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Boston Crusaders 2021


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Boston is loaded with talent this year! Huge respect for the design staff that put their all, and then some, into this show! And the MMs are clearly buying in! It’s a real shame they won’t be coming to Texas this year, but I understand. 

So about the screens. I’m actually curious to see how they look in person. Anything goes this season but I don’t think I’d want this to become a trend in future seasons. 

Ending on a positive note: LOVE the uniforms! Very bada** and fit the theme well. This corps has come a long way in such a short period. I can admit now that this used to be a corps that I would stare at my phone while they performed and now I go out of my way to attend their rehearsals when they come to my city. 

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The Flight of the Bumble Bee is played LIVE, by two trumpets and a baritone. These three guys have been working to perfect their parts since last January, for the record.  It is NOT a sample.

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9 hours ago, craiga said:

The Flight of the Bumble Bee is played LIVE, by two trumpets and a baritone. These three guys have been working to perfect their parts since last January, for the record.  It is NOT a sample.

So I’m not losing my mind.  Good to know.  👍

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22 hours ago, craiga said:

The Flight of the Bumble Bee is played LIVE, by two trumpets and a baritone. These three guys have been working to perfect their parts since last January, for the record.  It is NOT a sample.

And to my ears these soloists have NAILED it every single time...amazing talent for sure!

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On 8/1/2021 at 8:02 AM, craiga said:

So, I need to revise and extend my prior posts. I actually drove down to Portsmouth, NH last night and watched BAC's full ensemble rehearsal...which ironically was their first using the panels.  I will only say two things in the hope that nothing comes ascross as hype. First, the props work flawlessly and were not nearly as distracting as I had feared. They were actually more complimentary in nature than I had expected, to my great relief.  

As for the show itself, this year's offering from Boston is absolutely the next logical step in the progession from Wicked Games, SOS, and Goliath. The guard is once again a thrill ride (now with 58 of them) and I will say simply that I've never heard a BAC horn line sound like this, especially the trumpets. This is the 5th year (4th show) from this design team and none of this should be surprising to anyone. Last night, Gino and Colin were the primary voices running ensemble and they were teaching as if there was a major regional this weekend.  Also, and this doesn't get mentioned much....it occurred to me last night that almost all of the caption techs on the field are same people who came on board 5 years ago as well.  I've been around Boston since the late 70s and I have never seen anything like the staff retention there is at present.  I think the biggest criticism BAC may face from some quarters this week will be in the form of why have they spent so much creative and financial energy on this show. It seems clear they are playing the long game here.  Regardless, I do believe the corps will be a crowd favorite this season, and the kids are having a blast. One last thing.....for those of us who consider ourselves legacy fans (dinosaurs to some😁) there are musical Easter Eggs throughout the show, including one at the very end which had all the Boston alums in tears last night.  I really hope everyone gets a chance to see them and enjoy the show.

On TV only the boards are very distracting .. too bright and a lot of emphasis on something with very little cohesion to the overall performance. And the obvious critique that they block off a good portion of the field that the guard shows up in some but that’s it  

When I watch the “new” BAC I just can’t help thinking of Crown .. the drill the body positions the formations the guard’s apparatus handling even their PR pieces scream Crown. Just can’t get past it…. The shows are relatable and have that Crown-like curb appeal. They are really self-hyping but that doesn’t win medals. Appreciate their effort in an odd year and I enjoy it but not ground breaking drill or books .. 

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10 hours ago, BWise said:

On TV only the boards are very distracting .. too bright and a lot of emphasis on something with very little cohesion to the overall performance. And the obvious critique that they block off a good portion of the field that the guard shows up in some but that’s it  

When I watch the “new” BAC I just can’t help thinking of Crown .. the drill the body positions the formations the guard’s apparatus handling even their PR pieces scream Crown. Just can’t get past it…. The shows are relatable and have that Crown-like curb appeal. They are really self-hyping but that doesn’t win medals. Appreciate their effort in an odd year and I enjoy it but not ground breaking drill or books .. 

In response to your observations & hopefully providing some points to consider:  “very little cohesion to the performance”; there is a mix of things happening here.  The video content is telling a story relative to the theme of Zoom. It is also accentuating some of the written brass and percussion writing.  Watch the screens alone while listening to the music.  Ignore the visual movement of the corps proper for a moment.  The screens themselves become part of the visual picture at the end of a production with the video content finishing off a brass line visual move.  My point is, there is a lot going on with the content interplay with music AND visual movement.  The storytelling element shows the winter zoom rehearsals coming together at ST, then to the field today.  Given this is the first time something like this has been brought to the field in DC, it’s pretty good and very interesting to see it being done.  A lot is being learned.  I believe once this show gets to Indy, a much higher viewpoint will give the performance/design a different look; which may negate the field blockage you believe is a problem.  I thought a lot of BD and Bluecoats props in recent years had a high degree of field blockage. I’m thinking of a diner and ramp backdrops.  

As far as the “new” BAC AS YOU PUT IT, having a Crown influence in the look and style;  Well, yeah!  The visual staff is from Crown.  Why wouldn’t there be?  It’s not a bad thing.   However,  the program growth is Boston.  I see it as not a Crown look, but a Keith Potter, Leon May and Michael Townsend look, that has become Boston’s look.

Im not sure what an expectation of groundbreaking drill or book might be but the screens to me would fall into that category. 

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