The OFFICIAL 2010 Blue Devils Thread

[Plan9]

I don't care that they win all the time. It IS about the program on the field; the problem for me is, that's the only place it works now. Listening to CDs in the car just isn't the same as it used to be. It's like listening to a movie soundtrack--there are high points, sure, but without the visual, it can get a bit dull.

The BD organization is fantastic. The brass ensemble technique is frankly amazing. I just don't understand why the need to alienate fans. Oh, sure, I get that Wayne Downey has the opinion that "everything" has been done already and he's bored (paraphrased from a recording of a meeting I heard a few years ago oooooooooo intrigue, I love it). Maybe it's time for a new arranger. He does brilliant work with the brass, so let him focus on that.

Time to get old BD in the garage and up that lift! Kick the tires and light the fires!

[Tuba1919]

Oh, and I'm working on my music ed degree. Don't know if that validates my opinion or not.

Nah, probably add to the problem........j/k!!!

[GMichael1230]

My second, and last post of the day......

Blue Devils 2010 is going to be one of those shows that will be debated fo ever. It is by far, one of their strongest offerings in recent memory, yes even stronger than 2009.

As of yesterday, 6/26..this corps is already on another level than any other corps, doing what they fo best consistently and making it look easy and effortless and giving all their haters plenty to hate...as they go on and collect the most titles, the most brass titles, the most drum titles, the most guard titles, the most visual titles, the most GE titles and the most consistent finisihes of any corps in DCI history.......Yowsa !

Nobody can complain about their visual packages this year, but they will because its fun, and is the "thing to do" ...the arrangements are just fine, choppy ? perhaps? effective and enjoyable? You bet.

Brass and percussion this year are probably one of their best ever and I have been enjoying them since 1979.

Last nights viewing of the fan network left me with a feeling not often gotten but their display of talent, polish, and maturity..and only 6/26 leaves me scratching my head wondering how this will look in August.

I still cant believe the opening statement...cant wait to go watch it again.

The King horns are full of dynamics and are playing a book that has many tones of prior years riddled throughout the arrangements. ...to be this good this early.......Never saw them live this early. The earliest I did was July 1, 1994. And thats a whole other story.

Crown ? Awesome, Cadets ? Another good show......BD will take it all, 14 is on the horizon. If anything , the rest of the corps need to watch out for the stunning spectacle known as SCV........

Take care,

Have a nice day.....and hate with conviction because those of us that love ? Do so with that same conviction.

Geoffrey

[Patrick McNeal]

oooooooooo intrigue, I love it

I believe the recording I heard was on a Field Pass episode; not trying to put forth any conspiracy theories!

[Plan9]

My second, and last post of the day......

Blue Devils 2010 is going to be one of those shows that will be debated fo ever. It is by far, one of their strongest offerings in recent memory, yes even stronger than 2009.

As of yesterday, 6/26..this corps is already on another level than any other corps, doing what they fo best consistently and making it look easy and effortless and giving all their haters plenty to hate...as they go on and collect the most titles, the most brass titles, the most drum titles, the most guard titles, the most visual titles, the most GE titles and the most consistent finisihes of any corps in DCI history.......Yowsa !

Nobody can complain about their visual packages this year, but they will because its fun, and is the "thing to do" ...the arrangements are just fine, choppy ? perhaps? effective and enjoyable? You bet.

Brass and percussion this year are probably one of their best ever and I have been enjoying them since 1979.

Last nights viewing of the fan network left me with a feeling not often gotten but their display of talent, polish, and maturity..and only 6/26 leaves me scratching my head wondering how this will look in August.

I still cant believe the opening statement...cant wait to go watch it again.

The King horns are full of dynamics and are playing a book that has many tones of prior years riddled throughout the arrangements. ...to be this good this early.......Never saw them live this early. The earliest I did was July 1, 1994. And thats a whole other story.

Crown ? Awesome, Cadets ? Another good show......BD will take it all, 14 is on the horizon. If anything , the rest of the corps need to watch out for the stunning spectacle known as SCV........

Take care,

Have a nice day.....and hate with conviction because those of us that love ? Do so with that same conviction.

Geoffrey

WOW! And I agree about SCV, Fiedler is taking up where he left off in Rosemont!

[corpsband]

The fact that as a parent from another competing corps you feel comfortable going after BD like you are is puzzling to me. I am the same and cannot understand year after year how it's possible to have this stage mother kind of mentality. I will admit to being protective of BD, but not at the expense of another corps. Never having marched, I don't feel I can be critical of what I can't or didn't do myself. I am a BD homer, but fortunately I haven't been put in the position to blindly pump up BD no matter what they present. They have had two (now three) extraordinary productions (in the years I've been with them). Next year if they present a show that is obviously not championship quality, I would hope that I have the honesty to admit it to myself, I think I would.

I'm kind of surprised to hear you say I'm "going after BD". I am definitely critical of the musical arrangement but that has nothing to do with kids, the corps, or the program. I still think they are the best moving corps in DC (and I show my band kids videos of BD doing basics every season).

I suppose it's just me (emphasized) , but I feel that the best approach (particularly for friends and family) is to discuss the good rather than the perceived bad of a competing corps. The test I use is, if I can say it to their face, I'll type it, if I couldn't....I won't. And this goes for any corps. I'm not trying to be a censor of opinions (you have certainly spiced up the discussion here), just trying to understand how family can openly criticize other corps.

I guess it really disturbs me to see BD continuing down this path musically. In my view it's destroying the legacy of what may be the *most* musical hornline in DCI's history. It *does* upset me. It also baffles me that they need to hear it from fans and the audience instead of from the judging community. There are criteria on the sheets that address these very things. The *reason* these thing are on the sheets to begin with is that marching music depends very strongly on musical thoughts. Unlike a movie or musical where you have a dialogue and literal images to keep the audience connected with the program, DC / MB has only music and some fairly constricted visual elements. It relies strongly on the music to 'explain' the concepts the designers are portraying. When you reduce the length of musical phrase to the extent BD has, you lose the ability to establish any sort of emotional connection with your audience. And *THAT* is the key to an effective show -- if you're not manipulating your audience emotionally the show will not resonate with them. Many fans will *appreciate" the excellence but if it's not tied to an emotion they won't care.

So the reason I post is because I *do* care. I want BD to thrill people again. If that makes me evil I guess I'm guilty.

[dbc03]

BD is like...so awful this year. And like, I can't connect with their music. I just can't find that emotional connection with their music. I just can't. It's so disjointed, dissonant, and fragmented and stuff. I can't. I just can't.

I unironically agree with this.

Easily my least favorite BD show since 2004. Maybe even longer.

Before I'm labeled as some kind of BD hater I typically enjoy BD's shows. I was apparently one of the few people who liked '08 BD better than Phantom, and I enjoyed what they did last year although I enjoyed some shows better.

The stuff they do with the mirrors is visually neat, and while I give them props for upping the difficulty of their drill this year, it just isn't clicking with me. I also wasn't seeing or hearing the cleanliness that people have been gushing over either. Granted this was the first time I've seen BD this early in the season in years, but to me they seemed like a mess compared to previous BD seasons.

I'm sure they will be very technically proficient by the time finals rolls around, but this show really isn't doing it for me right now. I hope I like it better when I see it live in August

[Rifuarian]

I think that most of America will put Mahler and boring in the same sentence, maybe even add in dead. And almost all of them will not care about your degree. This activity is defined by its rules, as well as the participants. Since BD seems to be staying within the rules, and seems to win more than its numerical share of the titles, perhaps they might actually know a little something about drum corp. And like a lot of great performers, they push the envelope. As for the music, it is pretty subjective, but I would agree that they don't really play pop songs, or overtures and symphonies. But, this is a marching, visual, musical performance and there are way too many nuances to discuss in a BB.

What I find interesting is how much criticism BD gets on this board, and how little support. As a bit of an aside issue, it does point out a weakness in drum corp. In sports, often a winning team or athlete has a ton of support, even if they are dominant. While BD is good, there are at least 4 other corps that have legitimate chances this year. But, unlike other sports, for drum corp, a ton of you think "anyone but BD." Ironically, that actually strengthens my being a fan of BD.

This is absolutely true. It is also true that most of the DCI fanbase will put BD and boring in the same sentence. And that's not just on DCP, either. As you say, BD excels at winning . . . and they make it their top priority, and do what they need to win year in and year in the style which they feel best befits them. Becoming the crowd favorite is low on the priority list. Fans and non-fans of BD know that this is true. So there is absolutely zero mystery about the "lack of support" for the Blue Devils.

Some really do hate them for winning, but they're few and far between. Many dislike (which is not the same as hate) their field shows. Many decide to express this dislike in conversation, or an a forum like DCP. Again, this doesn't amount to "hate". Almost all of these people appreciate the mind-bending technical excellence BD displays year and year out, the quality of the organization and the experience it provides to hundreds of young people each year, its commitment to open class corps, etc. Labeling these people "haters" is insulting, and reflects poorly on BD's fanbase.

For the record, I've really enjoyed the WGI-ish BD of the last few years, and have been entertained by their shows. They're two steps ahead of every other corps in most captions, and I think they'll win again this year, creating yet another BD dynasty.

[byline]

I blame the Cavaliers.......when the drill became more important than the music, the musical books changed around the activity. By the way, I'm not hating on the Cavies, but I really feel they started us down this path with the visual being more important than the music.

I think it's been more of a progression. There are spots I can point to in many winning corps' shows -- Cavaliers, Cadets, BD -- where this was done. In fact, Star may well have opened this door by deliberately choosing music in '93 that catered to this effect. It was around that time that I began to sense that music was suffering at the expense of visual, and the "slice-and-dice" approach to editing musical selections -- similar to editing music for winter guard programs -- became more and more prevalent. That's part of why, for me, hearing Santa Clara's "Appalachian Spring" last summer was such a relief. No, it was not an absolutely literal interpretation; it couldn't be, given the time constraints. But it was a thoughtfully pared-down version that was faithful enough to the original to make me feel that I really had heard the music . . . not just snippets.

Edited June 27, 2010 by byline

[byline]

It is also true that most of the DCI fanbase will put BD and boring in the same sentence. And that's not just on DCP, either. As you say, BD excels at winning . . . and they make it their top priority, and do what they need to win year in and year in the style which they feel best befits them. Becoming the crowd favorite is low on the priority list. Fans and non-fans of BD know that this is true. So there is absolutely zero mystery about the "lack of support" for the Blue Devils.

Believe it or not, people were calling Blue Devils "boring" back in my day (mid- to late '70s). So this is not a new thing.