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2019 DCI Review #5 - THE BLUE DEVILS


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I certainly have a Bluecoats bias but I thought that BD and Bloo were too close to call. BD had an amazing show and I feel no shame in losing to them.

But I also agree that BD was much better live than how they looked on the Blu Ray.

Edited by Jurassic Lancer
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29 minutes ago, Jurassic Lancer said:

I certainly have a Bluecoats bias but I thought that BD and Bloo were too close to call. BD had an amazing show and I feel no shame in losing to them.

But I also agree that BD was much better live than how they looked on the Blu Ray.

100% agreed. We had two championship shows in 2019. Bloo was just as deserving and it could have totally went the other way. As a BD honk, i would have had zero issues losing to the amazing men and women of Canton Ohio. Bloo is certainly a force to be reckon with, and the Coats getting title #2 is not a matter of if, but when. 

Seeing Ghostlight online does the show no justice. After I saw them in San Bernardino I knew it was top two at worst for BD. And that was late June when the show had no meat on the bone. Like most years, you gotta see the Devs live in person to truly appreciate what they are doing. 

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14 hours ago, Rylan said:

It's obvious that you have a Bluecoats and/or Beatles bias (and that's fine) but that's because you clearly know more about that show, its themes, and took the time to study it. However, I will personally admit that I'm not a Beatles fan myself. Regardless, I would not take that away the fact that the Coats had a great and enjoyable show. 

However, If you took the time to understand the history behind a stage's ghostlight and BD's homage to theater in general, then you too would understand the choices that they made to create their show instead of the random abstraction that you describe their shows as having. Perhaps that's why it didn't "come together" (HA!) for you. Also, you don't technically "skip to the Bluecoats" as BD performed last that evening. haha. 

Thanks for your input.  I've been "outside the loop" since 2009 and like to understand what's going on these days.  First of all I am definitely NOT a Bluecoats fan.  I really only liked "Downside Up" and "The Bluecoats" by them, plus the occasional song here or there like Autumn Leaves.

Please let me know what Blue Devils' show means.  I've admitted in all my reviews that I've been liking to first give a "naive impression" as a "new fan".  I like to put out there a review as if I'm someone who knows little about drum corps, in the modern age at least.

Plus you DO skip to the Bluecoats, they're second on the DVD.  ; )

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I have yet to see this year’s BluRay, but as one who saw both Bloo and BD multiple times during the season, I would expect a Bloo’s performance to translate better to BluRay than BD. It was a show about performers and telling the story would have required those made for TV moments. 

I am happy we have the videos we do dating back to 1975 and even though the 1974 Legacy DVD is not a complete finals, it’s fun to watch. However, we can never expect that video will capture what drum corps is all about. There are shows that look so clean from the stands where flaws are revealed on video. In videos prior to around 2000, recording mics were not always positioned that well. Camera angles are not always flattering. I know someone who worked for WGBH at the time they broadcast finals who told me that when a surprise corps made finals that was not a participant at DCI East (it was not required at the time), CYO Nationals or World Open, sometimes they had not seen the show and didn’t know what to capture. 

Regarding the entertainment quality of BD: though I am not a Blue Devils hater, the folks in Concord, CA are not working overtime trying to think of ways to thank me for being a long time fan. I appreciate their competitiveness though I am not always entertained and some years have been bored. However since 2014, I have been impressed with their creativity and nods to the audience. Feliniesque, the little girl emerging in 2015, the throwback moments of 2017, and in 2018, a show that would have won if SCV was not as strong and hungry as they were, “Natural Woman” practically stole the evening. 

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1 hour ago, Skeletor '96 said:

Thanks for your input.  I've been "outside the loop" since 2009 and like to understand what's going on these days.  First of all I am definitely NOT a Bluecoats fan.  I really only liked "Downside Up" and "The Bluecoats" by them, plus the occasional song here or there like Autumn Leaves.

Please let me know what Blue Devils' show means.  I've admitted in all my reviews that I've been liking to first give a "naive impression" as a "new fan".  I like to put out there a review as if I'm someone who knows little about drum corps, in the modern age at least.

Plus you DO skip to the Bluecoats, they're second on the DVD.  ; )

At your earliest convenience, I recommend checking out "Inside BD360 Season 8 on YT. They breakdown the 2019 show and give you an in depth look as to what they are trying to achieve. I believe Inside BD 360 has been around since the Cabaret Voltaire show in 2012, so you can check out prior seasons as well. Hope this helps. 

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On 3/7/2020 at 5:13 AM, Skeletor '96 said:

Thanks for your input.  I've been "outside the loop" since 2009 and like to understand what's going on these days.  First of all I am definitely NOT a Bluecoats fan.  I really only liked "Downside Up" and "The Bluecoats" by them, plus the occasional song here or there like Autumn Leaves.

Please let me know what Blue Devils' show means.  I've admitted in all my reviews that I've been liking to first give a "naive impression" as a "new fan".  I like to put out there a review as if I'm someone who knows little about drum corps, in the modern age at least.

Plus you DO skip to the Bluecoats, they're second on the DVD.  ; )

Haha, I don't have the DVD so I didn't know that. lol

As for understanding the show, I actually think that watching the BD360 Episodes from the first episode of last season would help a lot in understanding the show. They're only about 5-10 minutes each so it shouldn't take up much time. If not to understand the show, this also give you a peek into the creative minds of BD which might make the rest of the other shows make more sense. I do believe that the creative team is probably just a little more on the eccentric side. haha

 

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I look forward to checking these out next weekend. Thanks to both of you!  Thanks also for saying "eccentric".  That's probably the word I should have been using all along.

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