2010 Blue Devils Review

[kevingamin]

There were two announcements in the pre-season which made a lot of drum corps fans very excited for the 2010 Blue Devils season. The first announcement was that the corps was switching from Dynasty instruments to King (for the horns) and Pearl (for the drums). Having heard corps like Phantom Regiment demonstrate how a multi-key horn line could project their sound like the G horn lines of old, a lot of drum corps nuts were jumping up and down, ready for the season to start without even knowing what the show music was going to be. That answer came closer to the start of the season when BD released their show, Through a Glass, Darkly, comprised of the music of Stan Kenton. Just seeing La Suerte de Los Tontos on the set list made even the most staunch traditionalist hope that the Blue Devils were preparing a show looking back at the history of the corps and the music that led them to four of their previous 13 titles.

The Blue Devils did look back, but, as the theme indicates, it was a dark, distorted, and sometimes shattering experience for those who witnessed it.

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[N.E. Brigand]

Thanks!

Do you see any connections to the lyrics of "Laura" ("the laugh that floats on a summer night / that you can never quite recall // ... but she's only a dream")?

To the plot of the film, Laura (man falls in love with painting of dead woman, then discovers she's not dead: image vs. reality)?

To the Bergman film, Through a Glass Darkly (which he said "deal with reduction ... [and] conquered certainty")?

Or to the line from Corinthians 13, "For now we see through a glass, darkly", which follows immediately on the sentence "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things"? Are the Blue Devils implying that their show represents a maturation of the drum corps idiom?

[kevingamin]

Thanks!

Do you see any connections to the lyrics of "Laura" ("the laugh that floats on a summer night / that you can never quite recall // ... but she's only a dream")?

To the plot of the film, Laura (man falls in love with painting of dead woman, then discovers she's not dead: image vs. reality)?

To the Bergman film, Through a Glass Darkly (which he said "deal with reduction ... [and] conquered certainty")?

Or to the line from Corinthians 13, "For now we see through a glass, darkly", which follows immediately on the sentence "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things"? Are the Blue Devils implying that their show represents a maturation of the drum corps idiom?

I hadn't even considered any of the above.

Heck, I wasn't even going to write half of what ended up in my review! I was going to do two corps a day until I got through all of the World and Open Class corps.

I'm going to do Cavies next (working my way down the placement list), but might not get to it until tomorrow since tonight's a podcast recording night.

[MagicBobert]

I really appreciate the depth and thought you put into the analysis, Kevin. Great stuff, thanks!

[BRASSO]

There were two announcements in the pre-season which made a lot of drum corps fans very excited for the 2010 Blue Devils season. The first announcement was that the corps was switching from Dynasty instruments to King (for the horns) and Pearl (for the drums). Having heard corps like Phantom Regiment demonstrate how a multi-key horn line could project their sound like the G horn lines of old, a lot of drum corps nuts were jumping up and down, ready for the season to start without even knowing what the show music was going to be. That answer came closer to the start of the season when BD released their show, Through a Glass, Darkly, comprised of the music of Stan Kenton. Just seeing La Suerte de Los Tontos on the set list made even the most staunch traditionalist hope that the Blue Devils were preparing a show looking back at the history of the corps and the music that led them to four of their previous 13 titles.

The Blue Devils did look back, but, as the theme indicates, it was a dark, distorted, and sometimes shattering experience for those who witnessed it.

Full Article

The reviewer writes ( quote ) ( BD) " members of the horn line look at themselves in the mirror seeing various personalities reflected in them " ( mirrors ).

Now, I consider myself an educated, college degreed person, curious by nature, open to new and complex things presented to me. But I have absolutely no friggin idea what this statement here means,.. no matter how many times I read it. First of all, how the heck does a person know what anyone else sees when another person looks into a mirror ? They don't. They can't know. Not without being told. The notion that this person looking into the mirror sees " various personalities " of theirs reflected in that mirror suggests interpretive powers simply beyond human capacity to know by the onlooking observer watching the other person watch themselves in the mirror. The futher comment that the other person ( whom they presumably do not know ) that is observed looking at themselves in the mirror has multiple " personalities" is likewise a real stretch thats beyond the pale too.

Sorry... but the 2010 BD show was superby performed and executed. But it was every bit as confused and weird as Kevin's well intentioned review of it that simply falls short in making any plausable sense of the show, imo. That said, others here will probably will find this 2010 BD disjointed and confused show less confused and disjointed after Kevin's review, and I see this as a helpful service to them... and thank him for that.

Edited September 18, 2010 by BRASSO

[Plan9]

The reviewer writes ( quote ) ( BD) " members of the horn line look at themselves in the mirror seeing various personalities reflected in them " ( mirrors ).

Now, I consider myself an educated, college degreed person, curious by nature, open to new and complex things presented to me. But I have absolutely no friggin idea what this statement here means,.. no matter how many times I read it. First of all, how the heck does a person know what anyone else sees when another person looks into a mirror ? They don't. They can't know. Not without being told. The notion that this person looking into the mirror sees " various personalities " of theirs reflected in that mirror suggests interpretive powers simply beyond human capacity to know by the onlooking observer watching the other person watch themselves in the mirror. The futher comment that the other person ( whom they presumably do not know ) that is observed looking at themselves in the mirror has multiple " personalities" is likewise a real stretch thats beyond the pale too.

Sorry... but the 2010 BD show was superby performed and executed. But it was every bit as confused and weird as Kevin's well intentioned review of it that simply falls short in making any plausable sense of the show, imo. That said, others here will probably will find this 2010 BD disjointed and confused show less confused and disjointed after Kevin's review, and I see this as a helpful service to them... and thank him for that.

I really believe you are overthinking this Brasso (in deferance to Kenton's own suggestion: “You’re not supposed to understand it. You experience it with your subconscious.”)

As you might guess each of the MM's that were reflecting into the mirrors were "acting" in an overt way to what was choreographed. Big movements, gestures designed to show some reaction to seeing themselves (almost like a human who sees themself for first time as a reflection..surprise, curiosity, amusement and a full range of expressions). Kevin may have overstated that part a bit to seem more ethereal...it wasn't...it was purely guttural. The complication wasn't the individual actions of the MM's and guard, it was the simultaneous nature of it. The past BD classics bled into the show and depending on whether played straight forward into the stands or played into a mirror... they was clear, resolute, complete or dissonant & incomplete. A kaleidoscope of visual and musical intricacy meant to go where City of Glass went.

NOTE: I remember the first time my son challenged me to one of his more advanced video games (back when he was 10)...I said to myself, "this is going to be easy, I better not break his spirit and let him stay close..... !!! You, of course, know happened and it happened (and is still happening) all across the planet. That generation (and those that follow) are armed with a kaleidoscopic understanding (visually & auditorily) that we are not...period! Now, I'm not suggesting you need to be 19 yrs old and a gamer to understand BD 2010....I'm just saying that complex is complex and requires more than cursory attention. To us oldies, "confused and wierd" can often be our lack of connection as recievers vs the clarity of the sender.

Time and repeated viewings (particularly multi-cam) of this extraordinary show will reveal just how creative it was, but it will also reveal it's biggest flaw...the fact that it was just overwhelming.

NOTE: I sure as hell hope that Jay Murphy and Scott Chandler are consulted before DCI finalizes the 2010 video of finals or it they could miss a great deal.

[Lance]

thanks kevin.

keep up the whining haters.

[vferrera]

....

Edited March 1, 2021 by vferrera

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