An intense frustration.

[Zanjero]

"And now, for another episode of - As the World Class Turns."
"Brought to you by Tide"

 

[Drum Corps Is Now a Bust]

5 hours ago, 84BDsop said:

My fave complaint is "BD writes to the sheets."

Uhhh...fun fact here...

 

EVERYONE WRITES TO THE ####### SHEETS!  IT'S A COMPETITION!

Stop acting like BD's the evil empire and every other corps out there is some paragon of drum corps purity....it's old and worn out.

Sing a new ####### tune, already, and come down off your cross...someone else needs the wood.

(and yes, I would think this even if i WEREN'T an alum and have to wade through this bilge water every Goddamned year).

Well, you may not experience such complaints if BD and other top tier organizations didn't try to buy financially championship shows year after year.

[MikeRapp]

I am sure there are people saying stupid stuff because—people. But I have never read anything here where someone accused BD of bribing judges or “stealing” awards. Look at their performances, they are on the field. If you legit think BD doesn’t deserve to be a medalist then you simply don’t understand the activity.

[drumhead31]

BD will never be my favorite, but there's no denying that they have created an environment of excellence. They're design team, instructors and performers have earned their success. Congratulations on another incredible season.

[Drum Corps Is Now a Bust]

Just now, MikeRapp said:

I am sure there are people saying stupid stuff because—people. But I have never read anything here where someone accused BD of bribing judges or “stealing” awards. Look at their performances, they are on the field. If you legit think BD doesn’t deserve to be a medalist then you simply don’t understand the activity.

Was this comment directed toward me? If it was, I may not have been clear. It's not about bribing judges to steal awards. Corps like BD simply have the financial resources that allow them to produce championship quality shows year after year. When an organization is able to buy the best of everything from equipment, to designers, to staff, it's much easier to draw the talent (and possibly give some of that talent free rides) to win year after year. My point is that money has a lot to do with BD's success. Money is now king in DCI. To be championship competitive in the top tier class, be prepared to have and spend a lot of money year after year.

[MikeRapp]

33 minutes ago, Drum Corps Is Now a Bust said:

Let's get something straight about a situation that is rarely if ever discussed on fan sites like this. The success of the Blue Devils in the contemporary setting in which now live directly correlates to money. It's easy to raise the bar with the money BD has to throw out year after year and show after show. Most drum corps don't have the financial resources of BD to buy championship instruction and talent to match. It's about envy and jealousy for me. It's about who has the money in modern DCI. Money now determines who does well consistently and who rarely if ever will. There are non-profit organizations that attempt to achieve work much more important and serious than BD does and that attempt to fulfill their missions with much less financial resources than BD brings in year after year. My point is that money is buys championship and consistent placement in modern DCI more any other single factor. Raise the bar equates to spend more money.

Last night we witnessed an alumni performance for the ages for a corps that twice shut down due to lack of finances. Tonight they will likely medal again.

Yes money matters a lot—and some corps benefit from having built successful financial organizations. Those organizations will have advantages and will likely never finish outside of the top 10. But that is true in all areas of life. It’s a fact for any business or competitive activity.

The clear answer is to be a business and run your org like a successful business. This is what turned Bluecoats around. Every org in dci can do this.

[MikeRapp]

BD and SCV are the largest music Ed organizations in DCI. They recruit differently, train differently, and operate differently. They are at least one model that other orgs can follow with predictable outcomes. 
 

No one argues this. Well at least no one who has a clue about DCI.

[Drum Corps Is Now a Bust]

1 minute ago, MikeRapp said:

Last night we witnessed an alumni performance for the ages for a corps that twice shut down due to lack of finances. Tonight they will likely medal again.

Yes money matters a lot—and some corps benefit from having built successful financial organizations. Those organizations will have advantages and will likely never finish outside of the top 10. But that is true in all areas of life. It’s a fact for any business or competitive activity.

The clear answer is to be a business and run your org like a successful business. This is what turned Bluecoats around. Every org in dci can do this.

Thank you for admitting what so many others in the forum do not wish to acknowledge, money is an important and top ingredient to having the opportunity to win in DCI. The focus on the need for more and more money, however, is what has now turned me off to the activity. I don't respect an activity that dangles the carrot of a possible championship in front of organization if they spend more and more money. 

[theonlyfizzle]

1 hour ago, Tim K said:

Full disclosure: I am a huge Boston Crusaders fan. My drum corps experience as a fan goes back to 1975, and I still believe 27th Lancers should have won in 1980 and no one commenting in this thread will change my mind. I am hoping for an upset tonight, but so too are fans of Bloo, and I am sure there are some Crown fans still holding on to the hope that judges with award them a title right here, right now. 

First of all I believe the Blue Devils “hate” is more of an online thing than a reality of people in the stands. There have been some moments, no question. I wasn’t in attendance but heard stories of Pasadena being pretty heated in 2007.  In 2008 many claimed that the applause and cheers of the crowd were more because Blue Devils lost than Phantom’s winning, but it’s pretty exciting for a corps to go from 3rd in prelims, 2nd in semi’s, and 1st at finals, so I don’t agree with that. Similar things were said in 2011 when Cadets won with “Angels and Demons.” The G7 threat did not win BD too many fans either, but with other corps such as Cadets, G7 anger was geared more towards its former director, Cavies and Phantom were no longer the threat they once were, Crown and Bloo had not yet won. SCV seems to have been unscathed from that situation. 2012 and 2013 were the last years I recall there was real animosity towards Blue Devils in the stands, not  just online. 2014 BD was a huge favorite. It happens. In 2017 they were loved. True, in 2019 people thought Bloo was robbed, and I agree to some extent, but I also know when two corps are scored so close, that’s going to be the reaction and fans of each corps will have opinions.

As I said earlier, I am a BAC fan. I hope for the best for Boston tonight. Crown and Bloo have a spot in my heart too. This does not mean I hate BD. If I critique BD online and there are reasons to do so, it does not mean I’m a hater. If I believe another coros is better and can defend my opinion, that does not mean I am a hater. If you believe Crown should be faring better and win the Ott or Bloo has a more GE packed show, it does not mean you hate BD either. This is competition and judging is subjective. There will be varying opinions. 

So you are able to see the other corps potentials over BD and not recognized the reasons BD being rewarded by the judges, in any way shape or form ?  Ok got you.. I disagree with so many things you said, and yes BD have haters every year! but it has gotten better and way less with them, but to say there isn't any is a blind statement.

Don't take us (BD fans) all the same. We recognized hate when we see it, as do we recognize real criticism, favoritism, personal preference and opinions when we see those too. We are not calling everyone an hater, But we do know what an hater is and how they speak, it's very clear.

[ThePlanets]

 The Blue DEVILs. The quintessential bad guys of DCI. The originization that fans love to hate. I am somewhat of a BD hater myself But let's take a deeper look at why. 

Exhibit A. Its annoying that they win all the time.

1976 (yes before I was born) BD wins their first championship.  Watching this show- I personally love it and it's one of my favorite classic early DCI championship shows.

Fast forward to 1980. BD has won 3 of the past 4 years. The organization now has experience with being champions and performs with that swagger. They know how to handle competition. The problem with BD winning in 1980 is there were 4 fantastic shows that could have won a championship and BD still won. So now out of 8 championship finals- BD has won 4 of them. Then by 1982 they had won 5 out of 10. In 1983 a corps from the east emerges and wins a championship BD hangs in there and earns a medal every year until 1987.

From 1987-1995 the field of elite corps is deep and while BD never drops below 5th it seems like there is definitely a new top dog around. Then BD brings home gold 3 times in 1996-1999. They fade again but only slightly in the early 00s as the Cavaliers take over. 

So from roughly 1995-2011 you have 3 very elite corps always competing for gold and Phantom Regiment too. DCI fans and potential members gravitate towards their own favorite based on personal style and region. I personally viewed the Cadets and Cavaliers as the gold standard of drum corps with the little I knew about the activity at the time.

Then in 2012- the shoe drops. The Cadets get 4th place and the Cavaliers drop significantly. The Cavies still haven't recovered. The Cadets shows start to miss the mark more and more then we all know what happened between the 17 and 18 seasons. So now in 2022 you have these organizations with a rich history of competing and winning completely out of the top 5. No where near medal contention. And some other perennial favorites like Phantom and Madison? Madison is still playing shows fans like but can't Crack the top 12 and Phantom has been relegated to the bottom 1/3 of the top 12. 

What about BD? Still winning. Usually gold because their competition is all but gone with the exception of the inconsistency of SCV.

Older fans and DCI Alum have watched the corps they support the most fall while BD is still out there killin' it.

Newer fans gravitate towards Carolina Crown with their mouth watering talent in the hornline and the Bluecoats with their accessible and fun show designs- but these corps haven't been getting it done.

 

Exhibit B the abstract show design and the screamers

Go back and watch any Cavaliers or Cadets show 2011 or earlier. They are marching and moving a lot, they are making shapes and pictures and playing familiar music with very clear execution. It's easy to see mistakes and these shows are easy for fans to judge. 

The Blue Devils use abstract shapes and make abstract curvilinear designs. They use FTL drill a lot and it's harder to see mistakes. As someone who has marched both this style and show style I call BS on anyone who says the drill for the BD hornline is any harder to execute than in other top corps. This is where 90% of the "they play and design to the score sheets" argument comes from. 

The other side is the music and with that comes an extremely talented hornline. @Cappybaracorrectly pointed out that BDs book is written in a higher and harder to execute range this year. It's like that every year. BD has a history of screamers every year. Sometimes it's great and sometimes they frack. It's very rare to hear fracking, dirty, or unclean music from the likes of popular corps such as Crown, the Cadets, and Phantom. Keeping in mind that a lot of fans are very involved in music education hearing this can be irking.

Also a blue devils show is a blue devils show. It's different variations of the same formula every year. We talk innovation in DCI but BD keeps evolving the same concepts. SOS different year.

 

How I have matured and come around to the Blue Devils

In 2012 I was in shock and awe that Crown didn't win. It took a lot of research for me to see and understand why. Yes they won brass and they 100% deserved to win brass but as someone who used to play trumpet myself the hornline was all I was listening to and watching.

I absolutely love BD percussion.  They are my favorite corps to watch in the lot, I usually enjoy their percussion feature, and 1999 is probably the coolest use of percussion that I have ever seen.

I have come around to the fact that the use of staging, color guard, and other member movement are extremely important in the visual aspects of the show.

This year, with the help of Flo marching is the first time I was able to compare BDs early season performances to the groups performing in the east. Guess what? BD was better this year by a county mile.  They just have the best group with the most talent and writing to showcase that. Carolina Crown wasn't as good as everyone thought early in the season and their placement is showing it. Boston and the Bluecoats have cleaned a lot and are performing at amazing levels but it's probably too late for them to catch BD.

 

If you got this far- thanks for reading! Best of luck to BD and all of the finalists tonight. I am happy that DCI is back!

 

Edited August 13, 2022 by ThePlanets