Quad Aces

(Posted also in the "2012 Blue Devils" thread): Seems like Blue Devils didn't get the memo about being more fan-friendly and accessible with their show... I used to be the biggest Blue Devils fan, back when I first became acquainted with them in the mid-80s, when they would just play shows consisting solely of straight-up jazz - seems like the days of "Channel One Suite" are LONG gone. One shouldn't need a PhD in modern art or literature to enjoy a drum corps show. To be fair, it's more of a widespread issue than just the Blue Devils. Somewhere along the line, drum corps became so engrossed with the concept of themed shows that the wheels just about completely fell off the product. Don't get me wrong - the talent level has continued to rise every year as the performances get better and better, however the shows themselves seemed to have gone off the deep end. If you need any proof, you need to look no further than why there was a need to bring Michael Cesario in and create the position for him that DCI did. Last year seemed to get slightly better in terms of accessible shows, but now one year removed, it almost looks like some corps did this just because they were "forced" to, and this year they're back to the same old, same old. Flame away...

Seems like Blue Devils didn't get the memo about being more fan-friendly and accessible with their show... I used to be the biggest Blue Devils fan, back when I first became acquainted with them in the mid-80s, when they would just play shows consisting solely of straight-up jazz - seems like the days of "Channel One Suite" are LONG gone. One shouldn't need a PhD in modern art or literature to enjoy a drum corps show. To be fair, it's more of a widespread issue than just the Blue Devils. Somewhere along the line, drum corps became so engrossed with the concept of themed shows that the wheels just about completely fell off the product. Don't get me wrong - the talent level has continued to rise every year as the performances get better and better, however the shows themselves seemed to have gone off the deep end. If you need any proof, you need to look no further than why there was a need to bring Michael Cesario in and create the position for him that DCI did. Last year seemed to get slightly better in terms of accessible shows, but now one year removed, it almost looks like some corps did this just because they were "forced" to, and this year they're back to the same old, same old. Flame away...