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The BAC design team and media team have to be reading all this with a grin.

Let's review the video from what the camera is showing. It starts with movement upward from under the ocean. Air bubbles; it breaks the surface of the ocean; there's a compass type map and the camera is heading NE; you hear multiple voices; the camera is heading towards a small island; we see the outline of an island with the "BAC 2018" looking like it was scratched into the beach on the island that's central to this years theme; and we see longitude numbers of 135, 150, and 165(?). So, I say it's a new cast of Survivor heading into a Pacific Island to meet Jeff Probst. Hey, I did the heavy lifting. Now you all figure it out by searching every island in the Pacific.

If it’s Amelia, I love it. If not, I love it anyway.

Guessing on the side of Amelia..."The radio communications equipment chosen by Amelia Earhart for the Lockheed Model 10E Electra, registration NR16020, which she planned to fly around the world in 1937 was designed and built by Western Electric Company, the manufacturing arm of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.( AT&T) The Western Electric Model 13C radio transmitter was a fifty-watt output, crystal-controlled unit. The original design of this transmitter produced amplitude-modulated (A-M) voice (A3 emission) signals only. The transmitter aboard NR16020 was factory-modified to incorporate Morse code (C-W) transmission capability (A1 emission) as well."

They've probably more than succeeded what I suspect was to draw some attention and speculation. lol Whatever it may be........I'm sure it's gonna be awesome.

With the Nor’easter we had these past few days, if they held a winter camp this weekend near the Massachusetts Coast, their rehearsal might be underwater!

Oh really? What are you hearing? What do you know? Let us all in.

I don't know, Liahona. The Morse Code being transmitted via radio would have been early 20th century, I think....

I have no knowledge of Boston's theme... That said, I'm going with a guess of a Pirate-based theme based on the time period from last years show. Last year it was indicated that Boston would use the same/similar uniforms this season...Salem Witch Trials took place between February 1692 and May 1693. The period during which pirates were most successful was from the 1660s to 1730s. Also in the video it shows an old map...perhaps a treasure map?...treasure island?...In addition, the letters (cardinal directions) on the compass rose are very distinctive and time period driven...

First pass votes in my household: Daughter: Lord of the Flies or Gilligan's Island Wife: Lost Me: Robinson Crusoe whatever it is I love the mystery and creativity of the trailer. Great way for interest to be generated. In my opinion SOS is the key which wouldn't lean toward Lord of the Flies or Robinson Crusoe. Well done Boston.

Presenting their Program "SO(n)S of a Beach"

It would be hugely ironically funny that if, after all of these years of Cadets saying they're doing Pearl Harbor and changing it, Boston just went and did it first... Mike

If it's South Pacific and they do "Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" it may ruin the excitement though. I'm guessing its Amelia Earhart based on the latitudes we see and the island imagery. As a general story, there's a lot they can do thematically and musically. Given that we see an island in the teaser, I'll further my guess that it's a story of "Amelia and Noonan on Howland Island trying to get a signal out and not knowing if anyone is getting it."

A couple of our rivals in DCA nicknamed us in Sun "Kids and Girls" because we had... well... teenagers and women in the ranks. God forbid.

Oh man... I could fill a page here easily about that whole can of worms. LOL. Again, not trying to brag... but when I was with my local junior corps in NJ starting in 1971, and then Sunrisers in DCA from 1977 on, it was never a big deal that we had women in the horn line and drum line. Honestly, I just kind of assumed it was the norm. Boy, was I in for a history lesson as the years went by.

To be sure. But it reveals how many people are looking forward to what BAC does this year and has us speculating all over the map about what it might mean.

Still on my short list of all-time great drum corps horn lines. Amazing sound, tough charts.

Agreed...I'm thinking though that the Morse code is more of a metaphor in it's use...one of the most famous uses of SOS was from the RMS Titanic...yet the rest of the video just does not conform with that...

Maybe Shipwrecked? Never watched it, but 1850s England might be just in time for morse code and there's pirates in it. The original story is from the book "Haakon Haakonsen: En Norsk Robinson" published in 1873.

So now we know the name of the Captain. Maybe we can work from there.... Perhaps he/she will pilot a ship of fools through a sea of tranquility.

Major Ghost to you sir!

Well that's a lot of nothing, Captain obvious. LOL. It's like saying the brass will play notes and drummers will drum.

Thanks for sharing the recording. The clarity and definition is incredible, especially for the instruments they're playing on.

DCI is similar to the sports world. The top corps are where the talent is, because they are the top corps, because that’s where the talent goes, because.... you get the idea. That leaves the change in placement up to extraordinary staff over many years. Phantom has one thing going for it: a history of performing a classical music very well, and telling epic stories. This year, however, marks 10 years since Spartacus, and the kids performing now don’t remember that show. Therefore, the value add of classical music and story to attracting talent are not as strong as 10 years ago. And, there are other corps doing classical better these days. Their day will return, but it will take many years, unless there is an extraordinary staff that creates a placement surge, so the talent returns, which will improve placement, which will improve placement....

Seems like the guard will be very active again this year.

My son is in his 3rd year with SCVC’s trumpet section this year and has a camp on his birthday next month. For reference, he is 17 and began marching DC at age 12. He resides in So Cal, and I instructed him his first year. He auditioned for “just” SCVC (they wear color coded bracelets) at the huge joint A & Cadet Corps camp in Los Angeles in December 2017 but impressed the staff enough that he was asked to attend the January A-Corps call back camp. My understanding is he was one of five Cadet Corps asked to do so. He traveled to Indy in January and auditioned for BStars. That was during the Weather Hell taking place, and he didn’t get to their camp until after midnight Friday Indy time. He had been traveling since 6AM and hadn’t gone to school that day. He called me from the Indy airport late Sunday night (I live in Hawaii) to report he had missed a brass spot by 1-2 spots. He had never marched Stars’ style before as his HS marching band also marches Cavaguard style since his band director is a Cavies alum from their 3-peat years. All things considered, he thought he did pretty well. To any BS alums reading this, he loved the experience. I spoke to him last week and learned none of the SCVC folks made it. He was blown away at the talent. To the original poster, I marched that SCV ‘84 brass line against Sam/84 BD Sop (I did the ‘07 gig, Sam; we shot pool at the bar together) and got to hold the Ott Trophy in my hands; it was the best moment of my DC career. The second best moment was seeing Bonnie Ott-Thompson’s face in 2011 when i told her in person at a restaurant in Huntington Beach, CA what an honor it was to hold “her brother’s trophy”. She gasped, and her eyes welled up with tears. It was then I really understood. Edit. Vince Noble left Madison after ‘84 and followed his sister to SCV ‘85 where he aged out marching next to me. He’s on the DVD closeup with me during the push in Tenderland. Man I miss his sense of humor. Vince, RIP. .

My first thought was maybe something to do with the Bermuda Triangle, but I have no idea. Regardless, I'm hooked already and can't wait for more. I'd love to see them medal this year.

Yup. I had some friends in the hornline, and to a person they extolled her skills. The sound they produced for 1971 was miles ahead of everybody else. Even as an almost-18-year-old I heard the difference.

The shows were watchable, enjoyable, exciting, and performed with verve, intensity, and sincerity. Of course they deserve to be well thought of and still very respected.

I think they’re who I’m most excited to see where they go from last year. That was a helluva jump in one year like we haven’t seen in awhile, but it’s much more difficult to move up at the top. I’m confident in their abilities though, nice little teaser with lots of possibilities. Can’t wait! :)

I actually thought of Ameila Earhart also....but I couldn't recall (without researching it online) if she ever got off an SOS or not. But, it probably wouldn't matter since after all, we are the corps who burned the witches in Salem!

I also remember dad telling me the stories about when the Yankee Rebels debated letting women in back in the mid 70's.

The very best hornline in the country in 1971, the Argonne Rebels, was a mix of guys and gals even before DCI.

"Hey, will we need a third tractor-trailer to haul 13 portable, rolling wind tunnels?" --2018 Bloo design staff

Wow. They must have really fallen far! They dropped to Open Class.

fixed! :-D (only because I've been editing stuff all morning and I just can't help myself!)

If only the Glassmen could be brought back from the dead as easily as this topic. Loved 05

Dvorak meets Magic of Orlando!

Yay for zombie threads! I loved this show. I thought they did a wonderful job reimagining each movement into its own genre. Largo, especially, felt more like Americana than anything Dvorak actually did himself. Mike