Mission Drums-Boston

[donincardona]

Yes, That was a sad week for the Brigadiers. They folded a week before. If only the first show had been in Erie or Boston instead of Syracuse... it is my belief that the corps would have survived and drum corps history would have been changed forever.

We simply were NOT ready for the Syracuse show... we had a decent corps and a very good Kenny Norman book... but as it was a home show, the majority decision was to take our lumps and do the show... figuring we would come in last but not be humiliated... the judges chose otherwise... 35 final score... totally humiliating... no way were we that bad despite several fall aparts in the show...

during the week, (I was on vacation and had no idea that the will of the corps had been broken) they simply voted to disband rather than ever face that situation again. I showed up in Erie the following week (had been traveling on vacation) only to find out my corps no longer existed... Boston was the week after that...

We put it together fairly well for '71 and had a most enjoyable season with Dom Del Ra and Butch Anderson... but the nail was in the coffin and about 24 of us went to Crusaders for '72 and almost as many went to Sky along with Butch and Gebby (Fred Gebhardt)...

i rember the syracuse show tom. that was so sad . i know how hard that must have been. i wish you guy's would have waited a couple weeks. i know you would have improved.

[TomPeashey]

yup

it was not a "fold it situation" - we had plenty of horns and a quality book/staff

but we WERE the Brigadiers - a VERY emotional corps back then... there was so much argument about pulling out of the first show that there were fist fights... (among guys who loved each other) and at least one of those arguments occured as we were going on the field... it was not pretty... and absolutely a large part of why we couldn't hold it together.