Legolaus Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 1. 1988 - Undefeated, until finals week. Stripped of their blue attire and remade with a neutral color, free to explore and exploit the color pallette, their verion of the Blue Devils exceeds the supply of color in their musical ability and delivery alone. Probably one of the most musical books ever, 88 BD is phenomenal at present true, authentic, melodic, jazz-infused music. This show has it all. Elegance, power, emotion, subtelty, class. A top notch, award winning brass program, sold "Float" percussion, and one of the most elegeant guards they have ever had. The opener with their headresses ? Elegance to the max. I think it is the most underrated drill performance BD ever had, written so perfect to be seamless, ever evolving and staging perfectly what needs to be highlighted. Truly one of thegreatest shows of all time. 2. 1982 - Undefeated. Building on the success and somewhat disappointment of 1981, Concord took the elements of that year(81) to the max, and over extended them in 1982. Completely on fire, completely intenst, flawless, and in your face. Again a solid Brass performance that could teach a class in dynamics and power, Percussion that was truly inovative and formidable, and an award winning guard utilizing a multitude of equipment. The birth of the purple wings, the birth of the guard multi tasking, and truly setting the standard for the future. "One more time..." Cant get any better than this. My, oh my, what intensity, and when they come together at the end and bring us that "wall of sound" (Thanks Rondo) It was an unforgetable moment up in Canada. 3. 1994 - Undefeated. The remade, remodeled, on a mission Blue Devils. An axe to grind, something to prove. Wow. The first time I saw them on July 1, 1994. I was shocked, I knew I just saw that years champion. New uniforms ?? coulda been risky busines, however, they were an instant classic. Where does one start with this show. Revisiting what made them champions before with a slight update, BD gave us the usualy award winning brass and percussion and the colorguard sizzled with senuality and sexuality. Hot !! Sabre work that actually fit in a corps show, Ensemble flag work, A rifle line that was as unison as it gets....Hot This show was the first of the new BD and set the standard for performance from 1994 on. I was lucky to see this show in almost every contest they were at, A dream come true and a show that stands the test of time. Agreed with the top 3. Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VoC Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 a BD top 10 without 86 and 76? 76 might be THE most important show for BD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMichael1230 Posted August 17, 2009 Author Share Posted August 17, 2009 a BD top 10 without 86 and 76?76 might be THE most important show for BD Never saw 76 live didnt think it was fair to include it. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxingfred Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 1976- I remember seeing them and saying to my uncle "They don't look or sound like anybody else" They performed at a different level and helped to bring drum corps into the new area. 1982- I remember sitting in the stands in my Cadet uniform ( we had full corps retreat back then) thinking" How can we beat that!" They were great! 1988- My personal favorite. Every moment of this show entertained me. The camera angles on the legacy DVD's suck but, I've seen the show so many times and my friend Assia has several copies of this show from different stadiums. 1994- My Spanish Heart- Great show. Great Look. 2005- Great show concept, done in reverse! Folks complain about " YOWZA" but it's a lot better than some of the crap we see now. The members of 05 BD should be proud of a great underrated show. 1992- Great show, just so many good corps that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_S Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 2005- Great show concept, done in reverse! Folks complain about " YOWZA" but it's a lot better than some of the crap we see now. The members of 05 BD should be proud of a great underrated show. Someone agrees with me! 2005 is a terribly underrated show, with some great music in there. Say what you want about the use of voice, I thought the member speaking did a great job. The only complaint I really have is regarding the decision to design the show in reverse; had they found an easier narrative I think the show would hold up very well with time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relmquist Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 This may be off topic, but doesn't anybody think it is kind or ironic that NOBODY mentioned 2009? The board was lit up all summer with how great they were and NOBODY has mentioned their 2009 show as one of the 10 best. I for one loved their earlier shows. This descent into madness (2008 to 2009) has really bothered me. The kids are great! They perform the #### out of the show, but the shows have been so disjointed and schizophrenic that they seem to have no rhyme or reason. I wish they would return to their roots. I understand and love their music, but their overall design has no continuity IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skewerz Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I think I'm the only one that really liked the 98 show... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hostrauser Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I think I'm the only one that really liked the 98 show... The opener is stellar. That opening brass chorale is one of the best moments in Downey's illustrious arranging career. But yeah, after the first few minutes the show doesn't do a whole lot for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byline Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 My top 10 would go this way: 1982 1980 1986 1988 2009 1976 1991 2008 1981 1990 (This may not be popular, relmquist, but I am including 2009 in my list.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_S Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I can't really say if I'd include 2009 yet, because I'm not yet familiar with it. I saw the show once at Semis, and that's been it. Give me a chance to received my CDs and DVDs, let me absorb the show, and see if I keep coming back to it for more. That's what happened with 2008. I wanted to include it on my top ten list, I just didn't have room, but I have a feeling as the years go by it'll find its way on there. When I saw 2008 live, I had just seen Spartacus; I didn't give the Blue Devils the attention they deserved because I was looking forward to retreat. I treated BD like an intermission. But one year later, that show is one of the top plays from my 2008 CDs. When I watch the DVDs I always look forward to seeing that program again, and the further I get removed from that August night in Bloomington the more convinced I am that BD should have won. Give 2009 time to acquire that same familiarity, that same distance from the rush of competitive juices and biases, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it appear on a few of these lists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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