Blue Devils 1983

I was a member of the Concord Blue Devils Drum And Bugle Corps in 1983. I played mallets in the pit. Our drum line was instructed by Tom and Catherine Float, Scott Johnson, and Jeff Nelson. We had a great year winning many of our shows. The tour ended in Miami where we were beaten by the Garfield Cadets. We did take home the high drum trophy! It was an experience I will never forget, and it's an honor to be an alumni to this amazing musical legacy.
Instagram: Donsandersondrums

[@gerrycalub4684]

Everybody Loves the Blues! That baritone solo was pretty slick

[@DennisJohnsonDrummer]

I was at finals that night in Miami. Saw Tom in the parking lot after the show and gave my congrats. I marched under Tom and with Catherine in 1980- Spirit of Atlanta. Tom's 1980 line in Atlanta tied for the high drum trophy but they broke the first ever tie with the G.E. score and gave the trophy to Dennis Delucia and the Bridgemen. Memories.

[@Zacthephotographer]

God, how I miss G Bugles. This Soprano line was 🔥🔥🔥

[@JoeNathan1988]

Me too

[@FakeFlam]

Stopped by tonight to pay my respects to Tom - RIP. Thanks for all you gave the activity!

[@shawnbryan8177]

do you have a city and cemetery name? Would like to do the same.

[@tjbiker49]

Simply AWESOME !

[@samsignorelli]

This was the show that inspired me to try out for my only Jr corps year...marched next to Bubbles for most of the 84 show.

[@ReedMunson]

Wow! What an opening drill movement!

[@trentwilliams2115]

Good stuff!

[@WxSnare]

My heros. Nothing else.

[@veronicazamora279]

amazing

[@TM-zl5kv]

Don't forget Santa Clara Vanguard won semi-finals in 1983!!!

[@MrPhillipABurns]

and like many years, people took it for granted, they would win finals. As the old saying goes, "church ain't over til the fat lady sings". Now by means am I implying Santa Clara is a bunch of fat ladies. But man their sound, then and now, is pretty wide. In your face ! loud ! and beautiful.

[@ImVee10]

Don’t forget: Santa Clara finished third in Finals in 1983! (1.65 behind the Champs!)

[@bryancook3233]

Badass.

[@tomgayer7793]

My favorite and the show I keep going back to for a real drum corps fix. I want to party with anyone from that corps. What a show!

[@adv536]

8:26 is the radest thing to happen in all of 1983.

[@pnwlove6159]

From the intro into One More Time Chuck Corea out...classic drum corps, and forever classic Blue Devils.

[@tommcconville4270]

Yes Chris, this is superb classic and traditional drum corps performance by the Blue Devils from1983. And a solid rendition of Chick Correa's composition as well. People might not not know that Chick played a soprano bugle in a church drum corps in New York City as a youngster. And, of course, became a brilliant pianist, composer and arranger. When interviewed, he always admired DCI corps, and was grateful to them for playing his composition, having been a brass player in drum corps himself.

[@HenkJanDrums]

Impressive.

[@lolshark99b49]

Blue Devils: simply the best.

[@DonSandersonDrums]

Ok, so I guess I stand corrected. The year I marched was 37 years ago, and when I posted this on Facebook it was a long time after it occurred. I remember winning a lot and maybe it was because we were winning high drums every night, or at least it seemed that way. I love drum corps but I am not a score junkie or expert on all things corps. 37 years later I don't remember coming in 3rd at Miami but who knows, we may have. I know we won high drums, and that's the section I was in. So to you drum corp purist score experts out there forgive me poor memories. One remembers things how they want to I guess. I just remember being very surprised we didn't win finals overall.

[@earlviney5212]

You came In 2nd

[@Mark-sj3xb]

I miss the big wall of snares standing elbow to elbow with the matching low stick heights.

[@veronicazamora112]

❤❤

[@xxxyorks]

Still the best

[@earlviney2820]

Love this era. Perfect blennd of showmanship and precision. Music outstanding easy and enjoyable to listen to. Todays activity way to theatrical and over done. Its more like a circus today than a drum corps show.

[@Ryan-dz7mg]

lol okay

[@tommcconville4270]

You're spot on Earl, drum and bugle corps has entirely lost it's way.

[@slotcargene1]

I'm with you, Earl. Totally agree.

[@jvr2400]

they won in 82 but i've always preferred this version of Chuck. one of the top three shows every by anyone

[@RocketRay]

Not just won but went undefeated. Source: was my rookie year in the Freelancers.

[@mitchwaldrep3163]

I think the feathers were a little more together last night.

[@earlviney2820]

This lead soprano line is the best in dci history. Unbelievable upper register.

[@aaronbuckel2337]

I think 82 was better

[@johno7564]

Pre 1986, I’ve always wondered why soprano bugles changed their right hand grip during performances, was that to help stay in tune?

[@samsignorelli]

Not sure what you mean by changing the grip. Mine was consistent for the entire 84 season. I don't think corps started a unified grip style for years after I aged out. Same for my left hand...I have small hands, so I couldn't grip the valve casing and easily reach the 1st valve tuning slide. I ended up with my index finger above the slide an the rest below so I could reach...you can see it during my camera pass.

[@johno7564]

In the eighties, I’ve seen the soprano bugle occasionally held in different ways. Baritones, Contras Euphs and mellos were always held their standard ways.

[@johno7564]

My bad, it’s the left hand grip. Right hand fingers on the pads will always be uniform. The varying left hand grip on the pistons always troubled me.

[@MrPhillipABurns]

could someone list the charts from this outstanding program ? !

[@DonSandersonDrums]

TO (Rob McConnell), Everybody Loves The Blues(Maynard Ferguson), Paradox (Kansas), One More Time Chuck Corea( A tune giving a nod to Chuck Mangione and Chick Corea) and A New Beginning.

[@DonSandersonDrums]

A New Beginning was an original written by Wayne Downey.

[@woodsman335]

Best solo beside Black Market Juggler from 1982

[@GDS1981]

Paradox by Kansas.

[@terrancewicks4079]

Yeah show everything but the snare line during the accellaro

[@tommytimp]

For some reason, the shot selection in 1983 was incredibly poor. Everything about the DCI broadcast in 83 was terrible. They course-corrected a little in 84 and going forward, then cocked it all up again when they signed the Faustian bargain with ESPN. But 83 was the worst. They missed so much.

[@bobmoore9354]

Baritone player best on the field

[@aaronbuckel2337]

Does anyone know why the lead sop player taps the guy with his foot on his right at about 9:17?

[@samsignorelli]

I asked Larry Dodd that once in the alum FB group....he didn't remember.

[@aaronbuckel2337]

@@samsignorelli Maybe it's a bug. He looks down as if he's looking for something and then steps on it.

[@samsignorelli]

@@aaronbuckel2337 Given the stories I heard of how big they were in Miami, I would not be surprised!

[@aaronbuckel2337]

@@samsignorelli one of many drum corps mysteries

[@dougpowers6524]

I always thought he was making sure about spacing between him and the guy next to him

[@mrbear1302]

What is up with using a lot of the same music from 82 just like the Cadets did?

[@tigerbandalumni]

Very common in that era, right through the end of the '80s when SCV repeated Phantom of the Opera in '88/'89.

[@samsignorelli]

@@tigerbandalumni Yep....84 was the first year BD didn't repeat a full chart from the year before (although we eventually DID play the New York Fantasy tag ending)

[@MrPhillipABurns]

back by popular demand was the school of thinking in those days

[@SIGTwoTwoSix]

Don’t forget Madison did City of Angels in 91 and 92.

[@MrPhillipABurns]

@@SIGTwoTwoSix very wonderful years, I remember Rondo (PBS) stating at the beginning of the broadcast, a "very powerful Madison horn line" . . . . of course we all know that.

[@barrykidd1977]

This corps actually had a slicker and more polished sound than the 82 corps. It was like their sound matured from raw power to a more polished performance. Garfield pulled a miracle that night.

[@ImVee10]

I wonder which guard chick threw her gloves at Garfield’s Sergeant (who handed them back and calmly said, “Here. You’ll need these.”). No class, no ring.

[@garyzinter1295]

I don't remember that, but I remember jokes being made by us on the way off the field. Fixed that problem in 84.

[@tomshea8382]

Not true. This is a great show and that drumline is amazing, but BD wasn't anywhere close to being undefeated that year. I was in the Knights that season and we made finals at whitewater and got beaten by Garfield like you did. SCV also beat you a few times (incl prelims at Miami). Come on now.

[@DonSandersonDrums]

Wow, I totally remembered that differently, but it was 34 years ago. When I posted this I remembered it as us being totally stunned at finals that we were beaten.I stand corrected. I just looked at the scores from 83. We tied SCV and lost a few other shows. But only a handful. We went pretty much undefeated.

[@tomshea8382]

Yeah, I get how that goes. I mean, since Geneseo beat everyone but the top 7 we pretty much made Finals. But we didn't.