Blue Devils in the Details 2023

[skevinp]

12 hours ago, resipsaloquitur said:

A brief reflections on DCI Vista for DCP Friends:

In the great works of art, there is always a sense of depth. A monument waiting to be explored. The Cut-Outs, the BD 2023 production is meant to be a profound experience, a groundbreaking achievement in colors and senses that expands the visual limits of a DCI performance. For the occasion, the colorguards greet the audience at DCI Vista with a blast of colorful floral motifs and unis that look as if the cut-outs created by Matisse himself. 

The opening allegory perfectly describes the art-imitates-life theme of Cut Outs. I blew in tears hearing its beauty..."How small a thought it takes to fill a whole life!". This is exact, precise, concise and accurate. It comes from a musical composition called Proverb by Steve Reich. The poem itself comes from a collection of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s writing entitled Culture and Value.

To better understand both context, it helps to refer to Wittgenstein's original German: "Schon der kleinste Gedanke genügt, um ein Leben zu erfüllen", which means word-for-word: "Even the smallest thought suffices to fill a life". Much of Wittgenstein’s work is ‘proverbial’ in tone and in its brevity. This particular text was written in 1946. In the same paragraph from which it was taken Wittgenstein continues, “If you want to go down deep you do not need to travel far”. The poem can be seen as explanation, or reflection, of the theme of the show itself, as well as perhaps a parallel to Matisse's (and Reich's) latter career, much of it spent exploring minimalist cut-outs.

I think Wittgenstein and Reich are trying to get at the possible complexity of seemingly simple things, given Reich's supposed love of "simpler" musical textures, ideas, forms, etc. that blossom into more complex ideas. Though I am no philosopher and cannot say I am fully versed in Wittgenstein's philosophy, I do know that Wittgenstein, like a mathematician, constructs his philosophy on simple axioms and builds a relatively complex theory from them, just as The Blue Devils are known to do by relying on themes based on an artistic movement (Dadaism), an artist (Fellini), a work of art (Nighthawks), or a color (Tempus Blue), and from them build out an artistically and musically nuanced show.

And Steve Reich’s Proverb is an amuse-bouche for what’s coming up with The Cut-Outs. Following the medieval polyphony in the opener, The Cut-Outs goes on to feature music that combines heroic anime, airy ballads and polyrhythmic metal – Cody Fry's Caves, JoJo pt. 1 and 2, Both Sides Now, and TesseracT – it’s thrilling to listen to. Caves is apropos to the show because Joni Mitchell, who wrote and sang the ballad ‘Both Sides Now,’ once spent two months living in the Matala caves on the island of Crete writing songs. With details like that, while the judges won’t know, the discerning audience have come to expect. 

Now that they're at normal altitude again they're definitely playing like monsters. Would not be surprised at all if they take brass again. Percussion appears to have a much more difficult book and playing many more notes than last year's all rookie line. Someone sitting next to us exaggerated that they are playing so many notes it's hard to fit them all onto one sheet.

Like the music, the visual imagery that constructs Palladian edifices of architectural structures and intimate textures and colors. BD is pulling out all stops, taking drum corps to yet another level.

BD fully knows what the fans want and expect, comfortably. And they continue to deliver at the highest level, creating new fans along the way. That is their formula. It was pleasure seeing all this play out in the audience during a beautiful evening in San Diego.

It’s a rare post that gets all 5 reactions.

[lawdn]

Coming here to clarify an error in my comment on the Corps at the Crest thread: BD’s ballad is already *singing*, not *dinging* 😂.

I had serious doubts of any corps doing justice to “Both Sides Now” where the lyric carries so much of the weight but knew BD is one of the corps that might pull it off. And oh how they are! Finals week it will be truly memorable.

[DWW11]

1 hour ago, lawdn said:

2 hours!

I get it. I am East Coast, too. I meant the hour between when they are in CA vs TX!  I did, in fact, sign up last night! And stayed up. I am like the walking dead today! 

[lawdn]

1 minute ago, DWW11 said:

I get it. I am East Coast, too. I meant the hour between when they are in CA vs TX!  I did, in fact, sign up last night! And stayed up. I am like the walking dead today! 

I meant Cali is Pacific time, and most of TX is Central time, so the shows get 2 hours earlier for you. For us on the west coast, the Eastern time shows can start really early, especially tough on weekdays. 

[DWW11]

3 minutes ago, lawdn said:

I meant Cali is Pacific time, and most of TX is Central time, so the shows get 2 hours earlier for you. For us on the west coast, the Eastern time shows can start really early, especially tough on weekdays. 

Ah!  Thanks. I thought all if TX was in one time zone. I forget how big TX is!

[Chief Guns]

8 minutes ago, DWW11 said:

Ah!  Thanks. I thought all if TX was in one time zone. I forget how big TX is!

Up until a few years ago I thought the same thing lol. Drove from the DFW area to SoCal...........completely caught me off guard when we had a time change as we neared El Paso lol. 

[saxfreq1128]

IDK anything about battery beyond what anyone knows from growing up around them but after watching lot videos this year’s book seems — pretty great??? 

[Chief Guns]

5 minutes ago, saxfreq1128 said:

IDK anything about battery beyond what anyone knows from growing up around them but after watching lot videos this year’s book seems — pretty great??? 

Seeing them live last night, they will absolutely challenge for the Sanford. 

Personally, I think it's BDs best battery since 2015. 

[saxfreq1128]

1 hour ago, Chief Guns said:

Seeing them live last night, they will absolutely challenge for the Sanford. 

Personally, I think it's BDs best battery since 2015. 

Wow comparing to 2015 is high praise indeed! I am not a percussion guy but what I love about lot videos is that you get to see the MMs faces and watch them grow. Idk, just cool to recognize the old faces from last year mixed in with new faces. 

I wish lot videos for guard were more of a thing. I’m *dying* to stan these guards up close. Even then, BD has always been so good at celebrating individual talent in guard that I can still spot familiar faces in the field. They’re alone on that front among guards, for me. 

Edited July 2, 2023 by saxfreq1128

[theonlyfizzle]

Here is someone who reacts to Drum corps shows, wgi ect....

She genuinely Loves Blue Devils, and decides to react to BD 360 The-Cut-out Conversation about the show from the Staff.