimme it is simply great execution. Also, the BD guard and percussion were ridiculous! (BD drums had a 19.9 at semis) They earned this one... sorry haters quit complaining. Congratulations to Crown for an amazing season and fabulous Finals performance. They were definitely the crowd favorite and should be proud of that! But seriously, when were they close to overtaking BD?

They are on the right track...

Congratulations to all competing corps for a wonderful, entertaining and competitive season! I was there, and completely agree that the crowd was not into BD as much as Cadets, Crown and probably SCV (As a sidenote, with finals in Indy for the next decade I doubt the crowd will ever embrace BD as much as some others). I also agree that they do not move as much as Cadets or Crown. However, I think the judges got it right. At the end of the day pleasing the audience is irrelevant to winning, the judges choose the winner. We have been talking about this all summer, BD did not have the most demanding program... OK I conceed. But, they were much cleaner then everyone else. So we're back at square one with the effect vs. deman argument. With the exception of brass (Crown's brass was very impressive) BD won everything, and deserved it. Their drumline and guard were ridiculous this year, not even close (and btw maybe the visual program is not as demanding but what the drumline is playing and the work the guard was doing is incredibly difficult). My synopsis, everyone was great. BD was not the crowd favorite but they were the best, but we all knew that going in. I also want to say congrats to Crown. They had a great performance on Saturday night and I must admit after last year I was a little bit nervous. Congratulations to them for a great season, it's just a matter of time until they win one.

Look... the Cavies are a GREAT drum corps, but their marching technique looks AWFUL, period. Their drill is fantastic, their show designs are amazing, but to claime Cavies move better than some of the other top tier corps is a joke. I don't care what the visual performance scores are, they do not move well. This is not a dig on the Cavies, I completely respect what they do, but let's call a spade a spade.

Back of the bus for all the super vets that like to party... front of the bus is for rookies and nerds. That's just the way it is.

bump

If Cavies, Cadets, or Crown want to catch BD... they should bring do.it.up in as a consultant!!! Look at the brains on this kid. Forget UC San Diego... you can do better than that my friend!

Interesting stuff... The Blue Devils got their name in a very simple way: Blue: Official Color of the VFW (Tony Odello, founder, was a WW2 vet and huge contributor to the VFW) Devil: Mt. Diablo Hence the "Blue Devils"... just thought I would are for those of you who don't know.

I want to throw out a fact that no one has considered yet... The chairs actually make the show much MORE DIFFICULT. Sounds crazy, but it is true. Yes, maybe they sit in the chairs for less than a minute, but trust me... picking those things up and moving them around the field in the middle of your performance is the last thing the members want to do. Plus all the movement around, and ON TOP of the chairs is incredibly challenging. And imagine the kids at practice, everytime they re-set they have to run and grab their chair and re-position that too... I think once more people see this show live many will change their mind as to whether BD desrves the scores they are getting. Last thought, the visual design concept is so well-thought out and the corps is benefiting from the incredible design. The mathematical coordination it takes to move those chairs around like they do is simply mind-blowing. Congrats to BD members and staff, this one is theirs for the taking.

Okay... I usually read without posting but I have got to chime in on this one. The question the difficulty of the devs show, this year or any other, is ludicrous. I marched there for MANY years... I cannot comment on other corps because I did not march there but I can tell you the BD shows are VERY difficult (physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.). Do not mistake exceution and strength with demand. Bob984... you seems to be claiming BD did poorly in percussion last year because their book was not difficult enough. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Their book was TOO difficult, and they did not execute at the same level as some of the other groups. I will refrain comment on the brass book because I don't know anything about it (but I do know how many Ott's BD has;), but year after year BD drums push the envelope on difficulty. Some years it pays off and other years it doesn't. Anyone who knows drumming knows this is undeniably true. The guard work is RIDICULOUS (in a good way) and despite popular opinion (on this forum at least) the drill is extremely demanding. Lastly, when I first saw BD's show this year I was not sold. But seeing it a few weeks later I was BLOWN away. My initial reaction could not be more wrong. This show, and this corps, is the real deal and they will be in fighting contention for the title once again. The show is so well designed. I cannot compare to Phantom, Cavies, Cadets, or Crown bc I have not seen them, but in comparison to SVC and BlueCoats the Blue Devils are on a whole other level this year.