In a word: Red #drumcorps
As any of you who have reading my journal for any length of time have probably figured out, I have deeply ambivalent feelings about drum and bugle corps. On the one hand, I loved it dearly and was a great fan of it. On the other hand, it ended up treating me badly, and I had to walk away from it because I realized that it was bad for me. The same could be said about the women I dated who marched in drum corps, particularly the last one, who I was with for 10 years, but that's another story.
In any event, I am still nostalgic for the activity (admiring it from afar isn't as hazardous to my mental health as actually being involved) and regularly follow goldsmith1210's series about the top 50 drum and bugle corps of the past 40 years on YouTube. His most recent video included one of my favorite performances, the 2000 Boston Crusaders, which reminded me that it was in one of my playlists. It also reminded me that I had written one of my favorite reviews of that performance as well.
With that, I present Boston Crusaders' 2000 show "The Color Red" along with my reviews.
Click to viewFirst, this commentary on someone else's review of the show.
Now time for BAC. They also smelled PR's blood and went on as if they could win. They actually got first in GE Visual and Ensemble Visual. During the opener, they did the best job of "Bolero" I've ever heard/seen on a football field. They start the show spread from 5 to 5 or 10 to 10, and, while the song builds, the corps does a lot of posing (but very tough, not sissy stuff :-). In the meantime, two company fronts form from the endzones and move to the 50, picking up members as the fronts pass. When the fronts merge at the 50 and then open up into a great big block, the audience went ooh! and ahh! That was the kind of visual effect they did again and again--well composed and executed marching show, but relatively weak guard (4th place). People got a big kick out of the "Conquest" fanfare leading into La Fiesta. I thought they might just pull a rabbit out of the hat and win the show.
Now, my review of the show, which I wrote for Drum Corps World. I'll start off with the commentary I added for the version I posted online.
This was my second favorite show to watch this year and my personal favorite review to write.
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P.S. For all you doubters about BAC, read this. I think their show is *great* and I personally thought they should have won this contest.
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Boston Crusaders "The Color Red" show has the same relation to the corps' shows from the 60s and 70s that the New Beetle has to the original VW "Bug". It has the enough of the basic form and style of the original to satisfy all cravings for retro nostalgia, but all of the modern features and technology to be able to succeed in the 21st Century. The result of Boston's "New Beetle drum corps" show, combined with their thirst for a first victory against major competition in who knows how many years, was a show that was even more thrilling in its own way than Crossmen's.
The opening all by itself was something to behold! The corps started out in a very tough-looking pose (would you expect anything other than tough from the Boston Crusaders?) scattered from 10 yard line to 10 yard line. To the opening strains of "Bolero", two company fronts formed out on the wings of the field, picking up members as they glided to the center. When they reached the 50, the effect of two merging fronts that then opened up to form an expanding block drew oohs, ahhs, wows, and gasps from the crowd. The Italian singing in the third selection drew the most applause for vocal work by a corps since Garfield Cadets' "Amen" in 1978. The fanfare from "Conquest" before worked the crowd into a frenzy. The working of "Bolero into Clifton Williams' "Fiesta" was a real gas--enough to make me yell "Ole! Toro! Toro!"
The audience rewarded the corps from Beantown with a wild standing ovation. The judges awarded the unit first places in Ensemble Visual and GE Visual but fourth overall.
Originally crossposted to neonvincent on Dreamwidth. Comment here or there, whichever you prefer. http://neonvincent.dreamwidth.org/10392.html