BD 2026: Return of Those Naughty Little Devils!

[OldSnareDrummer]

19 minutes ago, fighterkit said:

Very excited to see what BD does next year. 
 

Other than Boston. BD is one of the few that I find myself humming moments of their show

Ditto. That BD opening with the sax/sopranos melody as been an ear worm since Saturday night.

[fighterkit]

39 minutes ago, OldSnareDrummer said:

Ditto. That BD opening with the sax/sopranos melody as been an ear worm since Saturday night.

That part is pretty cool. Loved the soprano sax and trumpet stuff
Kashmir was one of my favorite moments all summer. 
Lots of really cool musical and visual moments. 
Only complaint about the show is I don’t think they conveyed the theme well

 

But yknow what. With a record like the one they have im ok giving them a pass

[Chief Guns]

@theonlyfizzle Here is the new BD thread thanks to our sister @DWW11

[theonlyfizzle]

On 8/10/2025 at 8:31 AM, DWW11 said:

Let’s do this!

Awesome! 😎 

[Ashontheinternet]

honestly i really hope blue devils field one of the greatest shows ever put to turf next season, solely so all the haters online who said that the "blue devils fall off needs to be studied," will stop talking lol

[Chief Guns]

6 minutes ago, Ashontheinternet said:

honestly i really hope blue devils field one of the greatest shows ever put to turf next season, solely so all the haters online who said that the "blue devils fall off needs to be studied," will stop talking lol

Actually I don't want the haters to stop talking. I think it's awesome that BD lives rent free in their heads to the point that they can't keep BD out of their mouths, and just celebrate the corps that earned their medals and placement. 

When you can finish 4th and it's considered a down year, that just speaks to how bad*** BD is and their level of dominance over the years. 

And alot of the stuff the haters are saying is just regurgitated stuff that has been said year after year.

It's just finally the haters get to stick their chest out and yell to the heavens that their annual BD prediction was correct.............for the first time since "Good Times" and "Welcome Back Kotter" went off the air. LMAO. 

[NewArpege]

I’d like to see a stripped down old school jazz show…..with some modernized visuals. Maybe the faster the tempo the field is bright red, and the shower the tempo, the field turns blue with shades of purple in between.

Simple….but visuals tie to music….and goes back to BD musical roots. But let’s them play with how to creatively transition colors against sound. 

Edited August 12, 2025 by NewArpege

[LabMaster]

On 8/10/2025 at 11:17 PM, NakedEye said:

Whatever they come up with, I hope it allows for some time for the members to have a bit more fun with the material. 2025 was filled with moods like aloofness, contemplation, measured control, some grandeur and occasional intensity, but the performers rarely got a chance to cut loose with moments of joy. That doesn't mean inject the show with "tricks and giggles" like BAC, but some sections where they can engage with the audience a bit more. A lot of the great shows of the past have had that - the tap shoes in 2019, ballad in 2017, tambourines in 2014, "Say a Little Prayer" in 2011, the "monkey drumming" and cymbal rack in 2003, etc. etc."

The Bluecoats kids this year looked like they were having the absolute time of their lives through much of their production, and after a few years in the cerebral wilderness, BD is overdue for a taste of that.

That doesn't mean inject the show with "tricks and giggles" like BAC, but some sections where they can engage with the audience a bit more.

But you do realize the “tricks and giggles” as you describe it, were actually contextural to the concept and theme of the production?  It enabled the performers to have fun while delivering on the theme. Quite engaging.  Nevertheless, your snark was noted.

[Jim Alberty]

If my idle thoughts were actually realized.…

1) I hope to hear a show that does not play music from earlier seasons in the past. It would be a great statement if everything was absolutely new and untried in the drum corps context. I’d like to see our originality emphasized without overt dependence on our previous successes.

2) try something totally gonzo and strange.… use something like a saxaboom (heaven help us) or get a brave kid boxer bashing on an overhead punching bag in a house beat.

3) in a similar vein, investigate using completely nontraditional sound sources. Rather like that strange sculpture that was bashed on during the “Cafe Voltaire” show, breaking glass on the sideline. We know we are going to hear superb brass, guard and percussion performances and I am certain that will never change. Rather like Bloo using the sound of flags. There must be things out there that can be utilized.

4) I would like to see large forms developed in our fantastically original style of transition. The way the giant rotating company front appeared at the end of “Fellinisque”. In my experience, people hear better with their eyes.

As the legendary Mel Stratton observed after our first championship, “you know, somebody else is going to figure out how to do this“. (BTW that was a hearsay quote.) We need to make a phenomenally engaging emotional statement coming from a completely unexpected direction. And do it with the performance standard that we have maintained for decades.

We're probably doing all this now and I'm just not seeing it. Regardless of my limited opinions our standards are far from falling. Very proud of everyone currently involved. Carry on .....

Edited August 12, 2025 by Jim Alberty
grammar

[lawdn]

1 hour ago, LabMaster said:

That doesn't mean inject the show with "tricks and giggles" like BAC, but some sections where they can engage with the audience a bit more.

But you do realize the “tricks and giggles” as you describe it, were actually contextural to the concept and theme of the production?  It enabled the performers to have fun while delivering on the theme. Quite engaging.  Nevertheless, your snark was noted.

BAC pulled off humor, wit, and fun seamlessly, and that is the hardest thing to do in almost any media, including drum corps. Respect and gratitude.