drumcorpsfever Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 (edited) Bluecoats are a top 5 drum corps for 4 out of the last ten seasons. They have been top 6 for eight of the last ten seasons. For each of the past 3 seasons, they have improved their placement to 2013's 5th place finish in Indy. They are a 27-time DCI Finalist. It's easy to overlook consistency. Make no mistake, Bloo is one of the most successful corps in DCI. Edited October 23, 2013 by drumcorpsfever 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kansan Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 (edited) I would wonder whether Bluecoats are as overlooked by younger fans as those of us who may be of a certain age (I'm 51) who can remember the earlier days of DCI . Part of Bluecoats being overlooked may be due to history. If we look at last year's finalists, BAC, Cavies, SCV, Madison, Cadets, and Blue Stars were all charter members of DCI. Blue Devils and Phantom have been finalists since 1974. Spirit has a sentimental pull on fans and dates back to 1977 and while Crown would be the new kids on the block, they have a certain infectious charisma. I know that by the time Bluecoats arrived on the scene and later Blue Knights, I already had my favorites and I'm not sure I always paid attention to either Bluecoats or Blue Knights over the years. In the case of Bluecoats, I'm not sure why: They have made finals all but once since 1987 and they have consistent shows that are well performed. I also own all the Legacy DVD's and finals DVD's, and I find that most years Bluecoats have enjoyable shows, and they are fairly regular visitors to the Boston area. However, I realized the error of my ways last year. I connected with "Unmasked" when I saw it for the first time in Allentown,and in 2013, I saw Bluecoats live seven times, and once at the cinema. I enjoyed them each time I saw them, especially at Bristol, RI where they performed the encore. When they performed "Autumn Leaves" it reminded me they've been around for a while and they're not going anywhere. While this may be anecdotal, when I saw the early season show at the movies, the theater was filled with teenagers, most of whom marched in local bands. Though Boston Crusaders got the best reception (I was in Foxboro, MA), Bluecoats seemed to generate a real excitement. Bluecoats have been finalists all their lives. Perhaps it is generational. Must be the generational thing with me. They just were not a big deal when I 1st got into Drum Corps. I know the general History of the Corps and the Blue Stars have a huge History but the Corps today just does not grab my attention. The Bluecoats? Well, I know they have entered the stadium because everyone starts yelling BLUE!. I have enjoyed some of their shows in the past, they just are not one of my favorites I look for. I should like them more since they were formed/sponsored by Police. Edited October 23, 2013 by Kansan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RContra Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Wait, not a big deal? Didn't they get into finals for the first time and beat you guys when you marched? Had that same thing happen to me over a decade later. It was a BIG freaking deal. lol I'm angry about it to this day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkeye Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 I loved 2010 and 2011. 2012 was alright. Didn't like 2013 much personally, but it wasn't for lack of skill. Hopefully they come back again. They're a very strong corps with a lot of potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcorpsfever Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 (edited) Seems like a more appropriate title for this thread should be "Don't Ever Overlook the Bluecoats!" - - - or, if you ever have, 'there's plenty of room on the Bloo Bandwagon for you!' Edited October 23, 2013 by drumcorpsfever 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 I was on the "overlook the Bluecoats train" for a quite a while. But their design and execution in the past 5 or so years has made me disembark! IMO the beginning of the 2011 show is everything modern drum corps should be. Creep was just amazing, amazing drum corps. I'm looking forward to what they bring next summer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowtown Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 I take them year by year. Liked 94, 06 and 10 as complete shows And that’s where they stumble, many years they do just part of a good show not an entire good show Musically, they have had a good run the past several years…visually, not so much I feel they get stuck in the design rabbit hole a lot, stubbornly holding on to concepts that might have been cool in an off season meeting but don’t work on the field And sometimes they are just boring Not a fan of their show last year, it seemed to string together a look of their design ideas that didn’t work the first few time from the quadraphonic sound to the bigger idea I often feel they try too hard and wish they'd just rock more Always interested to see what they do though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RContra Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 I take them year by year. Liked 94, 06 and 10 as complete shows And that’s where they stumble, many years they do just part of a good show not an entire good show Musically, they have had a good run the past several years…visually, not so much I feel they get stuck in the design rabbit hole a lot, stubbornly holding on to concepts that might have been cool in an off season meeting but don’t work on the field And sometimes they are just boring Not a fan of their show last year, it seemed to string together a look of their design ideas that didn’t work the first few time from the quadraphonic sound to the bigger idea I often feel they try too hard and wish they'd just rock more Always interested to see what they do though Always felt like they were just a Michael Gaines away from being perennial medalists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Always felt like they were just a Michael Gaines away from being perennial medalists. Another medal could come. This time last year there were high turnover lots of age out comments on DCP posts and more than a few had Bluecoats falling from the top 7 with BAC remaining in the top seven (wished it happened) and Cavies returning, perhaps even being dominant. PR was also expected by more than a few to have a better year. Bluecoats proved many people wrong. I didn't notice a huge number of Bluecoats at the age out ceremony (may be wrong in this regard) but I don't know if a higher placement for Bluecoats and their second medal is out of the question. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAW Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Word has it very few ageouts from last year. Pretty much an entirely new visual and percussion staff. Should be interesting, but a medal is certainly not out of the question. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.