flammaster Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 It frustrates me when people complain about BD doing the "same thing every year", yet people go crazy for Crown who have had quite a few similar design elements the past 5 years. This is in no way a knock on Crown (I've loved Crown 2007-2012), but they take ideas and elements they do well and reuse them. The "crown" set, the extended/forever chord, reusing tunes (promise of living, somewhere), crazy field coverage (typically ballad end zone to end zone), plus numerous other things. Just pointing out that most successful groups reuse themes and ideas. Mainly because they work. If a group is really COMPLETELY different every single year, then that group is probably not very successful. Z Finding it funny that people want Madison to be Madison, but want no part of Blue Devils being Blue Devils. Oh totally! it must be that "west coast liberal media bias and score inflation." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 It frustrates me when people complain about BD doing the "same thing every year", yet people go crazy for Crown who have had quite a few similar design elements the past 5 years. This is in no way a knock on Crown (I've loved Crown 2007-2012), but they take ideas and elements they do well and reuse them. The "crown" set, the extended/forever chord, reusing tunes (promise of living, somewhere), crazy field coverage (typically ballad end zone to end zone), plus numerous other things. Just pointing out that most successful groups reuse themes and ideas. Mainly because they work. If a group is really COMPLETELY different every single year, then that group is probably not very successful. Z Finding it funny that people want Madison to be Madison, but want no part of Blue Devils being Blue Devils. I think a lot of the higher-achieving corps tend to have their own unique design style: BD, Cavaliers, Cadets, Crown, SCV, Phantom, etc. all seem to approach design fairly similar year to year. I think too many people naively (and wrongly) equate their personal enjoyment of a show with "good" and just because they don't particularly like a specific corps/design style they deem it 'bad.' When said corps continues to approach design similar to years past, they see it as 'same old same old.' Conversely, when a corps they tend to personally enjoy does the same, they look at it as 'innovative,' or 'signature design style.' People like to want to justify their personal taste by deeming it good while also denigrating shows/designs they dislike. Also, it drives people NUTS when something they personally dislike consistently beats something they like. I hate that Lebron James won an NBA title while my Cleveland Cavaliers are almost embarrassingly bad: I recognize, however, that James is an incredible player, as are his teammates. I tend to think that many people are either to naive to recognize the merits of designs they dislike, or they are flat our blind to their biases (and/or possibly ignorant when it comes to actual well-designed/coordinated drum corps shows). It is what it is, and it will not cease. All you can do is like what you like, dislike what you dislike, and enjoy some great drum corps this summer (and there is a lot of great drum corps this year. Again) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Did some of the corps decide that crowd response was more important? ...and the design style is no longer new - at least not in this decade. Or it's futile to try to beat Blue Devils at their own game, we need to be great at our own unique 'game.' ...and no one can design like Blue Devils anyway. And most of the top corps that are competitive with Blue Devils (which are, at this point, pretty few) are pretty good at what they do in their own style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I wanted to see what reactions were last night to all corps especially my beloved BK. Since the show hasn't had a warm reception here I was nervous to see it... I agree that some synth stuff can be changed/taken out and a few big hits in the opener added but I feel this is a very challenging and good show over all. It's so dirty it's really hard to say what it could place but it has mad potential. Brass is a bit raw at times but is moving very fast most of the time. It will take time for them to get the proper endurance but they will. The double tounguing lick in opener is way cool, and the Drumline is smoking. With a little addition and subtraction this show has mad potential. Sorry to hear many if you do not care for it, but maybe that will change as they clean up and get further down the road. By the by the closer and closer drill is amazing, love the blund twisting moves that revolve into the final Firebird set. Enjoyed Boston last night, great music and I'll watch the rest of Stanford tonight. Wes P It's a show that I'm honestly cautiously optimistic about. It didn't really thrill me last night (on Fan Network), but I think it has promise. You're right, it's so filthy it's hard to really get a great read on it at this point, and it feels like a show that needs some design tweaks. I don't mind the electronic stuff, but I agree that some more impact with the brass in the opener would be beneficial. This is a show that I feel like will either be disappointing in August, or will really develop into something cool depending on the tweaks the staff implements. But I dig the idea: if I wanted to see a more traditional version of Firebird, there are PLENTY of videos on Fan Network I could dig up. I appreciate the unique ideas, and look forward to the show developing and the members performing better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tja273 Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 And most of the top corps that are competitive with Blue Devils (which are, at this point, pretty few) are pretty good at what they do in their own style No. We've already been told everyone will start copying whatever it is we hate most about The Blue Devils and it will destroy the entire activity. I see [The Blue Devils] as a potential long-term danger to the activity as a whole. I hear the DCI Board of Directors are already seeking space in Guantanimo Bay to lock up the BD staff until this threat can be nuetralized. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 I'm glad that you enjoy their shows. The problem, though, is that BD keeps winning and/or finishing very high with shows that a lot of people don't understand, and therefore don't enjoy. I never did understand Legend of the One Eyed Sailor. I guess that means that me and a million other drum corps fans like me didn't enjoy it. Or did we? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I had a conversation with Scott Johnson yesterday as I introduced one of our snare drummers and my son (again) to him. I told him I was really psyched that they were playing (more or less) what I had suggested to Wayne this year and he said to me "Wayne doesn't pick the music anymore." So with that in mind, i just want to thank who ever it was for doing almost exactly the show I had been dying to see and then giving it a twist of the da da stuff which just tickles me even more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 The problem isn't the Devils. They're doing what they want to do and they do it extremely well, God love 'em. The problem is that there's no one in the judging community who has the ability or courage to call them on thematic inconsistencies, and that the new sheets don't do anything to force judges into moving in that direction. If corps had to pay a price for announcing that their show was 'about' something when the real product turned out to be a failure in actually achieving its thematic intent, you'd force the design teams into making sure that conceptual clarity was key to what they're doing, rather than having this little incestuous world where the designers tell the judges what they're doing to achieve the concept, and the judges just buy into it. Why should judges 'call' them on those things? It makes zero difference what is published about a show. The judges are evaluating what is played and marched and spun on the field. The sheets make, as you noted, no attempt at tying a score to a written blurb. Any judge who did have the 'courage' to try and do such a comparison should not be judging any more shows, given the current sheets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 What's up with all the hate so early on? I mean I understand that most people hate the favorites, and here BD is yet again. But they've brought a pretty accessible show (imo) in 2012, as well as 2011. I realize they don't go after the typical 1980s Madison Scouts sound, but why hate on the possible innovation in other areas? They march exceptionally well and their brass is unmatched (aside from Crown and PR). Yeah you don't get it, but maybe you will after more than one or two views. But then again, I guess we should all hate everything that isn't the norm. Just like we hated the geometrical drill that the brilliant Cavaliers brought us in the early 2000s, right? C'MON, IT'S SUPER EARLY!!! Let's see where it goes. With that said I thought everyone played extremely well tonight. Loving this season from everyone (yes even Blue Knights have peaked my interest). I wouldn't call 2012 as accessible as 2011, but it isn't 09-10 levels. the key IMO is GE when other shows get their concepts more fleshed out as well as clean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I had a conversation with Scott Johnson yesterday as I introduced one of our snare drummers and my son (again) to him. I told him I was really psyched that they were playing (more or less) what I had suggested to Wayne this year and he said to me "Wayne doesn't pick the music anymore." So with that in mind, i just want to thank who ever it was for doing almost exactly the show I had been dying to see and then giving it a twist of the da da stuff which just tickles me even more! It's Chandler. He pretty much makes the calls on show design, music, and uniforms. You can see the winterguard influence in everything they're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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