There were definitely at least moments that were "bad" especially the parts that just feel like cringy redoings of metamorph (Like the snare feature and the pit feature after the ballad), kind of reminds me of the things I don't like about jagged line, however there are definitely good parts and they move and play A lot more which I always appreciate, this is kind off topic as well but the tuba cam For this show's a lot more fun to watch than 2019
@@justinjohnson4278 i read that wrong, i thought u meant the overall shows. I havent watched instrumental cams so i shouldnt comment but i feel like 2019 was a hit or miss show for bd, u either loved or hated it. I loved it, and the britney spears 'circus' add ins grew on me... dont know how u feel but i dont get this show... it's just not my style. anyways stay healthy cause *cough* 2020 has been a YEAR to remember!
This show features some absolute raw talent from the entire band. To combine jazzy swing in the strict marching band style is very difficult to do successfully. Incredible show and performance the members of 2018 were very musically talented
@Micah Lall-Trail music is important and so visual but if they focus to much on music there visual suck and if they focus on visual there music sucks. They wasnt bad in 2018 but I feel they should have been placed lower because of just really focusing on visual. If I was judge I would have judge hard because there so great
Great show. They always do have good shows. Not a weakness. Transitions are seamless and visually so clean. It's a good thing their guard is fantastic because year in and out their uniforms are just a mess.
I personally like this show more than Metamorph. It has so much more character to it. It just feels... crammed, which ultimately led to it’s placement (not to say that 2nd place isn’t an incredible feat).
I think the fight sequence felt crammed. The staging should have opened up a bit to feature the fight more clearly. It was almost easy to miss that the music corresponded to a fight happening right in front of us.
Can we give credits to the marimba piece at the beginning of the video? It's some serious stuff they're dealing with and that guy played it like it was nothing.
I know I'm not a judge, and don't get me wrong, I loved this performance, but I just can't believe that this didn't even score a point lower than Metamorph. Their 2017 show had so much meaning to it and they made such a killer trumpet solo. Even though Dreams and Nighthawks was a fantastic performance, I just don't think it should have scored so close to Metamorph.
Scores across years dont actually matter. Even if those two shows scored exactly the same in there respective years, that wouldnt mean that the judges view them as at the same level. Scores are dependent on what scores had been given to other cores, along with previous shows. Like with tilt and felliniesque, tilt scored a 97.175, and than the judges felt that felliniesque needed to be around 2.5 points higher. That 99.65 didnt mean that they thought it was the best show ever performed, but just that it was 2.5 points better than tilt
This painting was created the same year that Carole King was born. She's the composer of Natural Woman. She's, in effect, the daughter of the woman in the painting.
Someone else: Hey, it's Natural Woman, I love that song! Me: hey let's sing this again in 7/4, around 210-215 bpm, let's go!: "lookin out, on the pourin' rain, I use to feel so, uninspired..." TL:DR- good show, got a lot of moving parts, intriguing take on the Nighthawks lore. that Choreography tho, smooth
Also watching 2018 makes me sad because a lot of these soloists replaced my fav soloists from 2017 like Javier and Mikey and Kevin Chang(Trombone Solo) and then you have the few that haven’t aged out yet like Zachary Hudson who are part of this fresh new group of players and it’s just sad for me to see it changing
Yeah, and I think both Mikey and Javier had one more year to go which makes me a bit "sad" that i could've seen them live. Other than that seeing Joey and Matthew go is sad because they are good players themselves too.
@@ericmatthews3780 Ah sorry, I was talking about YOU when I said "Matthew" 😂. Should've just put "Eric". By the way, the flugelhorn soloist; Mikey, I heard he had one more year for the 2018 season, was that true?
@@juang2071 he actually would have aged out this year. unfortunately, he developed severe spinal issues in 2017 and didn't go back because of it. He's ok, it just would have been hazardous to his health. He was happy with his time though. Couple years in the B corps and 3 in the A corps.
@@Raymond_Churchill I'm not saying the ballad was, bad, intact it's easily my favorite ballad, I'm just talking about the overall tone of the ballad seeming much sadder compared to the BD ballad
The structure of their repertoire is nearly the exact same, using the exact same elements from last year's show. Just running, playing really high, and weird body moves.
Loved this show! In fact, I personally liked it better than Babylon (wasn't really my style of show). BUT admittedly, I think SCV was just on point with everything that year and BD, on the other hand, seemed to have some balance issues and, strangely enough, a lot of mic/amplification issues that year.
Dustin Hodges Cause most people are pissed that BD consistently beats their favorite corps, so instead of keeping their mouth shut going on with life, they stick their chest out like wannabe tough guys, come here to comments sections, and start bashing the corps and the members knowing they wouldn't say these things to the members faces if presented with the opportunity.
The percussion book suffered due to all the jazz, look at their percussion score compared to the rest of their scores. Honestly tho they should’ve placed second anyways
Imma be honest. This show just isn’t interesting. The only thing I really remembered about it was smooth criminal. That’s it. Never kept my attention. Also ParknBark.mp4
Don't get me wrong - great corps - but they didn't deserve 2nd. The whole show was stereotypical BD the whole time. I went to 3 live DCI competitions and after the first time I saw BD I'd use their time to get food and use the bathroom.
What an extraordinarily ignorant comment. Before you criticize their show, you must fist understand it. Before you criticize an expert team of designers, why not explore each element of their production, and its place in the whole. Understand what's extraordinary about this show, design-wise. Then rip it apart with any bullets you have left. -This show cleverly creates the background for each character in a famous painting Nighthawks, and assembles the painting at the end. This provides a clear understructure, ending with the completed picture. -This show effectively captures a specific time period, 1943. Gangsters, war, and a lone woman. -This show cleverly includes "Natural Woman" as a background for the woman in the painting. The woman isn't a pawn, she is strong and confident. Ironically Carole King who wrote Natural Woman was born the year this painting was created. -This show plays with the idea that Hopper's painting brims with a backstory underneath, and this interpretation empowers women, important in the Me Too era where an unprecedented number of newly elected government officials are women, and where accusations of harassment of women in other corps have taken over the headlines. -This show starts out high energy, balls out, in response to accusations of Park and Bark the year before. The rest of the DCI shows followed the pathetic trend of lazy, soft openings. -Harlem Nocturne fits perfectly, as the painting depicts night time. -The choreography changes stylistically to fit each character. -The choreography corresponds to the dramatic action on the field, not extraneous random dance. -The choreography and movement is minimal and focused, like the painting. -The choreography integrates with a fight sequence, midway. -This show is unique because a painting has never been featured like this before. -The corps' commitment to the painting, its jazz era roots, and its underlying empowerment message are completely authentic and attuned to the spirit of the Blue Devils.
C-Douche -Drums In the area of dance, they were weak. Their choreography didn't match the scene in the moment. The choreography didn't change according to the featured character or moment. There were tons of repeating movements. Their choreography in 2018 was almost identical in style. I heard that some of the members secretly switched places in their shows and didn't have a problem because the choreography was exactly the same modern dance garbage.
The Nighthawks setting came together at the end of this show, and the music should have left the audience with a feeling corresponding to that setting, but it did not, so that show itself never came together as an artistic unity.
I never could figure out the storyline. There was a reporter. And then there was a mobster dancing with the woman in red. But then the woman in red's husband comes home from the War and they have sex to an Aretha Franklin tune. But then, at the end, the woman is back with the mobster and they're in the diner where the war veteran has been reduced to a job as a soda jerk. Very strange. Also, I am baffled by the fact that the corps uniforms appear to be black pants with a vaguely slutty cocktail dress worn over the top. Very strange.
Ok. I didn’t really like the show as a whole. No offense to the players who pulled it off wonderfully but this and the quad break were really the only parts of the show I enjoyed
Micah Lall-Trail vanguard 2016 actually was non amplified and didn't use synth since their show Force of Nature was an meant to be like an organic type of show so everything they did were sounds made by the instruments
Musically this is cool, but I'm definitely whistful for the days when corps would just use drill to create energy and had a more cohesive ensemble performance. There are too many soloists at once competing for attention (and no drumline playing for most of the entire song, just a mic-ed drumset in the front ensemble? WTF? This isn't jazz band...) with separate stages for weaponry, a zillion props, the brass dancing, and everyone flexing simultaneously. It's too much, and it feels very arrogant, which detracts from the performance. Just play and march and let that speak for itself. And that drill is joke. I wouldn't even call it drill. It's just dancing around proxy stages. How is this considered the best of DCI now? How did we get here?
This is one of the more underrated blue devil shows. Not a winning show, but a nice vibe show
Not winning, because it’s about a woman.
Wow, I didn't know everybody in the comments was a dci judge.....
Lmaooooo facts 😭😂
They said while judging everyine in the comments...
Lolll
Don’t have to be a judge to hear what is wrong with this entire video
I like how they used the older looking trumpet and trombone for the solo
Yeah the raw brass adds an **effect**
I went to high school with the trombone soloist
BeefStewGaming He’s an amazing player. Do you know if he’s still at it?
Brian Tuma pretty positive his age out year was supposed to be this year
The amount of precision and power the lead trumpet soloist has (the one on the end at 1:58 mark) is unreal!
Got to see this live in Murfreesboro and I cried through about 75% of the show. This hornline was so powerful.
One of my favorite ballads all time
Tuba player barely saved himself 1:53
Gotta love the one foot cross leg balance with a contra
He would got crunched if he fell over
That's my friend Luke. He's awesome
Zyther His name is Luke, he is interning and helping at my high school marching band “the pride of broken Arrow” for visual
Lol frfr
I was warning up in the lot before prelims and heard their pit playing this omg
Chicken Permission 2.0 what Corp did you march?
I was actually in the exhibition group in semis, Sounsport and Drumline battle champions baby!
Why can’t we just say both bd and Svc are amazing corps that deserved the placement they got
Mexican Mayo Because many believe blue devils didn’t deserve second place?
Mexican Mayo Its Scv
For santa clara vanguard
Derrick Pham oh lol I mistyped
Dan The Crayon oh damn I mistyped
This show wasn’t as good as last year, but it’s still one of the best. Stop saying this show is bad, it’s not bad
SamChiptune yes
Not bad but it’s just sort misplaced from what BD usually feels like. They reached a bit too far.
i looooove this show!!
There were definitely at least moments that were "bad" especially the parts that just feel like cringy redoings of metamorph (Like the snare feature and the pit feature after the ballad), kind of reminds me of the things I don't like about jagged line, however there are definitely good parts and they move and play A lot more which I always appreciate, this is kind off topic as well but the tuba cam For this show's a lot more fun to watch than 2019
@@justinjohnson4278 i read that wrong, i thought u meant the overall shows. I havent watched instrumental cams so i shouldnt comment but i feel like 2019 was a hit or miss show for bd, u either loved or hated it. I loved it, and the britney spears 'circus' add ins grew on me... dont know how u feel but i dont get this show... it's just not my style. anyways stay healthy cause *cough* 2020 has been a YEAR to remember!
Idk about y'all but man i love this show especially this part
Finally, a chart that rocks on its own. It’s been a long time since there’s been one in drum corps.
I really enjoyed this show, ESPECIALLY the ballad. It's beautiful. You thoroughly entartained at least 1 person this season BD :)
Pasta I usually like BD but this show wasn’t my favorite because I mainly don’t like jazz music
And down below you can see a wild herd of blue devils haters😎
I'm team Bloo and I still come back to this video a few times a year (or month)
This show features some absolute raw talent from the entire band. To combine jazzy swing in the strict marching band style is very difficult to do successfully. Incredible show and performance the members of 2018 were very musically talented
Is that soloist Ben Shapiro?
Out of my way liberals
@@zanebishr8142 lol anybody that placed under 2nd place got owned 😎😎
He's not wearing a yarmulke on a Tuesday, so no it's not Ben.
Yes he got a tan
@@Quasi its Ben Shapiro
Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" is one of my favorite paintings. Would have liked to have seen how the BD's pulled off the ending.
This may be one of my favorite bd ballads
Wow, great sound mixing, great performance
The baritones at 1:32 are just about the perfect harmony lord almighty
this show grew on me
RIP Aretha Franklin
I can’t believe I’ve never seen this until now. I like this already!
2:00 best part change my mind
Nobody will change your mind
Love the trombone, great sound. He’s thiccc too. ❤️
True! It’s also nice to see that anyone with any body can do dci. It’s rare to see my thiccc gang pull up to dci
Yass thank you for this
Beautiful
The Carole King Musical
I like the blue devils but they focused more on visuals then music
@Micah Lall-Trail music is important and so visual but if they focus to much on music there visual suck and if they focus on visual there music sucks. They wasnt bad in 2018 but I feel they should have been placed lower because of just really focusing on visual. If I was judge I would have judge hard because there so great
Great show. They always do have good shows. Not a weakness. Transitions are seamless and visually so clean. It's a good thing their guard is fantastic because year in and out their uniforms are just a mess.
I personally like this show more than Metamorph. It has so much more character to it. It just feels... crammed, which ultimately led to it’s placement (not to say that 2nd place isn’t an incredible feat).
I think the fight sequence felt crammed. The staging should have opened up a bit to feature the fight more clearly. It was almost easy to miss that the music corresponded to a fight happening right in front of us.
This show isn’t even 50% as good as metamorph
Ju R keyword *PERSONALLY.* You may not like this show, but I do. Other people do. You can have an opinion, but you don’t have to be hostile.
@@jur2823 Why do you say 50%?
Jesu Spectre cause it’s trash
whoever the trumpet soloist is around 0:48 sounds so buttery smooth oh my god
Can we give credits to the marimba piece at the beginning of the video? It's some serious stuff they're dealing with and that guy played it like it was nothing.
why am i just now realizing their playing natural woman by aretha franklin??
Jsw DCI Drums bruh she died after the season was over lmao
Finna putting a whole ass restaurant in Lucas Oil
Best ballad
2:08 YOU CAN ACTUALLY HEAR THE DOUBLE C YES!!!
Thats a double c my man XD
Not sure what note you're talking about. The scream is a double G. I don't hear a double C although I do hear a high C.
@Landon Roberts Alright, haha. Thanks.
@Landon Roberts Too bad SCV destroyed that. Twice.
@@doctorlove6090 Joey took his note to a dub c and if u listen closely u can hear it a little it’s hard to hear
I know I'm not a judge, and don't get me wrong, I loved this performance, but I just can't believe that this didn't even score a point lower than Metamorph. Their 2017 show had so much meaning to it and they made such a killer trumpet solo. Even though Dreams and Nighthawks was a fantastic performance, I just don't think it should have scored so close to Metamorph.
Scores across years dont actually matter. Even if those two shows scored exactly the same in there respective years, that wouldnt mean that the judges view them as at the same level. Scores are dependent on what scores had been given to other cores, along with previous shows. Like with tilt and felliniesque, tilt scored a 97.175, and than the judges felt that felliniesque needed to be around 2.5 points higher. That 99.65 didnt mean that they thought it was the best show ever performed, but just that it was 2.5 points better than tilt
The flag at 1:42 was far in front of everyone else.
Chills......
This painting was created the same year that Carole King was born. She's the composer of Natural Woman. She's, in effect, the daughter of the woman in the painting.
Someone else: Hey, it's Natural Woman, I love that song!
Me: hey let's sing this again in 7/4, around 210-215 bpm, let's go!: "lookin out, on the pourin' rain, I use to feel so, uninspired..."
TL:DR- good show, got a lot of moving parts, intriguing take on the Nighthawks lore.
that Choreography tho, smooth
Trumpet soloists are Alan Hester, Joey Alegre, and Eric Matthews
Dreams and Nighthawk tuahs
Also watching 2018 makes me sad because a lot of these soloists replaced my fav soloists from 2017 like Javier and Mikey and Kevin Chang(Trombone Solo) and then you have the few that haven’t aged out yet like Zachary Hudson who are part of this fresh new group of players and it’s just sad for me to see it changing
But like Blue Devils 2017 Everything Must Change
Yeah, and I think both Mikey and Javier had one more year to go which makes me a bit "sad" that i could've seen them live. Other than that seeing Joey and Matthew go is sad because they are good players themselves too.
@@juang2071 Matt still has a few years left bro. He's at April camp right now.
@@ericmatthews3780 Ah sorry, I was talking about YOU when I said "Matthew" 😂. Should've just put "Eric". By the way, the flugelhorn soloist; Mikey, I heard he had one more year for the 2018 season, was that true?
@@juang2071 he actually would have aged out this year. unfortunately, he developed severe spinal issues in 2017 and didn't go back because of it. He's ok, it just would have been hazardous to his health. He was happy with his time though. Couple years in the B corps and 3 in the A corps.
SCV 2018 Ballad: :(
BD 2018 Ballad: :)
Hey that ballad was cool too so wdym. Just cause that was a baritone duet and not a trumpet one doesn't make it bad
@@Raymond_Churchill I'm not saying the ballad was, bad, intact it's easily my favorite ballad, I'm just talking about the overall tone of the ballad seeming much sadder compared to the BD ballad
Oh I agree as I can't get it out of my head from finally hearing it today
every ballad of 2018 was so good and i don't know why
That upper brass rips paint off the wall.
Ok how is this Metamorph 2? Sure it has similar ideas, but they are two ENTIRELY different shows.
The structure of their repertoire is nearly the exact same, using the exact same elements from last year's show. Just running, playing really high, and weird body moves.
I don't get it either. If anything, this show has a similar vibe to Fellinesque or their 1984 show. 🤷♀️ Still a good show
@Micah Lall-Trail no I meant '87 lol not '84. I mistyped and never realized.
What? Blue Devils using screamers in their ballad? What a surprise! What innovation!
Isn’t the front marimba guy the one that took a picture with the crownbrass hammer? He looks just like him
wow metamorph 2,0 residentsleeper xd
ok bando
those chads
holy shit i forgot blue devils did a 2018 show
Loved this show! In fact, I personally liked it better than Babylon (wasn't really my style of show). BUT admittedly, I think SCV was just on point with everything that year and BD, on the other hand, seemed to have some balance issues and, strangely enough, a lot of mic/amplification issues that year.
How many years have they done a trumpet and trombone in the ballad loll 2017 2018 2021 2022
Did someone play a double C at the end or is my mind playing tricks on me?
Why is there a dislike on this 🤦♂️
Dustin Hodges
Hey bud, people are allowed to have different opinions
FocusCloud he was just saying that there shouldn’t no need to be rude
Tiny Trumpet
And I’m just making a statement... I’m not being rude per-say.
Dustin Hodges Cause most people are pissed that BD consistently beats their favorite corps, so instead of keeping their mouth shut going on with life, they stick their chest out like wannabe tough guys, come here to comments sections, and start bashing the corps and the members knowing they wouldn't say these things to the members faces if presented with the opportunity.
Why can you not put up full shows?
$$$$ also cucky copyright
But that’s DUMB
@@patrickvennemeyer7628 because flomarching would copyright dci. nonsensical but its flomarching.
Nice work guys, see you next year.
(Bloo should have gotten 2nd tbh)
Faded Honestly
This ballad was better than Metamorph's...don't @ me
REAL
Yeah, this one is better for me as well.
What’s the song called?
Natural Woman
What teh titel of this song?
As usual, an amazing brass section. Visually, you could stir a stick in a mud puddle and get something more interesting, also as usual.
why does 2:03 remind me so much of The Beat My Heart Skipped
There's a very similar set
Lowkey didn’t know this existed
How did the Bluecoats lose to this...
Jackson Otis i don’t know man. i feel like the bluecoats were even cleaner than BD this year
cough 6th place drums cough
The percussion book suffered due to all the jazz, look at their percussion score compared to the rest of their scores. Honestly tho they should’ve placed second anyways
I ask my self this same question every time I watch session 44
Zyther bluecoats were trash this year, vanguard deserved it 100%
this the weirdist shit ive ever seen 1:05 look at the bottom right army guy
he thirstin
Natural woman
Did someone edit the trumpet solo flub?
This reminds me too much of metamorph
What about it reminds you of metamorph
Imma be honest. This show just isn’t interesting. The only thing I really remembered about it was smooth criminal. That’s it. Never kept my attention.
Also ParknBark.mp4
Jack Scully if anything the park in bark award should go to Bluecoats as always. But also every show in 2018 was uninteresting.😂
Lol, they literally did a one-legged squat while playing. Actually watch what they're all doing and try saying park and bark again.
I disagree
Anthony K aint that entertaining amirite
i like the new soloist than javier and mikey this solo was absolutely awesome and clean
How dare you
Don't get me wrong - great corps - but they didn't deserve 2nd. The whole show was stereotypical BD the whole time. I went to 3 live DCI competitions and after the first time I saw BD I'd use their time to get food and use the bathroom.
Nice man
What an extraordinarily ignorant comment. Before you criticize their show, you must fist understand it. Before you criticize an expert team of designers, why not explore each element of their production, and its place in the whole. Understand what's extraordinary about this show, design-wise. Then rip it apart with any bullets you have left.
-This show cleverly creates the background for each character in a famous painting Nighthawks, and assembles the painting at the end. This provides a clear understructure, ending with the completed picture.
-This show effectively captures a specific time period, 1943. Gangsters, war, and a lone woman.
-This show cleverly includes "Natural Woman" as a background for the woman in the painting. The woman isn't a pawn, she is strong and confident. Ironically Carole King who wrote Natural Woman was born the year this painting was created.
-This show plays with the idea that Hopper's painting brims with a backstory underneath, and this interpretation empowers women, important in the Me Too era where an unprecedented number of newly elected government officials are women, and where accusations of harassment of women in other corps have taken over the headlines.
-This show starts out high energy, balls out, in response to accusations of Park and Bark the year before. The rest of the DCI shows followed the pathetic trend of lazy, soft openings.
-Harlem Nocturne fits perfectly, as the painting depicts night time.
-The choreography changes stylistically to fit each character.
-The choreography corresponds to the dramatic action on the field, not extraneous random dance.
-The choreography and movement is minimal and focused, like the painting.
-The choreography integrates with a fight sequence, midway.
-This show is unique because a painting has never been featured like this before.
-The corps' commitment to the painting, its jazz era roots, and its underlying empowerment message are completely authentic and attuned to the spirit of the Blue Devils.
What’s wrong with stereotypical blue devils, that’s a good show right there
@@jesuspectre9883 SCV and Crown weren't weak lmao
C-Douche -Drums In the area of dance, they were weak. Their choreography didn't match the scene in the moment. The choreography didn't change according to the featured character or moment. There were tons of repeating movements. Their choreography in 2018 was almost identical in style. I heard that some of the members secretly switched places in their shows and didn't have a problem because the choreography was exactly the same modern dance garbage.
Unpopular Opinion:
Dreams and Nighthawks > Metamorph
Finally someone else
honestly
The Nighthawks setting came together at the end of this show, and the music should have left the audience with a feeling corresponding to that setting, but it did not, so that show itself never came together as an artistic unity.
I never could figure out the storyline. There was a reporter. And then there was a mobster dancing with the woman in red. But then the woman in red's husband comes home from the War and they have sex to an Aretha Franklin tune. But then, at the end, the woman is back with the mobster and they're in the diner where the war veteran has been reduced to a job as a soda jerk. Very strange. Also, I am baffled by the fact that the corps uniforms appear to be black pants with a vaguely slutty cocktail dress worn over the top. Very strange.
Deserved 3rd tbh
Dan The Crayon Yeah, Bluecoats deserved 2nd
Great show, but outmarched by SCV. And smooth criminal made me grumble.
Ok. I didn’t really like the show as a whole. No offense to the players who pulled it off wonderfully but this and the quad break were really the only parts of the show I enjoyed
This clip is the only decent thing that came out of DCI that year.
great show but just isnt my style
ha the vanguard video has over 200 comments by now
🍪
I think there's just way too much screaming in this
Im just saying they kinda overused it
What’s wrong with trumpet screaming?
soloist looks like adam from lab rats
Now I know why Adam left the bionic island
someone above said Ben Shipiro
Remember when we use to really march and play our asses off without all the props and electronics? Yeah, those were the days.
Micah Lall-Trail vanguard 2016 actually was non amplified and didn't use synth since their show Force of Nature was an meant to be like an organic type of show so everything they did were sounds made by the instruments
That’s horrible and not real BD. BD of the 80’s and 90’s was the best.
dont care
Cry boomer
Blue devils could've done better
Not very clean. Pretty dirty
This show was a well polished turd, but in the end it's still a turd
Musically this is cool, but I'm definitely whistful for the days when corps would just use drill to create energy and had a more cohesive ensemble performance. There are too many soloists at once competing for attention (and no drumline playing for most of the entire song, just a mic-ed drumset in the front ensemble? WTF? This isn't jazz band...) with separate stages for weaponry, a zillion props, the brass dancing, and everyone flexing simultaneously. It's too much, and it feels very arrogant, which detracts from the performance. Just play and march and let that speak for itself.
And that drill is joke. I wouldn't even call it drill. It's just dancing around proxy stages. How is this considered the best of DCI now? How did we get here?