craiga

While the true meaning of "BAC" is an interesting conversation, I would be really intrigued to know what the word "prolly" means.......this former high school English teacher has never heard of it.....

To add to the history lesson by boston1977.... Someone mentioned BD being the first to ground their tympani in 1980. They were not alone....Boston Crusaders also grounded their tympani in 1980-all four drums were played by a young man named Eddie Cummings. My memory isn't gone yet..... :)

I'm far from unbiased, but I think most folks would agree that Boston 2000 was an extremely fan-friendly show.....in fact, a recuuring comment that season in the stands was "now THAT is what drum corps is all about..." or some words to that effect. And, Einstein is quite correct, the ensemble DID play more than six minutes....more like 10:35, in fact. As far as "demand" is concerned, alot of people misuse this term. Demand does NOT mean difficulty, at least not directly. "Demand" actually refers to the vocabulary of the musical and visual design. Demand is the "what".....and of course, "performance" is the how. One might say that corps "A" has a more demanding show than corps "B", but that observation would have little to do with the actual "demand" of each corps' show. Personally, I tend to judge a corps based on it "WOW" moments.....in my mind, corps that maxed out on these "WOW" moments.....SCV 87, Madison 95, most of Cavies' recent drill designs, and Boston 2000....just to name a few.

Malibu is quite correct about the 1980 Crossmen drill being both assymmetrical and revolutionary. That same year btw, Boston Crusaders also had a drill design that was largely asymmetrical.....it has never garnered much attention because with a horn line of 28 in 1980, it was not a wonderful year placement-wise for BAC. But, the visual design WAS ahead of its time and it was executed well. By the way, the visual designer for Crossmen and Boston that year was the same person.....Anthony Smith.

Mike D - I HAVE noticed that some folks who were nothing less than brutal in their opinions of Boston and Crown '04 certainly seemed to have softened their criticism now the BD and Cadets joined the party. Perhaps a case of differing levels of poetic license? :)

When I was teaching BAC(late 80's-early 90's) it was easier to run with a smaller staff because the Div 1 tour was a couple weeks here and a couple more toward season end. Now if you include corps' "move in", the time away from home is 70-85 days. Unless the staff person is a college kid (which MOST techs are), it is impossible for that person to actually be away from job, etc that long. Anyone with any experience who is out of school probably has a job to attend to in the "real world". Most people get 2 or three weeks vacation per year from their jobs, not 10 or 12. So, corps have to cycle people in and out all summer. It is generally not a problem, since these staff people stay in close touch within their captions. The kids don't mind seeing fresh faces in front of them, and the energy of someone fresh joining tour in mid-July, for example, can be a real plus. Besides, the single biggest cost of tour is neither staff, nor food, nor housing.....it is transportation. btw, the 65 member high school band I now teach here in Maine has ten paid staff members.....the ratio seems about right.

I WAS at Finals......I am an alumnus and former staff member of BAC, and they were (for me), my favorite drum corps of the night. Second favorite corps of the night.....the Santa Clara Vanguard....who, man for man, probably out performed EVERY corps there on Saturday. I congratulate SCV for pulling one out when they had to....and BAC for having an incredible 65th anniversary year with an average horn player age of 17! Eat'em up, BOSTON! ^0^

Very clever Kevin....I got it.... say hi to Jean VJ next time you see him! :)

ROFLMAO!!! :P

Nice review....except that Boston's guard is not wearing pink. They are peach-colored on the bottom half and cream colored on the top. Maybe they looked different in that stadium's lighting. btw, what's up with some people saying things like "I can't believe I like BOSTON"? What's wrong with liking Boston? Or any corps for that matter? I've only been around drum corps for 25 years, so I guess someone needs to enlighten me.

Dave, thanks for the thorough review. I do have one question......you are the fifth reviewer of Fort Mill who thought Boston should have placed higher. It's unusual to have five different people agree on something like this. Any thoughts as to what might have brought their score down? (Other than the GE Visual score looking out of place) Thanks!

:P Actually, where they are in the middle of New Hampshire's White Mountains, I would have needed either a seaplane or an Apache helicopter to be able to catch a flight! I had to drive my rv home to Maine, and with those mountain roads and bad weather on the horizon, I though it prudent to head out. Can't wait to see a run-through, however. :)

I had the pleasure of spending four hours watching the corps in New Hampshire on Sunday 5/28. Because of my travel timing, I was unable to stay for the run-through. But here is what I saw: The last part of the morning drill reheasal: I'm not certain what part of the show they were working on...but what I saw was quite good. The corps is marching well and the although they still have an aggressive look style-wise, the drill design seemed fresh and new. All 64 horn spots were filled, btw. I caught a bit of music rehearsal after lunch. They were working on cleaning the Copeland piece as I was leaving. The brass line was excellent-they were doing some tweaking of dynamics. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay for the latter part of rehearsal, plus the corps management moved them indoors because there was thunder in the distance. I did not get to see the guard, but I believe they are full as is the drum line. Hanging out a bit with the corps, I'm not sure that they are any younger than usual....they do have some short snare drummers who look young, but those guys are college age. Anyway, I came away excited for the season and I'm hoping to visit again in a week or so. Morale was very high and they have one of their best move-in venues ever.

OUTSTANDING PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE BOSTON CRUSADERS BEING INNOVATIVE.....38 YEARS AGO!!! IN COLOR NO LESS.....AND SOME FOLKS PROBABLY THOUGHT THAT DRUM CORPS MARCHED IN BLACK AND WHITE "BACK IN THE DAY" :)

Hey LancerLegend, I marched with all three Dorrs two years earlier in Boston Crusaders. Three good kids!

B)

byline, how did you come by the photoof the Boston rifle?

YES, a classy look that will NEVER be out of style in my book.... nice to see Waldo big and bold!

btw, Boston placed 14th in 1977, out of more than 40 open class corps...

I believe CONQUEST was played every season from 1969 to 1990, with an on-the-field encore in 91. That would make it a closer for 22 CONSECUTIVE seasons, if I have my facts straight! ....talk about tradition!

Boston Crusaders : "CONQUEST" any year, but 1983's "My Guitar Gently Weeps" intro and 1989's "Whiter Shade of Pale" intro were both cleverly crafted, IMO. From the Music soundtrack of "Captain from Castille", starring Tyrone Power and Caesar Romero, composed by Alfred Newman, 1951.

This was a few years before I marched, but I used to have Boston 1977 on tape, so here goes: I think the opener was Festive Overture by Shostakovich. I don't recall the order of the show, but I'm pretty sure it included Spanish Fantasy by Chick Corea, Hava Naglia (a Jewish folk song), Threshold by Patrick Williams, a percussion feature of Persian Market, and a ballad off the Threshold album into...you guessed it...Conquest. (Hava, Threshold, and of course, Conquest all were or became Boston icons...) A very powerful show....VERY aggressive and "in you face". I think I'm leaving something out of the show, but I can't think of what? Also, I may be "blending" my memories of 1978 BAC (the first drum corps I ever saw live) and 1977. Anyone else?

Not only did I NOT march with 27, I DID march with cross-own rival Boston Crusaders. As such, I guess I'm kind of like Nixon going to China....when it comes to the folks from Revere, I can speak quite objectively. Objectively, the best way to judge a color guard of any era is its effect on the audience. With that in mind, the Lancer guards from 79-81 were head and shoulders above anyone else. I recently showed a couple current corps members the 1980 Legacy DVD....27's guard, rifles in particular, blew their minds. Yes, I think the West Coast guards were very good, and "laid back" is a term I would agree with. 27's guard had a viceral quality which set the standard in that era. Individual performance levels were incredible, coupled with George Zingali's pioneering use of hand flags and rotating forms....not to mention the 50 yardline feature each year. I miss them even though they would be anachronistic in today's "jazz hands" world. I also miss another rifle line, dressed in black, with white trim, and "Waldo" on the blouse.....spinning "Sader Time" during Conquest......no lack of intensity there either.....

Yes, LancerLegend, I know you well.....still have that Ford Taurus in "Lancer Green", or have you gone upscale? After 11 years with the black and orange, I'm now in my 6th with the red, white, and black.....and in my 25th still devoted to the one and only "Red & Black". Hope to see you in Foxboro cheering for the hometeam.... :)

You're right 1977...the corps always did seem to "get it done", pampered or not. "a corps made of Giants..." 65 and still alive!