This video was so well put together. I LOVE the use of the 2017 closer to showcase our rise to the top, from barely being out of finals in 2016. Everything that was stated was correct. We picked a harder version at spring training when they sat the corps down. The vote was almost unanimous in the room and the energy we all had when we looked at each other knowing this show would be discussed and spread like wildfire in the community was unforgettable. I laughed so hard so many times throughout this video like when you said the show was hard because I was a rookie mellophone on the ends of all the forms, (The Two Triangle rotations that we the members aptly named The Gauntlet) had to be adjusted for me and the other points because I couldn’t achieve a 3 to 5 backwards during 4 count phrases so we changed them to five and added more stabs. I marched Boston Crusaders BAC Mellophone my rookie year in 2014 with Birdlad. I aged out with the Boston Crusaders in 2017.

Imagine they played a G7 chord in their closer

Referring to him as "G.H." is on brand for 2023 historians.

Those 2014 BAC uniforms were beautiful. Modern but still paying tribute to their traditional style.

It's one of the hardest shows in DCI history. Not only did they have an extremely challenging drill, but they did it while playing. There is a drill move in which 3 spokes rotate and morph around each other in the show that still amazes me, but they never managed to get it clean. Corps today play it too safe. The top corps attract the most talented performers, but they don't really challenge them. Boston 2014 is up there with Crown 2012 when it comes to the most challenging shows ever attempted. Some people didn't like the fact that Boston was making a statement with this show, but it needed to be said.

Imagine being an Italian guy on his first ever experience in the US marching with Boston in 2014… I’ve never really understood all the story of this show that I marched, thanks for this video! I enjoyed every moment I spent in in America! Thanks BAC!❤ Proud of being the first (and unfortunately the only) Italian guy marching with you ❤

Subbed. Solid recap of the history. That baby powder penalty was annoying af. I firmly believe we would’ve gotten 7th that year if we didn’t get docked at prelims and made to perform before Madison at Semis. The smoke effect was so cool, the show just wasn’t the same without it.

I'm loving this channel so much. I think it's incredibly important to have videos like this to preserve the lore and stories of drum corps. Sure, it's all out there, but largely in the form of forum posts and hearsay from people who may or may not remember the full story. Well-researched and well-spoken content detailing the history of the activity is unbelievably important, and high-quality content is important as well. You're doing good work, your last two videos have been phenomenal, I do genuinely hope you keep it up. These are EXACTLY the types of videos I like. If you make a Patreon, I'll be your first supporter if you keep these videos up

we need more informative dci videos like this!!!

Chris, my first stop at your videos. I am old drum corps (76-84) and I have not seen a show since the finals in 1985. I watched some of the 2023 finals and I feel like...well, it's not my day in the sun. I was from the east coast back then and remember the Muchachos' issue in 1975 and the Bridgemen a few years later. I marched DCI level with North Star and 27th Lancers. DCI was always playing games (we thought) and there were several tells even back then. I won't put them here but I physically saw 3 of them documented days before the prelims in Canada, Miami and Georgia. It was great when Garfield broke out in 1983 and continued for a 3-peat. They were held together with duct tape and bailing wire as were all of us from the east. I loved my time and would never trade anything from then to have what is there now. I am glad Boston is doing well as I had friends there in my day. Keep it up. I miss the power of G-Bugles and as a contrabass player I really miss the sound of what 6 or 8 could do compared to the 10-16 I see out there today. But I am old now.....Thanks for the forum.

I marched this show. I so appreciate the look back at it and I love that people are still talking about it almost ten years later! It was my rook-out, so I kinda didn't know what I didn't know in many ways. I don't remember the staff asking us if we wanted a hard show or an easy show, but I also had to skip one camp for a school commitment so maybe it happened then. I didn't know at the time this was a hard show - I just figured drum corps was hard. I remember repping The Gauntlet what felt like millions of times. Our visual staff was on edge, like, all summer, and now as a more self-aware adult, I get why. That shit was insane to try to get kids to do. I got lucky though - I had an easy dot in the center of the triangles. Not neatly as hard as others had it. I also don't think I had the best grasp on what the show was actually about, especially early on. I remember DCP blowing up after the premiere in Akron about the G7 set. The voiceover is one of the tuba players that year, recorded sometime before finals week although I don't remember where or exactly when. It wasn't in the show until late season. The communist/DCI flags were only in for the Finals night. In hindsight, after I've taught band and drum corps for most of the time since 2014, I think the design staff made some poor choices. The show was hard, but like, unnecessarily hard. Almost nothing was gridded, so we spent time cleaning stuff that should have just been easy intervals. I can't tell you how much time we spent "building the windmill" in the ballad, which from box height was barely noticeable. Would have fit in much better at a WGI show than Lucas Oil. Staging and listening responsibilities were not easy for many portions of the show. I can't help but wonder if the *effect* could have been achieved while making the show more achievable. I consider my time at BAC to be a defining experience in my life. Wish I had been able to march many more years. A former student of mine marched White Whale this year, and it just felt like it all came full circle. So cool to see them have much competitive success.

We need more dci history videos. No one would never know this until stumbling upon it.,

I remember seeing the G7 set for the first time. It took my breath away with its boldness, and I've loved Boston even more ever since.

I was rewatching my 2014 Blu Ray (miss those… Flo Marching streams are garbo) and LOVED this show. I had no idea of the controversy that it was covering. I love it even more now. Thanks for delivering such thoughtful and much needed DCI content!

I did open class drum corps. My bf was only ever with crown. He actively supports ending all corps but the top 10-ish. It’s kinda sad how much those guys don’t even think about the lower lever corps

My dad was actually the drill writer for this show. I still use the kind of making a group more equal than others when he writes a drill and I have what I think is a good idea lol

I felt the anger in this show! And I knew it was about the corruption! That makes me so happy to confirm it

This is all very cool DCI History you are posting keep it up!

We dont Gava

Bravo! I love seeing the history that doesn't fit the public DCI narrative and I really hope you keep releasing this style of content. I marched Magic of Orlando in 04 and we were the reason that residual residue was added to the rule books in 05 because we used baby powder on the concert basses during our show's fight scene. Wouldn't you figure, GH was the driving force in this ban even though it arguably had such an insignificant effect to the marching surface.

awesome overview! I remember following the G7 stuff after working w/The Cadets in 2010 and was grinning ear-to-ear every time I got a chance to see Boston's show that year ... what a bold move on their part and it's def worked for them going forward! Also, if I remember correctly a HUGE portion of The Cadets staff, Gino in particular, actually moved to BAC after 2014's season (or maybe later, can't really remember)

Dude, seriously awesome job with this content! So much of drum corps history and history in the marching activity as a whole, has never really been preserved to be retold like this. So many stories behind past seasons have been lost to time or only been told by word of mouth. I love this! There’s so much to cover! I know there’s a lot of ground to cover with just drum corps alone, but WGI history videos like this would be just as great. Just to keep a pin in it for now 😉 keep up the great work!

This was a really amazing story. I had no idea. I have to say, as I listened to the video I started out on the side of the G7 because . . . I go to the local DCI show to see the big corps. The minor corps are . . . warm-up acts. At the same time, I wouldn't pay $60+ for a ticket to see 2 corps. I happily pay it to see all the warm-up acts, THEN the major corps. So the video pulled me to the side of the smaller corps. They are a significant part of my enjoyment in the audience. While that enjoyment may not be equal in magnitude, it is a necessary ingredient. Would you eat a cinnamon roll without cinnamon? One wonders if SCV would have marched 2023 if the G7 had their way.

As a person hoping to march in the coming years, I really enjoy seeing this kind of content and learning this history of this activity. Thank you for putting this stuff out there ❤

Thanks for sharing this. I appreciate the real history and information. Glad I found your video and have subscribed to your channel. Keep up the great work!

Thank you for educating me! Please keep it coming!

i already loved this show and boston but this made me love them 10x more. i had no idea that this was the true theme of the show but it enhances it so much. so proud of them for their success this past decade!

just found this channel a day or two ago, but I absolutely love the content you've been putting out! This is EXACTLY the kind of stuff I was looking for when I was first getting into the activity through youtube during/post pandemic... I'm so happy that you're providing this now for an entire new wave of marchers. Please keep up content like this, I am very excited and eager to watch your next video when it comes out!! :)

very well made video, would love to see more content and history trivia like this. or just any drum corps content, lol. totally agree with you on the lack of quality of drum corps content on youtube as of now. you're helping change that, keep it up man

LOVE the direction of your channel / content and cannot wait to see more! Thank YOU for stepping up and creating the content that all of us Drum Corps fans have been eagerly waiting for.

Dude this is fantastic. This is the type of thing KZfaq needed! Not to mention your writings incredible. I was there for semi finals that year and I just said, "I liked the show, it was dark." now an entire 9 years later, still gives me chills to this day. Great job on the vid man!

your channel is the DCI content I've longed for!

your channel is gonna grow a WHOLE LOT by the end of the year! Amazing job on these videos!

First time you were suggested in my feed!! Super fun history lesson! I was new to DCI when I saw this in 2014 and had no idea! Thank you!

Props to Boston. I already loved them but seeing the Easter eggs and being told of the G7 history from you has made me love them more. Thank you

I had noticed the G7 set and understood the baby powder reference, but I never knew this show had so much depth to it. Great video

This channel is what we need for this community

Banger video can't wait to see more!!

As a current crusader, I never got to learn the exact details of this show and this makes it so much more awesome!!! Thank you for sharing this! Great video!!

Well done! This story needed to be told. I’m a huge Bluecoats fan but love Boston too. Please keep these videos coming. Truth matters.

I have no clue where in the architecture you've come from, but I've been waiting a long time for something like this. I know this channel is seriously going to blow up. Wishing only the best for you man, keep putting out excellent content like this :)

BAC alum here, thank you for this video. I unfortunately only got to march in 15 and 16, but all of my friends who convinced me to audition marched this show and I loved it. We always took the idea of pushing the envelope even when it was just our own skill levels, though 16 is a bit of a different story. But I always appreciate some history!!

Great job. Yours is the first Drum Corp channel I have ever subscribed to. I hope you spend a lot of time breaking down and explaining the shows. I wish you well.

Michael Lentz was the artistic director for this program and he was a freakin genius. I wish he was back in DCI designing programs.

This video is so sick! I love this channel!

Great stuff! Thanks for your efforts

Me waking up from a coma after not paying attention to DCI since like... 2010ish: "What the hell happened here?"

Please keep making video essays about the activity, its really cool to see

This show was my first world class drum corp show I saw in person and it has a special place in my mind.

Word! Great stuff and very needed!

I’ve been waiting for this one 😮‍💨

Animal Farm literally took the balls to the wall. Bravo BAC for standing your ground and taking on the G7!!! Thank you for this video and hope to see many more like it. !! Go BAC !!!

This was already one of my favorite shows... this may just have made it MOST favorite show ever lol

This is why I absolutely loved this show. I had read 'Animal Farm' the year before, and because of this, I was able completely understood the show on the first read. That was a first for me. However, once I got filled in by other nearby audience members of what was going on BTS in DCI, it became real clear that BAC was using this show to speak their minds about what was going on in the circuit at the time. It's in my personal top 5 shows for a reason.

Outstanding videos.

Great video. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes history in DCI that can be translated into video essay format.

Awesome vid, had no idea how pushy the G7 actually was (also, props to not getting blocked worldwide for using the finals video of Wicked Games lmao)

this is a great video. i just found another reason to love boston even more than i do.

I’m loving these DCI History vids

I really like this video. Very interesting and informative. Also loved Boston's show that year. And some drum corps are more equal than others, even to this day.

this is awesome! would love to see a video on the history of individual impact in the activity like the people that the DCI caption awards were named after. like for instance, I had no idea that there was a WGI color guard show (I think it was performed by Fantasia) themed after George Zingali’s life. really cool show and really cool story.

This type of video can easily differentiate you from the other drum corps content creators. Great job!

I got the opportunity to march at Knights during that year, and the year after. I loved watching Boston’s show and respected the message, also being in a corps outside of the G7. Personally, I was really bothered that we placed ahead of Phantom at Prelims and Semis in 2014, only to place 8th behind them on Finals night….. really felt like that G7 thing was still present, but I guess they had a better finals night performance. It definitely felt great to break through that division and place 6th the next year though. It was the beginning of a new era, and even THAT has long passed by now. Thanks for sharing this important part of Drum Corps history!

The way we’re reading animal farm in my AP English class and I went WAIT WAIT WAIT THIS IS A DCI REFERENCE

Thanks for making this video

Let's also not skip over the irony of GH's legal issues and the subsequent collection of high level staff going from Cadets to BAC once GH was ousted. That's a huge epilogue to this tale. It's also worth noting that GH's rule changes for 30 years got us to the instrumentation changes that now in the 10s and 20s seem normal, but are so jarring to this day for many. Also, one other wild note. If I recall my history right, it was Boston that used the first synth in 1985. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pq6TaqyVvburgGw.html

This was really great!

Outstanding work. I didn't know this.

can we talk about how back then they classed mandarins as single A and they placed 6th this year

That as a drum Corp, is so badass. To state your claim in your show. That's class

Absolutely agree with the last statement. I’m trying to get into DCI but can’t really find much about the culture, history, and inside jokes of it all. Thanks for this piece of history!

Bro you can see that BD's player or alumni is not only talented in marching but they have a really good knowledge about the activity. First funliner production and now Cj's music, keep it up bro!! Love this channel

It would be great if you could dig into why DCI and the rules have changed so much! Dig into why electronics were added, trombones, et al. And why shows now have to have so many props. This Boston show had no props and was just marching and it was AWESOME!

awesome. thank you

Also, I have a video idea that's perfect for this series. It's one that I was making myself but lost motivation due to life circumstances and never finished. It's about the 1984 Whitewater Wipeout. The Cadets had an infamous pileup at the end of their 1984 performance in Whitewater Wisconsin. It's a deep story, and a case of DCI lost media. As there's only 3 photos of the pileup, but no video has ever been found. There's also a judges tape who was on the field when it happend. I have those photos and that tape as well as an interview with a man who was there that night. That man is also very active on dci youtube videos. And he's very friendly and loved talking with me about the event. I can provide you with his contact information and all of that stuff and we can talk further if you're interested. If so, I'd love to talk to you about the tone and direction I wanted to go with my video, and see what you think about it. Anyways, I hope this finds you well!

This is great! This is like a Secret Base video.

Animal farm has always been a favorite show of mine, glad to see this getting respect

It was a GREAT show! VERY memorable!

Great Vid love this stuff

Loved this!

Oooh, DCI lore! It WOULD be interesting to see videos talk about the past. Given how niche DCI is... it's hard to preserve stories like these. I'll definitely stick around for more!

Great video!!! I remember very well that harebrained scheme cooked up by GH. In fact I could see it coming way back in the early 2000's when Drum Corps Midwest was basically destroyed by DCI because of the GH mindset.

Knowing this now, it's incredible to see Boston's past few seasons as they rise to the top.

Please make a full documentary I would watch and donate to see that!

Great work, keep it up.

I so greatly appreciate this kind of content as I was in high school at the time and my complete understanding of what was going on behind the scenes was a bit murky. In my opinion BAC's story of meteoric success is absolutely serendipitous when you consider how toxic Hop and several others were, and still are to some extent. Thank you for making great videos, definitely looking forward to more! 🏆

I love Drum corps, I subbed

My understanding of the G7 was that it was completely financially motivated. Each show on tour is "hosted" by a certain corps and it is the host corps financial and logistical responsibility to find/fund housing sites for every corps performing at that show. So there was this divide between corps who had a good financial situation who were always hosting the less well off corps. This was draining the top corps pockets so they decided to make the Tour Of Champions where the housing was equally distributed between all the G7 corps.

I remember in 2012 that it was a big deal Boston beat Cavaliers, especially after the Cavies had dominated for a decade. I think that was another small piece of this puzzle as Boston probably felt like “Okay well now we’re in the G7 too, right?” Only for Boston to place 8th and Cavies in 7th during the 2013 season. I like to think this added fuel to the 2014 design fire. Interesting to see the early 2010’s era I grew up with as historical. I was just a band nerd eating it all up 😂

I remember watching this show live and was GAGGED by the balls of this corp of giants

Been a diehard fan (couldn't march, woodwind) saw E=mc^2 in 2013 and have been hooked ever since. Boston has always been solid. The show in reference also had the best use of their corp's leitmotif during the march with the giant wood stamp (I don't know the proper name) I've always thought the field was TILTed to favor certain orgs, but this is sad...good on Boston for calling it out.

Wow! I am proud of you. Thank you for your diligence and hard work. I have a suggestion for you. Budgets? Are corps being pushed out as the activity has become do expensive for many...

I was only vaguely familiarized with this show, as I've only started following drum corps for a few years and (ironically) mostly watched the top corps. That being said, now that I know the design and history of the show, I fucking love it. The fact that the show is about a somewhat controversial story about soviet corruption, and using that to as groundwork to compare it to how power hungry some people on the board can be is outright genius. The way they hid so many references and jabs at authority is so hilariously smug. Not to mention their utilization of Shostakovich no. 11 goes perfectly, since Shostakovich is known for his sarcastic hidden messages criticizing authority, and his 11th symphony is still related to animal farm for being about bloody Sunday and USSR's rise in authoritarianism. Controversial shows are my favorite shows, because I believe drum corps is an art form, and as an art form is able to convey ideas.

I was today years old when I realized that was the meaning of that show. More than ever, for even just this, they ARE the BAC!

He’s so far out of relevance that I had to think about who GH was. What a great vid, subbed!

it’s a friday night and i’m crying over this. i wouldn’t have it any other way

Fascinating

Awesome! I’d never heard this before. Kudos to BAC!!!

Can’t wait to see your video on 1993 Star of Indiana

Love this!!!