Blue Devils New Uniforms

[perc2100]

From BD's Facebook/Twitter:

Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps are thankful for the awesome support from FJM. No "new" musician uniforms -- but cool enhancements for this summer. CG will have a new design to compliment the concept of this years show.

Cool; and about what I expected. Cavaliers have been doing similar for a long time, Star did it, Dev's have done it a bit lately, Cadets, etc. Nothing new, just enhancements. Looking forward to it

[jjeffeory]

I have to disagree with you there. I think their current look is both timeless and iconic. They have changed it slightly as time has gone on - the jacket has gotten shorter, the wings a little smaller, the baldric got reversed, etc, but it's still been the same basic "look" - the Cavs from 1984 really don't look significantly different from the Cavs of 2004.

<sigh> If they have to change it, I hope the differences are minor - I'm really hoping there's no "modern" asymmetrical hem a la Phantom, BK et al.

Mike

As someone who wore the 1990 version of the uniform, I absolutely love it. It's pretty much perfect for them. I doubt they're going to go for a "modern" asymmetrical hem, but I would imagine they would like to "modernize" it a bit more; maybe make it a bit "mad"...

I've heard a few things, and they're not terribly drastic, but I haven't seen them. As usual, I won't comment on what I've heard about the new uniforms... I'm sure it won't be a mad departure from the past.

[84BDsop]

It doesn't offend me. OTOH It doesn't do much (anything?) visually so I'm not sure why they bother with it.

It was absurd!!! (or Asurbd, if you were Brandt at prelims)

[boxingfred]

THE BLUE DEVILS?

Edited June 3, 2010 by boxingfred

[jjeffeory]

THE BLUE DEVILS?

I vote for number 2. Clearly a green version of number 1 would work better for The Green Machine ( Since that is Mega Man)....

[Perry S]

Now that I've said that, I'm going to have to immediately contradict myself. I'll tie this to BD in a second, but I think the truly "Cavalier" elements - the ones that tie into the historical and mythological name - are the hat, the collar, and the baldric and the GAUNTLETS. Everything else is negotiable, I guess.

So back to BD - I think the truly "classic" feature that BD uniforms have had since '76 is the open jacket. Even the 1994-2003 version was just a twist on that - the "A" opening brought lower and wider. It was kind of missing from the 2004-2005 unis (even though there was the sequined panel off to the side), and brought back in the 2006-current jackets.

Mike

Fixed

[LoveKathyG]

Of all the descriptors i would use for Blue Devils, avant garde is not one of them. Avant garde connotes a willingness to fly in the face of convention, even when doing so comes at a price. That describes Cadets. That describes Vanguard. BD is truly one of the last top 6 corps that I would say is avant garde. BD's innovations have always been within a very narrow, calculated bandwidth. They have the illusion of being edgy because of their hard-hitting, jazz oriented style, but what they do isn't truly edgy. Any edge they approach has already been crossed by someone else. They just do it better and cleaner.

[Plan9]

Of all the descriptors i would use for Blue Devils, avant garde is not one of them. Avant garde connotes a willingness to fly in the face of convention, even when doing so comes at a price. That describes Cadets. That describes Vanguard. BD is truly one of the last top 6 corps that I would say is avant garde. BD's innovations have always been within a very narrow, calculated bandwidth. They have the illusion of being edgy because of their hard-hitting, jazz oriented style, but what they do isn't truly edgy. Any edge they approach has already been crossed by someone else. They just do it better and cleaner.

So, the 2008 BD show (by your estimation) should have been named: "Constantly Copying Other Corps to Minimize the Possibility of Failure and Therefore Never Risk Absurdity, but do it clean"!

[boxingfred]

So, the 2008 BD show (by your estimation) should have been named: "Constantly Copying Other Corps to Minimize the Possibility of Failure and Therefore Never Risk Absurdity, but do it clean"!

Ha! Clever!

[Tez]

Of all the descriptors i would use for Blue Devils, avant garde is not one of them. Avant garde connotes a willingness to fly in the face of convention, even when doing so comes at a price. That describes Cadets. That describes Vanguard. BD is truly one of the last top 6 corps that I would say is avant garde. BD's innovations have always been within a very narrow, calculated bandwidth. They have the illusion of being edgy because of their hard-hitting, jazz oriented style, but what they do isn't truly edgy. Any edge they approach has already been crossed by someone else. They just do it better and cleaner.

I respect your opinion, but I completely disagree, at least in the last few years.

The recent Cadets shows that have caused controversy had "avant guard" elements.... as in things that are not conventional in drum corps...... voice in 2005-2008, pink tables in 2006.... completely defined characters in 05-08.... etc.... but as a whole, those shows to me seem to be classic drum corps. They still fit the mold of what most other drum corps shows in the last 20 years have done.... yes maybe the Cadets created this mold in the 1980s, but that was then..... not now.

To me, the Blue Devils since 2003 or 2004, except for their 2006 show have presented shows that are more different as a whole than anything else we have seen lately. It is hard to describe, because their are so many things that make it feel this way. Much of it is in the basic musical or visual progressions. We expect to hear/see certain things at certain times in modern drum corps shows, and often the Devils just don't give them to us. To me it is more apparent visually than musically..... how many block rotations or company fronts have you seen them do in the last 8 years? In their 2007 show I think maybe 1 or 2 sets were not made up of curvilinear forms.

I just feel that when looking at shows as a whole, the Blue Devils have far and away been the most "against the grain" or "avant garde" of any corps over the past 6-7 years.