CQuinn Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I wasn't fond of the Blue Devils show until I saw it live Saturday. With the exception of the French dude yacking all the way through the show I really liked it. It is this year's best design. It's not the most entertaining by a long shot but it will win next month. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plan9 Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Thanks for putting this right in your response. Very convenient. You seem to "know" that all the audience is filled with fans who are merely tired of BD winning. It's absurd. When the judgement of the fans (about what shows they deemed to be best) does not mesh with the judgement of the green shirts, they will probably express their displeasure. We see this in many situations where the judgement of a few is held higher than the judgement of the many. WHY that judgement differs is beyond your knowing yet you continue to suggest that it's all ABBD -- it's all jealousy of the BD's successful placement. So apparently you're reading their minds at that point. Tactical applause? REALLY? So people actively go in to a show planning to be lukewarm to BD because....you say so? Mind reader indeed! I bow before you oh great Karnac the magnificent. Please quote where I'm "railing against BD" ? I've mostly been railing against BD *posters* who are spouting nonsense in this thread :-) Yes I'm occasionally annoyed at BD's approach to design. I prefer to see drum corps that does not adopt their "minimize risk" strategy. They are masterful at showing a skill in a carefully controlled moment where just that skill is exposed in isolation. Then you move on to the next skill, etc... It might score well on the sheets but it's so....contrived? Not sure that 's the right word. It's not a constant annoyance to me but sometimes it pokes through in the show and I notice. Anyway I don't boo. And I don't think it's ok to boo. But I'm certainly not surprised by it. And I don't feel any obligation to like every show every year. That has NOTHING to do with my respect and admiration for each and every performer. And I certainly don't sit in the stands and hope kids fail. Those kids -- each and everyone -- are amazing and I'm in awe of what they do. But show design is fair game. In fact those designers SHOULD be held accountable for the product they are asking those young people -- my kid -- to perform. So rail on performers? No. Be critical of design? Absolutely. Honk? Most definitely. It's fun but I don't take it seriously. Heck to be honest I really didn't have a corps I "rooted" for until my kid started marching. Thought it was kinda silly -- still do :-) I will say this -- I used to "run" down to the first row to hear BD encores because musically they always thrilled me. Kid would run down their with me :-) I'm no BD hater. In fact I think a BD practice is where she was turned to the dark side (of spinning in guard) instead of playing her trumpet! BD was practicing at the fields adjacent to JBCrum (this was in '05 I think before they were all turned to baseball fields). There was not much room for spectators and we ended up sitting 5 yds from the front sideline. I'm sure that seeing those performers going full out felicia rep after rep after rep ruined her brass career. As for seeing into the minds of the BD designers...ummm....they are interviewed all over the place. All you need do is listen to what they say and watch what they produce. Heck Gibbs said he often has no idea what recent BD shows were about at first. He leaves it in the hands of Chandler and company. Not sure what Crown has to do with with all of this but since you brought it up, the Crown design team has said -- publicly I think -- pleasing audiences is always their first priority. But this thread is not about Crown... Anyway I don't rail on BD and I'm certainly not hating their show this year. In fact of the past 3 or 4 years I probably will like it most. But I refuse to base my opinion on video -- SO MUCH is lost through the camera and mic that I find it better just to wait and see it live. Let's you and I just decompress this. We have different views and different ways of expressing them. But most importantly, we support two to the most exciting corps this year...and if you think 2008 was a thrilla', my guess is (as CC cleans its production)..this is setting itself up to be a barn burner until the very last note at finals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 CQuinn has it about right in my estimation. It's fun to watch live because there's a lot of interesting things going on and details you can't see or don't notice on the stream. It's not fun to try to listen through the narration, though, and for those 3-4 minutes of the show I didn't enjoy myself. Some of us have ADHD, people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 the very last note at finals. "dada is still a(dada)live sti(dada)ll aliv(da)e (da)alive a(da)live (dada)" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxfreq1128 Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 (edited) You said it, we are the paying audience, who came to be entertained. By all the corps. And let us not forget. There are quite a few shows that have 8 or less corps at them. But that's like saying that the 3 hours you spent seeing the Batman movie [which was awesome ] weren't worth it because you disliked one chunk of 11.5 minutes. Surely that can't be the case. Also? The amount you paid to see the show <<<< the amount an individual corps member pays to march for a summer and, in some cases, be booed by entitled audience members. That's, like, really corny dude. Drum corps members aren't drones here for our entertainment, which is more or less what professional athletics has turned out to be. I believe in the educational mission. Isn't this really supposed to be about them? Edited July 23, 2012 by saxfreq1128 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxingfred Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) it's notall because everyone hates BD, tho you DO push that position a lot. I don't hate BD for example. I hate many of their recent shows. I'd kill to love them again. and many other fans feel the same way This is exactly how I feel. I used to be a big Blue Devil fan! I just don't like BD's WGI approach to drum corps. Although BD does have one of the most beautiful musical moments drum corps this year. preceded and followed by loud noises. I call this BD's Attention Deficient Disorder Show! Song fragments and sound effects. It will probably win. Edited July 24, 2012 by boxingfred 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeptic Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 No doubt BD has some serious talent. I do not care for the corps but when they take the field there is a confidence in that group you just cant help but notice and admire. If they could only put that to a crowd pleasing show concept... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeptic Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) This is exactly how I feel. I used to be a big Blue Devil fan! I just don't like BD's WGI approach to drum corps. Although BD does have one of the most beautiful musical moments drum corps this year. preceded and followed by loud noises. I call this BD's Attention Deficient Disorder Show! Song fragments and sound effects. It will probably win. 2010 was worse. Edited July 24, 2012 by skeptic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDHouser Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) With respect to this thread and about the Blue Devils Cabaret Voltaire Just a thought... When Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps) was first performed in 1913 there was a riot in the audience. It was not accepted at first. It was different to say the least. It was a creative masterpiece. 27 years later, in 1940, part of it was used in Disney's Fantasia, another creative masterpiece. Charles Houser Edited July 24, 2012 by CDHouser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 With respect to this thread and about the Blue Devils Cabaret Voltaire Just a thought... When Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps) was first performed in 1913 there was a riot in the audience. It was not accepted at first. It was different to say the least. It was a creative masterpiece. 27 years later, in 1940, part of it was used in Disney's Fantasia, another creative masterpiece. Charles Houser There is actual no real proof that there was a riot in the audience. There are many conflicting reports coming from reporters who were there that night, ranging from everything from a few isolated shouts of discontent to full on fist-fights. While it was considered to controversial, it was actually hailed as quite the musical and visual hallmark at the time. A good read is a book called "Rites of Spring" by Modris Eksteins. It really explains how music, art, and society changed in the 1910s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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