BD 2000

[sniper282000]

So i was watching BD's 2000 show on FN. Wow!! Smoking show. Afterwards i researched the recaps for that year to see how the show matched up with the top two Corps. I noticed that BD held their own in every caption against the Cadets and Cavaliers, even winning GE Visual and Visual Ensemble and was right in the mix for 1st place, until i saw the percussion score. And thats where they fell behind. In no way am i sayin BD's percussion was better than Cavies/Cadets that year. Those lines was smokin that year!! But sixth place?? I watched the show a few more times focusing on BD's drumline. I couldn't hear or see anything bad about their Finals run. The accelerando that the pit did was insane. Can someone give me some insight as to what happened that year with BD's percussion? Was it their music book? Did something happen on finals night that isn't shown on FN?

[byline]

I can't recall specifically, but there are some RAMD threads from the time with the usual mixed sentiments on whether their line was "dirty" that year, what constitutes "dirt" and so on. I'm not sure how helpful these will be, but here's what I found:

2000 Drum Lines, What do you think?

2000 Blue Devil Drumline question.....

[Tim78]

I'm no percussionist..but I think that was the first year they played on Dynasty Drums (?) and perhaps that had something to do with it. What I do remember from 2000 was that Blue Knights were 3rd in perc at Finals.

[byline]

I'm no percussionist..but I think that was the first year they played on Dynasty Drums (?) and perhaps that had something to do with it.

Here's another RAMD thread that alludes to that: Blue Devils 2000 Snares......

[tim_brandt]

Before I add to this thread, I would like to ask - is there any way to change my username?

I don't feel so anonymous posting on this board with my actual name. :)

I guess that I created this account before I realized the beauty of using a handle instead of your full name.

Anyway - I just want to add to this thread, since I marched in 2000 in the battery for Phantom Regiment.

Let me first say that it always makes me smile when '00 is brought up on dcp, because that was my favorite year

marching drum corps, by far. I know that this is a thread about Blue Devils, but I just want to say a quick piece about Regiment : compared to PR '98 & '99, '00 was

an experience head and shoulders above, from a members point of view. While I have read some criticisms of our demand that year as a percussion section, I just want to say that

we executed the $% out of our book. It was such a joy to play with those guys on a daily basis. I felt like we played with a lot of

clarity from early season on, and it was a blast.

So, anyway, that aside, as someone who marched '00, I want to offer my opinion on BD's drums. If memory serves me correct, that was a bit of a

rebuilding year for them. At one point I almost didn't march that summer, and I remember getting a call from their quad tech asking to fill a spot

during spring training (this is about the same time that I decided to return to Regiment). So, to have a hole open at that point is some evidence of turnover, I suppose.

I do believe that BD's drum line probably had some of the highest demand that summer (as well as Cadets and Cavs). They were trying a lot of things that

other lines probably wouldn't risk (rotating 360 degrees and playing rolls, split parts, splitting accelerando / decelerandos, etc). That being said, I don't think that the clarity was on the level of some of the other lines out there that season (from a battery perspective - sorry,

I am not that knowledgable about the front ensembles). I imagine that some of the clarity issues were due to that amount of demand and experimentation, but I also remember watching them in the lot and witnessing some severe clarity and technique issues during basic exercises. Please do not take my comments to be negative - BD brought a lot to the table that year in terms of experimentation and innovation, but in my opinion, what held them back from purely an adjudication standpoint were the clarity issues. I say this not to bash them but just to offer my personal opinion on why they ended up 6th place that year. (btw - if 6th place is a down year, that says a lot about the quality of their program).

To defend our own results and the fact that we never lost to them or SCV that entire season - while our demand may have been less, we really maxed out our execution that summer.

I do not mean to sound boastful, but I am very proud of the way that we drummed that summer, and thought that Brian Mason wrote a very musical and tasteful book, that still packed a nice amount of punch.

This has reminded me that a Regiment alumni provided me with a bunch of footage that he recorded of us in '00, and I plan on uploading to a certain unnamed website.

I'd like to offer it as further evidence for the public to decide how we performed that summer. :)

Anyway - this thread was obviously just an excuse for me to put in a shameless plug about our own lines performance that summer. You'll have to excuse me - I am just

super proud of what we put on the field that summer, and of all the summers that I marched, that is the summer that I love to brag about. It was an unbelievable experience.

Okay - carry on. :)

Edited August 22, 2011 by tim_brandt

[mbui]

2000 was the first year that Blue Devils used Dynasty percussion equipment after the switch from Yamaha. Methods of Madness was an EXCELLENT show. But, the sounds that the drumline was producing was horrendous and I'm not talking about the performers. Really happy to hear over the years that Dynasty has improved the quality of sound on their equipment. Just listen to the drumline closely during the entire show and compare it to the Cavaliers and The Cadets. Clear different in the sound of the equipment.

[ashyUechi]

I just watched that show on FN. The drumline has some not stellar moments. WHen they are standing on the frontside line playing an accel... not so hot. Also, I don't think they won GE visual or Ensemble visual until finals night. I think Cadets were winning these captions until then.

Ashy

[ouooga]

Purely speculating here, but wasn't this the year that a bass drummer from BD got in trouble for drugs or drinking at semis? The story I heard was that he wasn't allowed to perform at Finals. Right before step off, he ran onto the field wearing his bass drum, and they marched the show, and then when it was all over DCI officials came and got him.

Like I said, I have no clue if this actually happened or if I'm even remotely close to accurate, but would that have effected drum scores that night, resulting in the score they received?

[whitedawn]

Couldn't have helped that the ensemble basically fell apart at quarterfinals. If I recall, the center snare at one point started beating quarter notes to get everything back on track.

And yeah, the bass drummer/drug thing was that ear.

[jjeffeory]

Purely speculating here, but wasn't this the year that a bass drummer from BD got in trouble for drugs or drinking at semis? The story I heard was that he wasn't allowed to perform at Finals. Right before step off, he ran onto the field wearing his bass drum, and they marched the show, and then when it was all over DCI officials came and got him.

Like I said, I have no clue if this actually happened or if I'm even remotely close to accurate, but would that have effected drum scores that night, resulting in the score they received?

Heh, you said DCI Officials came and got him! Like DCI is a government entity or something....

Heh...