Will a 2009 Blue Devils Title win signal a change ?

[saxfreq1128]

Great question Brasso. I think a lot of us have been suggesting just this very thing in terms of trends for some months now. In fact, it has already begun....both BD and Crown (the two top ranked corps) are doing out of box things this year. True, Crown is a little closer to the traditional but they are definately using some of BD's tricks from last year. So...I think if your design team is creative enough and can absorb new ideas without offending the traditions of drum corps and keep up your captions (guard, brass, percussion) you will be a contender in the future. IMO, those corps that continue to do rapid, kaleidoscopic drill in the future will do well but will not contend for a ring. The signal has been sent and two years in a row BD has gone practically undefeated, what more do the other corps need to see to know that THIS is the direction of design.

Yeah, you don't have to win a title to have an impact on drum corps design thereafter. (See: Star 93, for example.) I was amused (in a good way) to see that BD's running to sets thing in 2008 -- which I remember a lot of people complaining about -- caught on with Crown this year, to little dissent it seems (and I think Crown emphasizes it a lot more.)

Personally, I'd be weirded out if BD started doing breakneck drill like the Cadets, or if the Cadets started doing hyper-curvilinear drill like BD. I like that the corps have their own style. BD's jazzier feel wouldn't really fit the Cadets' drill anyway, and vice versa. The corps will stay as they are, I bet, and borrow where appropriate. (Bd's chairs are a bigger part of the show than the set pieces the Cadets used in 95, for example, but the emphasis on making an obstacle course of sorts for the corps members strikes me as sort of similar. Same for the Cavs and their ladders.)

Also, BD isn't the only corps this year not to emphasize high velocity drill. I can think of a much-loved show from another California corps that doesn't exactly offer visual fireworks (but manages to be great, nonetheless.)

Edited August 3, 2009 by saxfreq1128

[jjeffeory]

Only problem with this for me is I still think Devils arrangements sound choppy this year.

The arrangements are still choppy and "thick".

I think that if they win with this design, as I've said since I saw it the first time this season, others in the marching arts community will copy it.

It's not a return to less drill or even "less" visual demand. It's really a shift in how visual is done.

[DCI dad]

Props have been around for years. BD is using the chairs as an aspect of their show which I think fits into both the theme(30's jazz)

and as added visual tool giving a vertical dimension and obstacles to the drill.

Many others have used a prop or two in recent years......

Cavies ladders in 2005

Cadet's door in 2005(yes even Cadets)

Crown's fence panels in 2007(yes even Crown)

Spirit's Broadway signs in 2005

SCV's disapearing Phantom in 1989

Not to mention every Bridgemen and Velvet Knights show

This year the top 5 are great shows. The top 12 are really good. I for one hope that each year we as fans are this lucky.

I don't care if someone rolls out a living room set if the show is good.

Wait, that's been done.

[behold888]

I got to thinking about the Blue Devils 2009 show this weekend. It seems to be a polarizing show this year. There is no question that Corps around them are doing more velocity in their drill, and a lot more drill movements just in general. The 2009 Blue Devils are the antithesis of this notorious high velocity movements in drill we have come to expect the last decade. Might the Blue Devils use of chairs be symbolic that it's time now to perhaps slow down the drill velocity and all the fast moving to formations, etc and to simply pause and ( pardon the pun ) and just " take a seat " for a bit ? Think about this for a moment. Might the Blue Devils unique show this year be perhaps the start of a new trend...... perhaps a new era ?

The 70's and 80's were the years of the music first, and the visual 2nd. Those who liked this era point to the melody, the music, the extended songs. Those who were a bit unsatisfied with this era point to to the " park and bark " and the overly simplistic drill in some ( but not all ) of the Corps in this era.

The 90's and today represented the birth of the Visual Age in the Drum Corps era. Those who prefer this era point to the more intricate visual patterns being created on the field over previous eras, and the better integration of the guards and so forth. Those who find this era less satisfying oftentimes point to the choppiness of the music to fit the predominance in the shows which now in this era are the visual components. This era is symbolized by more complex music and high velocity drill move requirements.

I have often said that the high velocity Visual Age would not go on indefinately. I said a few years ago, that Drum Corps would at some point begin to slow down the high velocity movements and that there would be a new age ushered in where the instuments ( or props ) used on the field would signal in the birth of the new era. I also told friends that the beginnings of the new era would, as they always do, come from the design of the show from the winning Corps at Championshiips some year. I also said that this Corps would NOT win with a demanding drill, but they would do so with a unique style that would be highly controversial because it will be seen as " not as demanding " as the other Corps. But I said that this Corps will slow things down with a decidedly slower pace of marching, and with creative visual moves done in place with precision and with unparalleled uniformity and precision.

Little did I know that the 2009 edition of the Blue Devils may be issuing in a new era so soon. But it just might have all the hallmarks of a new era : The Corps starts their show with a highly unusual slow cadence. They use stationary props ( chairs ) in a manner that the marchers use ( I know I'm going to catch hell with this, but it is how I view it ) in a brilliant... yes... brilliant manner. The marchers movements on and off these stationary chairs is by no means easy. If not done in unison, the effect misses it's intended goal. The Corps has the talent in brass and percusssion and particularly the guard to pull off the difficult and make it all seem so easy. Making something difficult look easy is exactly what the Blue Devils are doing this year ( my opinion ). And they execute the hell out of their show. If the Blue Devils win the Title this year, this controversial show we may look back years from now and acknowledge that 2009 was the year that Drum Corps began to slow down their high velocity marching shows just a bit and began a new era where balance was struck between the Visual and the Musical, and where many of the most creative visual moves were done in place, not in high velocity field movements. Thoughts ?

The idea is that you play your game and you play it well. So whatever style they want to put on the field, if they do it well, they have a chance. I don't see the trend changing, really. Though, that's not saying that corps won't follow...

[acolli17]

I'm actually looking for someone to prove me wrong with this comment, because I don't like my opinion on it. I just feel like it's heading too much in to BOA land. With the voice, the synths, and the extended use of props, I just don't like the way we're moving.

Can someone give me evidence of otherwise (nicely, please)?

[TastyWaves]

I am reading in several threads about how so many people hate this because its going to make all of the other corps do what they did to win.

For starters, I dont think thats a general thing that happens. Most of the top level corps do what they do regardless of other peoples beliefs about what they are doing.

How often do we really see the lower half scoring corps try to do what the upper half are doing?

Lets just say (out of a hat) are the Cascades, Jersey Surf, Pioneer, or the Mandarins doing ANYTHING that resembles Phantom Regiment from last year?

What is Pacific Crest doing that is so "Phantom Like" (since were implying that the lower scoring corps will follow the higher scoring corps lead)

On that note, lets talk about the Winners.

Did Phantom Regiments show last year resemble what the Blue Devils did in 07? did 07 Blue Devils resemble Cavaliers 06? Did Cavalies 06 do ANYTHING Cadets 05 did? No. in fact, it went the opposite way. Cadets 05 had crazy story telling, velocity and of course the vocals, Cavaliers came out with a concept (not a story), had no vocals, only an amplified sound effect here of there. etc.

You can go as far back as you want.

Sure, there is influence out in the Marching Arts as a whole, but i dont think we need to be worried about Copy Cats with chairs.

Now to respond to the OP (as opposed to all of the responses)

I do not think so.

I think we can expect most of the corps to stick to thier identities. Some of the corps who lack identity might take a cue here or there from a top dog, but not neccesarily based on results of the contest.

Good question though.

I hope everyone stays in their style and that those without a style will get one soon.

[chris ncsu]

I'm actually looking for someone to prove me wrong with this comment, because I don't like my opinion on it. I just feel like it's heading too much in to BOA land. With the voice, the synths, and the extended use of props, I just don't like the way we're moving.

Can someone give me evidence of otherwise (nicely, please)?

I don't know about voice and synth vs BOA...but corps have been using props for decades....large numbers of them in some cases.

[shaners]

i thought phantom winning last year would signal a change back to a more straight forward show design, in terms of everything being WITHIN the traditional drum corps approach. For some corps it did, for most it did not. I suspect that BD's show will not have a huge effect.

[crfrey71]

I'm actually looking for someone to prove me wrong with this comment, because I don't like my opinion on it. I just feel like it's heading too much in to BOA land. With the voice, the synths, and the extended use of props, I just don't like the way we're moving.

Can someone give me evidence of otherwise (nicely, please)?

We are already there, IMO.

Some other interesting points.

As someone else mentioned, winning doesn't have an impact on the move forward with a new approach, like his example of Star '93 shows. Good example of innovators are:

1. Cadets in the 80's really changed the visual game. High velocity, asymmetric drill is introduced.

2. Phantom introduced the complete show theme concept (1982?)

3. Star introduced minimalistic style of drum corps shows.

4. Cavies unique style of drill (which many corps still today are mimicking)

5. BD (and cadets) revolutionizing the drum breaks, with body movement and attitude. You see this from every corps now.

Anyways, I think drum corps revolutionizes on it's own. Not with some corps winning it. Did we get electronics from some corps winning, by using it? No. Did we get synths the same way. No. Voice? No.

[cowtown]

I don’t really agree with the OP premise

What we are seeing from BD this year is more of what we saw last year –a show designed around visual effect. It works if you have a good guard (as they do) and is the biggest caption one can own…with all that bleed into other captions

It’s really more of a WGI show in its arranging

I’m surprised other corps haven’t followed suit as much – it screams to me writing to the sheets to max out scores

Not my style of show at all so I hope its not the trend

brass has been moved to a background for guard and drums