Blue Devils 2024 right before the storm

[jwillis35]

38 minutes ago, bluecoats88 said:

exactly,  and they have done that in the past with the absurdity show, the through the glass darkly show, with filiniesque.  they have it in themselves to do something different, interesting, and challenging but they decide to do a variation of the same thing over and over with all the same tropes that they've done for years.  take a chance, do something different and unexpected, make the crowd excited and wowed.

I think Blue Devils made a shift in programming after all the criticism they received or viewed when they did shows like 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013. On DCP alone there were many who felt they were not entertaining and just trying to write to the sheets and win. To me this was not true but I remember fans on DCP and elsewhere constantly complaining about their shows not being for the crowd. 

Now that BD is more fan friendly fans want more innovation. Personally I still find an "air" of freshness to their shows. Their style is still unique in the activity. It may not be new to them but it is unique in the activity. There is no rule stating that if you win and win a lot that you must take the greatest risks and push the activity somewhere new.

In the 1980s the Garfield Cadets were often cited for innovations. They certainly were at the cusp of change, but those changes were things like taking asymmetrical drill to new levels, getting rid of the concert number, starting a show with a ballad (1984), some harder drill, flexing intervals, and things of that nature. By the late 80s and through the 90s what did they change? I think the shows just became more fast paced and more demanding but I think their unique style was still in tact. They were not reinventing the wheel every year. This was true in the first decade of the 2000s as well. Did it stagnate at some point? Yes, but not until 2002-2003...and then they tried something a little new in 2004 and again in 2005. But what was different? A baton twirler? A uniform change? A use of a box in the middle of the field? They were still marching high-velocity drill in a style and manner that they employed in the 1980s. The music was still exciting with lots of mellophone runs. You still new it was Cadets. 

I don't think Blue Devils feel this formula and unique style of theirs has stagnated yet. To me the 2023 show was still pretty fresh and entertaining. The concept was a wonderful idea. When I address their formula I am referring to shows designed from 2014 to now. Their are similarities with 2008-2013, but that minimizes changes they have made. Their 2014 show felt very different to 2013. The 2015 show which was even more theatrical. To compare 2015 to 2017 also shows vast differences. The way they handled old-school vs new-school corps identity in the 2017 show is completely different from anything we'd seen. Their use of props in 2019 was wild and wonderfully creative. 

People love to say they just Rinse and Repeat but really that is not true and not even close to what they have been doing. There is more to the Blue Devils than meets the eye. 

[Chief Guns]

6 minutes ago, jwillis35 said:

I think Blue Devils made a shift in programming after all the criticism they received or viewed when they did shows like 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013. On DCP alone there were many who felt they were not entertaining and just trying to write to the sheets and win. To me this was not true but I remember fans on DCP and elsewhere constantly complaining about their shows not being for the crowd. 

Now that BD is more fan friendly fans want more innovation. Personally I still find an "air" of freshness to their shows. Their style is still unique in the activity. It may not be new to them but it is unique in the activity. There is no rule stating that if you win and win a lot that you must take the greatest risks and push the activity somewhere new.

In the 1980s the Garfield Cadets were often cited for innovations. They certainly were at the cusp of change, but those changes were things like taking asymmetrical drill to new levels, getting rid of the concert number, starting a show with a ballad (1984), some harder drill, flexing intervals, and things of that nature. By the late 80s and through the 90s what did they change? I think the shows just became more fast paced and more demanding but I think their unique style was still in tact. They were not reinventing the wheel every year. This was true in the first decade of the 2000s as well. Did it stagnate at some point? Yes, but not until 2002-2003...and then they tried something a little new in 2004 and again in 2005. But what was different? A baton twirler? A uniform change? A use of a box in the middle of the field? They were still marching high-velocity drill in a style and manner that they employed in the 1980s. The music was still exciting with lots of mellophone runs. You still new it was Cadets. 

I don't think Blue Devils feel this formula and unique style of theirs has stagnated yet. To me the 2023 show was still pretty fresh and entertaining. The concept was a wonderful idea. When I address their formula I am referring to shows designed from 2014 to now. Their are similarities with 2008-2013, but that minimizes changes they have made. Their 2014 show felt very different to 2013. The 2015 show which was even more theatrical. To compare 2015 to 2017 also shows vast differences. The way they handled old-school vs new-school corps identity in the 2017 show is completely different from anything we'd seen. Their use of props in 2019 was wild and wonderfully creative. 

People love to say they just Rinse and Repeat but really that is not true and not even close to what they have been doing. There is more to the Blue Devils than meets the eye. 

Well said! 

Your comment will fall on deaf ears to some, because they will die on the hill believing in the BD rinse and repeat narrative, but nonetheless your comment is straight facts!

[DFA1970]

1 hour ago, bluecoats88 said:

exactly,  and they have done that in the past with the absurdity show, the through the glass darkly show, with filiniesque.  they have it in themselves to do something different, interesting, and challenging but they decide to do a variation of the same thing over and over with all the same tropes that they've done for years.  take a chance, do something different and unexpected, make the crowd excited and wowed.

BC have done the same show design the last 5 years with one exception...change the look. So there....

[jwillis35]

9 minutes ago, Chief Guns said:

Well said! 

Your comment will fall on deaf ears to some, because they will die on the hill believing in the BD rinse and repeat narrative, but nonetheless your comment is straight facts!

Thanks, Chief! Congrats to your son and those Mandarins! What a show. So exciting and so visually and musically captivating. 

[Chief Guns]

20 minutes ago, jwillis35 said:

Thanks, Chief! Congrats to your son and those Mandarins! What a show. So exciting and so visually and musically captivating. 

Thanks brother! Mandarins are on a mission for 2024. They got a small taste of what it's like to compete for top five, and based off what my son has been telling me, they want the full course meal now, and 2024s motivator is "Unfinished Business."

This century, we have seen the rise of Crown, Bloo, BAC. We could be on the cusp of adding the Mandarins to that list. 

[KVG_DC]

2 hours ago, HopHead said:

Speaking of anime, how has this song not made a Blue Devils show yet? From the music to the title, it's like it was written for them.

 

SRSLY.  This is a bop...

I could see them working some of that hand and arm stuff she does for the instruments (the bass break, the piano, etc) into their visual vocabulary too.

Edited August 15, 2023 by KVG_DC

[David Hill]

To go along with the most championships in the DCI era, hoping for four-in-a-row; unmatched.

Clearly possible.

[84BDsop]

4 hours ago, Chief Guns said:

Thanks brother! Mandarins are on a mission for 2024. They got a small taste of what it's like to compete for top five, and based off what my son has been telling me, they want the full course meal now, and 2024s motivator is "Unfinished Business."

This century, we have seen the rise of Crown, Bloo, BAC. We could be on the cusp of adding the Mandarins to that list. 

If Mandies win it all, they'd be the first corps to win in every division they've competed in.

Edited August 15, 2023 by 84BDsop

[84BDsop]

52 minutes ago, David Hill said:

To go along with the most championships in the DCI era, hoping for four-in-a-row; unmatched.

Clearly possible.

Unmatched in DCI perhaps....but not in drum corps overall.  Reading Buccaneers pulled off a 6-peat -- an UNDEFEATED 5-peat -- from 2005-2010

[Hrothgar15]

6 hours ago, rmurrey74 said:

Hopefully they don’t change too much!  My favorite BD show in over 10 years. 

I gotta say, it's the only one since 2007 I've ever found myself humming the week after championships.