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Thanks, Michael. You're only as old as your spirit. Thanks for continuing to share it with us after all these years (!).

While it's true that Spanish-speakers say "y" for the double-l, the real question here is how the corps says it. In California we said "27th Lancers" but the members from Revere I talked to BITD didn't say the r.... and it sounded right.

Troopers How the West Was Won Boston Conquest KIlties Auld Lang Syne Cavaliers Somewhere Over the Rainbow or Bully are both favorites but not quite as iconic.

Not only do I remember and still marvel at the '79 corps, but the idea of rotating the solo between three sopranos is very cool!

Any one who has performed knows that any sound you hear when you are onstage refers to you, no matter how your mind tries to convince you otherwise. Any "Boos" heard by the corps, any corps, hurts the kids on the field, even if the boos are actually intended for the judges. Indifferent applause speaks louder and hurts less. That said, I've heard tales that the riots that occurred at the original Rite of Spring premiere might have been staged by plants in the audience for publicity... not sure anyone would get the joke.

Interesting show! Should be fun to watch to watch it grow over the next few months. I know I'm an old guy, but I bet it'd sound AMAZING on bugles!

Three 26" and one 29" was their standard line... not sure what the fifth one was when it came along.

I thought it was around then.

This is a fascinating story. Just as a side-line, what year did it become legal for people other than the DM and CG Captain to give audibles (or even dut-dut-dut-duts)?

I think they became "The Kilts" in the '70's. In the early days they were the YMCA Kilties, then in 1969 just "The Kilties"

is the 1970 Velvet Knights! A great repertoire, including a spacey arrangement of Captains from Castille and a Blood, Sweat & Tears concert that rocked.... and some wicked Rogers trios that had a harness that allowed each drum to be positioned separately that they wore low and had each angled up to the drummer's head at a different angle like spotlights (must have weighed a ton, though). Fun corps... way before their 2Cool reinvention, but cool before it was cool to be cool.

Wow. What a great gift. I remember that day like it was yesterday.... only I was in California at the time. This is an amazing document of a tragic yet poignant performance for these kids. Thanks for sharing it!

IN 1973 we all went from Whitewater to West Allis for a show at the Wisconsin State Fair... prelims and finals, and having to adapt the show to fit a racetrack instead of a football field (as I remember, prelims was on a field, then we spent the afternoon changing the show). Biggest memories: watching the Kingsmen snare line marching off the field after prelims, a bit the worse for wear; sneaking into the stands before getting uniformed to watch the Des Plaines Vanguard do their incredible show; the drum line forgetting the new drill at one point which caused the hornline company front to collide with them (and the subsequent Drum Corps World headline proclaiming something along the lines of "SCV wins with another perfect show"); and on the bus trip afterwards holding onto one of the younger drummers as he puked out the bus door after enjoying a bit too much of the local brew.... the best part was that we could enjoy and celebrate our drum corps family and our show one a bit longer than the Championship finale. Five days later we were home...

A great review! I think I like the mass-corps thing, though, not only because of the volume (yeah, baby!) but because of the added experiences and memories it gives the members: I remember when we got to play with other corps BITD, and it was cool.

Some west coast all-age corps are included in the rankings, too.... maybe they're trying to soften us up before slipping in Cadets2 right below Cadets in the rankings..... but clearly someone punched a wrong button somewhere.

A fun show and a great corps working it. A shame it didn't make it to Indianapolis. I hope the experience made each member stronger (and proud of the work they did). Quite a performance!

Very well-thought-out and stated. I'm afraid you're probably right.

I never knew that....

"Vanguard High School".... I like it!

Thanks for sharing this... my grandmother taught in Garfield elementary schools in the 1950s and years ago I showed her a corps picture and she pointed out about 10-15 faces of kids she knew. I am thrilled whenever those the ties between the church (and the city) and the corps are celebrated.

The first time I heard the Disneyland version I was in the Peoplemover and just heard a pulse on the bass drum and started chanting "It's a corps... it's a corps" while looking around trying to see where it was coming from. Needless to say, we say every performance every day we were there for the next several years until they were disbanded. One of the most fun musical things they ever had!

I'm really enjoying reading it and following the growth of the corps as drum corps itself changed through the years. An OUTSTANDING job! I'm particularly impressed how the corps philosophy has remained basically unchanged through the years, and realizing that philosophy is a reflection of their Holy Name heritage. Ennobling.

Great piece, great sounding corps..... but a huge drumline and small hornline (if this is the whole corps)... may make balancing on the field interesting. Good to hear/ see the corps and glad they're happening... but outdoors is a whole different world.

"Coming to a stadium near you....."

"On the starting line..... from Fresno, CA....... the Boston Crusaders!" (?)