Will BD 2010 Be Forgettable?

[Todd Tanji]

Important Note: You really can apply this to any and all corps that produce shows that are not so "fan friendly." It just so happens that the Blue Devils are the lightning rod right now.

I saw an internet link to the most recent issue of Halftime Magazine and they list their top five legendary drum corps shows. As I read, I saw a general trend: 4 of the 5 were crowd pleasing shows. So as I ate my vegetable beef soup last night, I thought about DCP (that's all of us) and the shows that are frequently cited as "favorites." As best I can recall, the vast majority are shows that the masses enjoy (this includes drum corps fanatics as well as the regular folks in the stands).

My question to you who know much more about drum corps than I do: do you think in ten years people will cite "Through a Glass, Darkly" as a legendary show? It just seems to me like the odds are stacked against them. This leads to a secondary question: Does that even matter?

Sidenote: If you think back over just the past five years, would you list any of those shows as "legendary"? If so, which ones? And if not, are there shows that you think will be remembered in ten years by more than just a few people? If so, which ones?

BTW: Here is the Halftime List:

#1. 1993 Star (Barber and Bartok)

#2. 1984 Cadets (West Side Story)

#3. 2008 Phantom (Spartacus)

#4. 1989 SCV (Phantom of the Opera)

#5. 1988 Scouts (Maleguena)

P.S. Interesting to note the years of these "legendary" shows.

Looks like ALL BD corps have been forgettable according to this list.

[BRASSO]

IMO, the only way this show will be WIDELY remembered is if it sets a new high-score benchmark. Otherwise, just another BD win to put in the books. Blue Devils win, the sky is blue, grass is green, I don't care

Times change. The young fans of today might find that when they grow up,the next young generation may look back and wonder what these dinosaurs ( them ) were thinking when they didn't think the Blue Devils of 2010 were the most entertaining Corps to ever perform. BD 2010 may take on mythic, almost cult like idolotry with future fans not born yet... much like Star 93 has taken on cult like status with some in the new fan base of today.

[perc2100]

My question to you who know much more about drum corps than I do: do you think in ten years people will cite "Through a Glass, Darkly" as a legendary show? It just seems to me like the odds are stacked against them. This leads to a secondary question: Does that even matter?

First, I'd like to state that I don't pretend to "know more about drum corps than you do." I wouldn't presume to think that about most of the people here that I don't personally know.

That being said...

While it is obviously too difficult to call at this point, with the 2010 season not even complete, I believe that "Through a Glass, Darkly" will be memorable, if not legendary. ** NOTE: This DOES NOT mean that the show will find popularity five years from now (as Star 1993 seemingly has). I think that design aspects of this show will be mirrored and copied for years to come. Blue Devil's 2010 show design oozes depth and originality.

To be honest, I see Blue Devils 2007-2010 (and possibly beyond) as the next evolution of show design.

Cadets changed the game in the early 80's, Blue Devils changed in again in the mid-90's, and Cavaliers reinvented show design from 2001-2006. The dynasties built and maintained both those corps in those eras defined the modern trend. As with all trends, the dominant product continues to 'reign' with the judges until a corps comes along with a fresh, original design that when coupled with high level execution wins Championships. Blue Devils struggled for much of the 2000's to "invent" a formula that can beat Cavalier's formula, and in 2007 they figured it out. This year is undoubtedly (regardless of final score or placement: IMO if someone beats BD in Indy is because they absolutely earned it with ridiculous last minute cleaning and tweaking) the hallmark of BD's current design trend.

Just for reference, while I completely appreciate "Through a Glass, Darkly" and enjoy watching the performances, I'm not a huge fan of the music. I love how it's structured, appreciate the music theory behind the compositions, and LOVE the perfect seamless marriage between the visual and musical programs. But I just don't personally like that music; I dig Kenton, but I have to be in a certain mood to pop this type of music into the CD player. I do love this show though, and I can overlook my personal preference of music literature and applaud/appreciate/love this Blue Devils show. I like it more each time I see it (via Fan Network only, unfortunately), and I can't wait to see to (hopefully) maxed out at Finals

[RBarron10]

Granny - nice that you mentioned Halftime Magazine. Read my quote on page 19 I made about Star. Yes I'm quoted in print ... WOW! Star was a game changer - and still 17 years later we are talking about that show. And it was only a 2nd place show?

[Todd Tanji]

The lasting impact of BD 2010 may end up being the diversity of movement in all areas of the corps.

In 2020 (if drum corps is still around then) we might look back and say, "Wow, corps actually marched

back then". This years BD does the least amount of traditional marching I've ever seen. They very often

are incorporating modern dance movement.

Interestingly, Star 1993 was notable for incorporating modern dance.

[perc2100]

BTW: Here is the Halftime List:

#1. 1993 Star (Barber and Bartok)

#2. 1984 Cadets (West Side Story)

#3. 2008 Phantom (Spartacus)

#4. 1989 SCV (Phantom of the Opera)

#5. 1988 Scouts (Maleguena)

P.S. Interesting to note the years of these "legendary" shows.

FWIW, like any list of this nature (American Film Institute's "Top 100 Films of All Time," Rolling Stone's top 50 songs, etc), this all boils down to people's opinion. Even some of the verbiage in this article is highly questionable and subjective: for example, "While Cadets of Bergen County defeated Star by one tenth of a point it is widely agreed that Star had the better show overall." That diatribe is then "supported" by some drum corps fan who says, "...nobody ever talks about that show (Cadets' "In the Spring, At the Time When Kings Go Off To War." This is a very dubious article at best, fluff/filler/irrelevant at worst. I understand that it's an interesting article, for sure, but if I ask 10 of my colleagues to name the five most "Legendary Drum Corps Shows," I would bet that a) MAYBE only 2 or the shows on this list would be included by any of them, and b) the lists would be wildly different from person to person.

This is a fun little article to be sure, but I'd venture to guess that the article's author would agree that the list is not meant to be taken as gospel, or a definitive list of the Top 5 shows of DCI's history.

[luvah]

I think that BD 2010 WILL be a legendary show! I think an analogy with Star '93 is inevitable. If we remember, a ton of folks HATED star '93 during that year, but it turned out to be one of the most unforgettable shows ever. This BD show is the wildest horn arrangement ever put on the field--its over the average fan's head (but not mine). My prediction is that like Star '93, it will NOT win on finals night. (Congratulations Bluecoats!) However, I think for years to come drum corps fans will revere this corps for being the first to put avant guard jazz on the drum corps field. And I privately will say "wow, you guys rock," even when they come in 2nd.

What is "entertaining" to the average fan, or to the newcomer to DCI--to me is boring, trite, cheesy, and already been done. When I go to a show I go for the music. I want to "hear" something new--not "see" some new gag that corps have rehashed from 1980 (oh look, the color guard falls down and the horns step over them! Wow! I've never seen that before!) To me, BD 2010 sounds fresh and exciting. It engages me more than any other show (although I like Bluecoats, Scouts, and SCV too). Shows that bring something new and authentic musically are the reason why I even buy a ticket.

Edited August 7, 2010 by luvah

[Rifuarian]

There are many things that make a show memorable. Competitive dominance, high scores, emotional impact, innovation, influence on future design, and sheer quality can all contribute.

BD has certainly been dominant in competition. If they continue to hold on to a majority of the captions they have a chance at setting the high score record. Emotional impact and audience connection? It's a touchy subject. I've seen BD three times live, once in the midwest and twice in the south. While they received a lot more appreciation from the audience than the proverbial golf clap, I don't think that's the kind of impact that might make a show memorable, though it might become a "posthumous" crowd favorite like some other shows have. I don't think that the show is terribly innovative. Influence on future design? I doubt it, but we'll see. Quality? Is BD 2010 a masterpiece? I didn't think so on my first viewing, but I'm close to changing my mind. The visual program is nuanced, the guard is amazing, the music is unadulterated, in your face jazz . . . just not the kind of jazz some want from BD. The synergy between the two elements is on par with Cavies and SCV (the leaders in the respect, IMO).

So no, I don't think BD 2010 will be forgotten.

[geluf]

I think that design aspects of this show will be mirrored and copied for years to come. Blue Devil's 2010 show design oozes depth and originality.

To be honest, I see Blue Devils 2007-2010 (and possibly beyond) as the next evolution of show design.

Visually, I can get behind that, but I *really* hope you're wrong musically (in terms of "the future of show design").

[Plan9]

Visually, I can get behind that, but I *really* hope you're wrong musically (in terms of "the future of show design").

I don't think you need to worry about the music...there are perhaps one or two other corps composers that would take music like this on or even have the chops to do it.