Tournament of Stars featured an emotional SLAP DOWN performance by The Bridgemen!!!
June 10, 2006
In the days leading into the weekend, we talked among ourselves and on the forums, eager for the weekend to arrive! Some members and BOD members had trouble sleeping and felt some preshow jitters as we couldn't wait to take the field! No matter who arrived for the weekend tired, we were all overjoyed to find ourselves back in each other's company and eager to get this all underway.
Saturday's rehearsal at Don Ahern Veteran's Stadium in Bayonne on June 10, 2006 began with us standing on this cherished field and waiting for rehearsal to finally begin. It was an unusually windy day and not as warm as you'd expect in early June. President John Riccardi addressed the corps and congratulated Executive Director George Lavelle, Jr. in his successful bid to relaunch the Bridgemen as an Alumni Corps and bring back something so important to present-day members, alumni, and fans. George went on to thank the initial nucleus of members who helped us realize the dream of creating a new chapter in the corps history: Nancy Ducharme, John Riccardi, Tom Kowalak, Ken Donovan, Debbie Kowalak, Gary Karpinski, and RuthAnn Cooper. John and George reminded us that to get a lot accomplished that day, we needed to turn the day into a lovefest and work WITH each other to the best of our capabilities.
We began with a singing runthrough to shake out the cobwebs, then George broke down the show one set at a time. Slowly, the stands began to fill with fans and curious onlookers who'd waited for our show to arrive. We spent the first few hours going through our performance routines to help us memorize all we needed for the show that night. Our talented staff of Dennis Delucia, Jim Mallen, Pat Scollin, Ron Dolce, Larry Kerchner, Matt Krempasky, Matt Hurley, Claire Kronenfeld, George Lavelle, Bob Murray, and George Ruse put us through the paces that day. Missed you Bob Dubinski! The morning and afternoon raced by quickly and the stadium was emptied for our last run through of the day. With some new routines worked into the show, George wished to avoid spoiling the surprise for everyone in the stands.
The show began around 6:00 with spirited performances by corps who were priveleged to open the drum corps season with a perfect temperature for performances in uniform. The stands filled up quickly and looked packed by 7:00. Before the show was over, the crowd would be treated to ten great corps: Emerald Grenadears Alumni, Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights Alumni, Yankee Rebels Alumni, Light Brigade, Park City Pride, Skyliners Alumni, Caballeros Alumni, Bushwackers Senior Corps, Jersey Surf .... and the return of The Bridgemen!
After our dinner break, we met back at the equipment truck at 7:00, in black pants and white shirts, to get our uniform tops off the truck. Our horns, drums, and color guard peeled away to private spots to warm up and lock down our show routines. Our instructors were wise not to work us hard as they wanted us to preserve our energy for the show we were destined to unleash on a packed house.
As we grew closer to show time, sectionals ended and we walked toward the stadium to meet up with each other on a side street, at the top of the hill near the back gate. The Bushwackers were nearing the end of their show and soon Jersey Surf took the field. We passed the time joking with each other and calming each other. Many of us were feeling preshow jitters and occasionally tearing up. We waited impatiently for the minutes to tick by. Director George Lavelle pulled us together to speak to us. “In 1976, Bobby Hoffman, brought the Bridgemen to this same hill before he unveiled a new chapter in the history of the Bridgemen. Little did he know that he'd change the activity as a whole! And here we are thirty years later, about to change the activity again. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!?” We cheered and embraced the moment in the countdown as George soon told us “ten minutes to go!”
A fearless determination took hold to put on the show of our lives as we assembled together in our opening box at the top of the hill and waited. George commented “Other corps would march forward, but we're gonna STROLL forward. So start strolling!” After a few minutes, half way down the hill, Drum Major Jim Jordan led us through a few bars of “The William Tell Overture” aimed at the stadium as we gave the crowd a taste of the mayhem to come.
Showtime finally arrived at 9:20 and a Bayonne police cruiser led the way down the hill with their lights whirling and showing the crowd that the main act had arrived. George Lavelle had engineered the moment with masterful precision to recapture that defining night in 1976 when the new Bridgemen made their entrance into this same stadium. Vince Downes later commented, “The minute you guys came through the back gate, the crowd went NUTS!”
Our brand new yellow and black coats (faithful recreations of the banana coats) began making their way into the stadium as we glided forward doing the Bridgemen knock. The crowd was awestruck by the sheer numbers that kept coming through the back gates! We saw that the Jersey Surf had parked themselves to the side, still in uniform with equipment, and respectfully waited in formation to watch our performance.
We looked around at each other to see friends in our beautiful new uniforms and saw our colorful bandanas swaying in the Bayonne breeze. As we made our way forward onto the field, the crowd began stomping their feet in the metal stands, causing a loud reverberation that echoed around the stadium. Many of us took in the moment and said “WOW!” The audience would soon get to see the much-anticipated return of the Bridgemen to the field.
2 Drum Majors, 65 horns, 32 drums, 28 color guard, and 7 honor guard took the field to usher in the new era of the Bridgemen. The stadium was PACKED and we saw hundreds more grinning faces (most wearing the uniforms of other corps) standing in front and to the sides eagerly waiting to see our show. Once we were set up and ready, Drum Majors Jim Jordan and John Richard saluted the crowd in their all-white uniforms and then Jim Jordan began the count off that launched the 2006 Bridgemen in exhibition.
Snares began the show as the horns came up to unleash the dramatic opening chords of Pagliacci to grab the crowd's attention. The brass and percussion impact produced a level of volume they didn't expect as our color guard's rainbow flags spun and brought the show forward. Our solid box moved forward, evolving into smooth curves that cascaded forward to bring the dynamic impact closer! Our opening fanfare soon segued into Chuck Mangione's Land of Make Believe, a playful piece from our heyday that features an expressive soprano solo with color guard rifle girls circled up around him. The rifles maintained the circle as they fought the unusually strong winds that night, and gave their all to demonstrate what they were made of. The bouncy rhythms gave the crowd a taste of what endeared the junior corps Bridgemen to so many. The fine duet by Rob Hunter and Kevin McDermott, then the intense closing chords, reminded the crowd why they waited until night's end to see us.
Next, we changed the mood with Larry Kerchner's well-loved arrangement of My Favorite Things. This isn't your father's version; Larry's arrangement expertly weaves in jazzy rhythms that takes this chart down a new road. The opening soprano chord soon brought forth the mysterious baritone melody, upbeat and unrelenting in its drive. The call-and-answer between both horns up front gave way to a 4/4 rhythm against a 6/4 rhythm that we masterfully played. The drums took over the melody and pounded out wonderfully complex and challenging parts that kept the crowd mesmerized for 16 measures; snares on roto toms, triples, bass drums and cymbals traded off rhythms to delight the crowd and showcase Dennis Delucia's new drum feature. The horns charged forward and pounded out our next statement at a volume level that was off the scales! After eight measures of impact, we quickly dropped down for a soft statement before beginning the power push that kept building to a climactic charge that set the stadium alight. Before the song was even over, the crowd's reaction was an absolute EXPLOSION of cheering and wild applause! At the end the horns slammed down our horns to port arms and yelled “Hype!” to soak in the crowd's approval.
We next moved into the tragic strains of Summer of '42 which weaved in a new color into the show. Full show volume calmed into a soft, lush passage as the main melody took over to wash over the crowd. The alternately tragic and lovelorn parts intermingled at times to embody a time of passion between lovers that was beautiful, but could not last in a time of war. The piece ended hauntingly as the contras proclaimed the inevitable fate of this love story before a jazzy duet proclaimed the story's eternal appeal.
Then we shifted gears again with a comedy segment. Let's just call it Bananas and let you experience it for the first time if you weren't there 06/10/06!
Next, the bass drums gave us the opening beats of our classic In the Stone from Earth, Wind, & Fire (perhaps the song most associated with the original Bridgemen). This upbeat, joyful pop chart allows every section of the corps to grab the spotlight and put our talent on display. The percussion / battery laid down a grooving track that helps give the piece so much life. The sopranos engaged the crowd with some funky rhythms (played in fortsandos) while mellophone, baritone, and contra counter-melodies mesh for an amazing effect. The contras took over their feature as the brilliant flags of the color guard showed why only the Bridgemen can deliver the ultimate version of In the Stone. Choreographer Matt Hurley's girls continued to give a lively performance that surpassed their own expectations. The baritone feature next took over as the other sections took over the counter melodies. Mellophones threw down some funkadelic lines just before we arrived at the chart's loud closer. The crowd was already giving back all we were giving them as we fed off each other's enthusiasm. Our volume kept building as we gave our ALL and realized our show's end was quickly drawing near.
Drained as we were, we still met the challenge of maxing out our closer, The William Tell Overture with all the emotion and energy we could muster. The crowd's eyes lit up as we brought back a classic song from our St. Andrew's days, complete with the sopranos quick tounging, before all other sections joined in to lay down the final charge. The crowd was already on its feet by this point and applauding wildly as we delivered the last of our show to them at full intensity! Horns, drum sticks, and guard equipment came down as we faced the crowd and smiled broadly at their antics! It was a VERY good day to a Bridgemen member. We ran off the field, waving to the crowd: pleased with ourselves for delivering a heartfelt, emotional performance. And also for making all Bridgemen who came before us proud.
After a makeshift encore off the field of Battle Hymn of the Republic, we circled up around Director George Lavelle who thanked us for making this day so special in the history of the corps. All of our rehearsal and sacrifice had paid off as we came away from the experience thankful to have been a part of it. Friends, family, fans, and member of other corps were impressed by all they'd experienced and eagerly recounted the great time they'd had watching us perform for them.
Afterward, many of us returned to the VFW Post that Glen Flora has welcomed us into. We recounted the day's events to each other and celebrated our good fortune that day. Plus the ultimate payoff we had in front of such a jubilant crowd. As the hours clicked by, some of us lamented the minor mistakes we'd made in the show. Then Brendon (mellophone) commented, “Yes but we SOLD the show.”
Ain't that the truth? The consumate entertainers are back and the season's only begun!
The Bridgemen Organization would like to thank everyone (on the Board, on staff, as members, and behind-the-scenes) who contributed to make this exciting night so memorable for everyone at Veteran's Stadium!
See John Nadrowski's photos of the weekend on his Bridgemen Tribute site.
And there's Jackie Fritsche's photos of Tournament of Stars at her flickr page.
What does June 10th mean to you?
Executive Director George Lavelle asked this question of the corps members on our Forums. He went on to say, “I wanted to see what all of you are feeling and thinking as the BIG DAY gets closer. It is coming around the corner and I wanted to hear what you folks are thinking!!!” Claire's reply may be the best at capturing the intensity of what was to come, looking back to a fateful night 30 years earlier.
“Where to start??? On that evening in '76, I was the first person behing Bobby Hoffman to come down that hill and through that gate. I remember being nervous, excited, worrying what people would think, say, how would they react to the new look of the Bridgemen. I remember seeing the policemen directing traffic wondering who or what we were, the crowd looking a bit puzzled, the murmurs, the pointing, the gasping. The show began, the crowd was shocked, to say the least!!! By the time we got to A Chorus Line I think every person on the field was thinking, 'Wait 'til you see this!!' The uniforms came off, the guard was dancing, the smiles were electric and ..... the crowd was, by this time, in a frenzy, William Tell started, I think every person watching knew that this was history in the making, drum corps would never be the same!!
“When it was over I remember thinking, 'Oh my God!! This is a feeling I will never in my life forget.' The exhilaration that I felt and knowing that it was shared by everyone else connected with the corps is something that will be with me forever.
“What does June 10, 2006 mean to me????? I feel that I am blessed to be involved once again with this milestone in the corps history, in drum corps history!!!!! We are about to do what the Bridgemen have been known for, change the face of the things as they presently are. Yes, we are an Alumni corps, but not your everyday, run of the mill, white bread drum corps ...... We will not park and blow, we will not field a guard of possibly ten, we will not sling our drums and play in the old style, old time drum corps way .... Nope, not us .... Get ready world, here we come ...... AGAIN!!!!! And for those of you who didn't experience coming down that hill to the whispers and gasps, get ready for the thrill of a lifetime .... We will rock the stadium to its rafters!!! When that last note is played and you look out at the audience and see the delight in their faces and realize that you're the reason for it, you will think, 'Oh my God!!! This is something I will never forget!' Get ready, guys and gals, old-timers and newcomers, this is going to be something very special. When we take the field on June 10, I know that Ed Holmes, Fr. Donovan, Bobby Hoffman and all of the rest of our family in heaven will be smiling and hypin' right along with us!!!! Keep up the intensity, let's make this the best it can possibly be!!! Hype, Hype, Hype!!!!!”
- Claire Kronenfeld
Board of Directors, Bridgemen Organization
President, Bridgemen Alumni Association
A review from Triple Forte:
OH MY GOD…..here we go folks……the hosts of the TOS 2006 Show….The Bayone Bridgemen:
Like most drum corps shows you can usually see the next corps set to perform next lining up in the back or side of the field. It was obvious that the Bridgemen wanted to make a full corps entrance and wow the crowd. I watched about 7 Bridgemen pit members setup and run off the back side of the field. There is a street and side streets that are beyond the back sidline of the field which is visible from the stands. The first thing I saw were blinking strobe lights. It only took about a second to realize that the Bridgemen had a police escort and were going to come down the street and march in to the stadium. The police car finally turned off out of view and like a movie fade in I saw a sea of yellow and black. About 30 seconds later the sea of yellow and black continued to come in to view and then you could hear rumbling……rumbling from their drumline. People in the crowd started cheering loudly as the corps came onto the field. Truly a memorable moment……but the best was yet to come. The corps is BIG and are fully dressed from head to toe like the BB of the late 70’s and 80’s. They have about 60 horns, 30 + guard, 10 snare…….The show itself features GREAT Bridgemen classics and the highlights are two many to mention. I am told that the corps will be adding some more gimmicks as the season progresses.
Their show was really awesome and there is no doubt in my mind that they are going to light up crowds at every performance. It was so INCREDIBLE to see them……I definitely felt like I was in a time machine.
Thanks BB for a great night of drum corps. All of the corps did a great job and the show was extremely well run. Keep up the great work and believe me I cannot WAIT to see you again.
Triple Forte
June 10, 2006
In the days leading into the weekend, we talked among ourselves and on the forums, eager for the weekend to arrive! Some members and BOD members had trouble sleeping and felt some preshow jitters as we couldn't wait to take the field! No matter who arrived for the weekend tired, we were all overjoyed to find ourselves back in each other's company and eager to get this all underway.
Saturday's rehearsal at Don Ahern Veteran's Stadium in Bayonne on June 10, 2006 began with us standing on this cherished field and waiting for rehearsal to finally begin. It was an unusually windy day and not as warm as you'd expect in early June. President John Riccardi addressed the corps and congratulated Executive Director George Lavelle, Jr. in his successful bid to relaunch the Bridgemen as an Alumni Corps and bring back something so important to present-day members, alumni, and fans. George went on to thank the initial nucleus of members who helped us realize the dream of creating a new chapter in the corps history: Nancy Ducharme, John Riccardi, Tom Kowalak, Ken Donovan, Debbie Kowalak, Gary Karpinski, and RuthAnn Cooper. John and George reminded us that to get a lot accomplished that day, we needed to turn the day into a lovefest and work WITH each other to the best of our capabilities.
We began with a singing runthrough to shake out the cobwebs, then George broke down the show one set at a time. Slowly, the stands began to fill with fans and curious onlookers who'd waited for our show to arrive. We spent the first few hours going through our performance routines to help us memorize all we needed for the show that night. Our talented staff of Dennis Delucia, Jim Mallen, Pat Scollin, Ron Dolce, Larry Kerchner, Matt Krempasky, Matt Hurley, Claire Kronenfeld, George Lavelle, Bob Murray, and George Ruse put us through the paces that day. Missed you Bob Dubinski! The morning and afternoon raced by quickly and the stadium was emptied for our last run through of the day. With some new routines worked into the show, George wished to avoid spoiling the surprise for everyone in the stands.
The show began around 6:00 with spirited performances by corps who were priveleged to open the drum corps season with a perfect temperature for performances in uniform. The stands filled up quickly and looked packed by 7:00. Before the show was over, the crowd would be treated to ten great corps: Emerald Grenadears Alumni, Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights Alumni, Yankee Rebels Alumni, Light Brigade, Park City Pride, Skyliners Alumni, Caballeros Alumni, Bushwackers Senior Corps, Jersey Surf .... and the return of The Bridgemen!
After our dinner break, we met back at the equipment truck at 7:00, in black pants and white shirts, to get our uniform tops off the truck. Our horns, drums, and color guard peeled away to private spots to warm up and lock down our show routines. Our instructors were wise not to work us hard as they wanted us to preserve our energy for the show we were destined to unleash on a packed house.
As we grew closer to show time, sectionals ended and we walked toward the stadium to meet up with each other on a side street, at the top of the hill near the back gate. The Bushwackers were nearing the end of their show and soon Jersey Surf took the field. We passed the time joking with each other and calming each other. Many of us were feeling preshow jitters and occasionally tearing up. We waited impatiently for the minutes to tick by. Director George Lavelle pulled us together to speak to us. “In 1976, Bobby Hoffman, brought the Bridgemen to this same hill before he unveiled a new chapter in the history of the Bridgemen. Little did he know that he'd change the activity as a whole! And here we are thirty years later, about to change the activity again. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!?” We cheered and embraced the moment in the countdown as George soon told us “ten minutes to go!”
A fearless determination took hold to put on the show of our lives as we assembled together in our opening box at the top of the hill and waited. George commented “Other corps would march forward, but we're gonna STROLL forward. So start strolling!” After a few minutes, half way down the hill, Drum Major Jim Jordan led us through a few bars of “The William Tell Overture” aimed at the stadium as we gave the crowd a taste of the mayhem to come.
Showtime finally arrived at 9:20 and a Bayonne police cruiser led the way down the hill with their lights whirling and showing the crowd that the main act had arrived. George Lavelle had engineered the moment with masterful precision to recapture that defining night in 1976 when the new Bridgemen made their entrance into this same stadium. Vince Downes later commented, “The minute you guys came through the back gate, the crowd went NUTS!”
Our brand new yellow and black coats (faithful recreations of the banana coats) began making their way into the stadium as we glided forward doing the Bridgemen knock. The crowd was awestruck by the sheer numbers that kept coming through the back gates! We saw that the Jersey Surf had parked themselves to the side, still in uniform with equipment, and respectfully waited in formation to watch our performance.
We looked around at each other to see friends in our beautiful new uniforms and saw our colorful bandanas swaying in the Bayonne breeze. As we made our way forward onto the field, the crowd began stomping their feet in the metal stands, causing a loud reverberation that echoed around the stadium. Many of us took in the moment and said “WOW!” The audience would soon get to see the much-anticipated return of the Bridgemen to the field.
2 Drum Majors, 65 horns, 32 drums, 28 color guard, and 7 honor guard took the field to usher in the new era of the Bridgemen. The stadium was PACKED and we saw hundreds more grinning faces (most wearing the uniforms of other corps) standing in front and to the sides eagerly waiting to see our show. Once we were set up and ready, Drum Majors Jim Jordan and John Richard saluted the crowd in their all-white uniforms and then Jim Jordan began the count off that launched the 2006 Bridgemen in exhibition.
Snares began the show as the horns came up to unleash the dramatic opening chords of Pagliacci to grab the crowd's attention. The brass and percussion impact produced a level of volume they didn't expect as our color guard's rainbow flags spun and brought the show forward. Our solid box moved forward, evolving into smooth curves that cascaded forward to bring the dynamic impact closer! Our opening fanfare soon segued into Chuck Mangione's Land of Make Believe, a playful piece from our heyday that features an expressive soprano solo with color guard rifle girls circled up around him. The rifles maintained the circle as they fought the unusually strong winds that night, and gave their all to demonstrate what they were made of. The bouncy rhythms gave the crowd a taste of what endeared the junior corps Bridgemen to so many. The fine duet by Rob Hunter and Kevin McDermott, then the intense closing chords, reminded the crowd why they waited until night's end to see us.
Next, we changed the mood with Larry Kerchner's well-loved arrangement of My Favorite Things. This isn't your father's version; Larry's arrangement expertly weaves in jazzy rhythms that takes this chart down a new road. The opening soprano chord soon brought forth the mysterious baritone melody, upbeat and unrelenting in its drive. The call-and-answer between both horns up front gave way to a 4/4 rhythm against a 6/4 rhythm that we masterfully played. The drums took over the melody and pounded out wonderfully complex and challenging parts that kept the crowd mesmerized for 16 measures; snares on roto toms, triples, bass drums and cymbals traded off rhythms to delight the crowd and showcase Dennis Delucia's new drum feature. The horns charged forward and pounded out our next statement at a volume level that was off the scales! After eight measures of impact, we quickly dropped down for a soft statement before beginning the power push that kept building to a climactic charge that set the stadium alight. Before the song was even over, the crowd's reaction was an absolute EXPLOSION of cheering and wild applause! At the end the horns slammed down our horns to port arms and yelled “Hype!” to soak in the crowd's approval.
We next moved into the tragic strains of Summer of '42 which weaved in a new color into the show. Full show volume calmed into a soft, lush passage as the main melody took over to wash over the crowd. The alternately tragic and lovelorn parts intermingled at times to embody a time of passion between lovers that was beautiful, but could not last in a time of war. The piece ended hauntingly as the contras proclaimed the inevitable fate of this love story before a jazzy duet proclaimed the story's eternal appeal.
Then we shifted gears again with a comedy segment. Let's just call it Bananas and let you experience it for the first time if you weren't there 06/10/06!
Next, the bass drums gave us the opening beats of our classic In the Stone from Earth, Wind, & Fire (perhaps the song most associated with the original Bridgemen). This upbeat, joyful pop chart allows every section of the corps to grab the spotlight and put our talent on display. The percussion / battery laid down a grooving track that helps give the piece so much life. The sopranos engaged the crowd with some funky rhythms (played in fortsandos) while mellophone, baritone, and contra counter-melodies mesh for an amazing effect. The contras took over their feature as the brilliant flags of the color guard showed why only the Bridgemen can deliver the ultimate version of In the Stone. Choreographer Matt Hurley's girls continued to give a lively performance that surpassed their own expectations. The baritone feature next took over as the other sections took over the counter melodies. Mellophones threw down some funkadelic lines just before we arrived at the chart's loud closer. The crowd was already giving back all we were giving them as we fed off each other's enthusiasm. Our volume kept building as we gave our ALL and realized our show's end was quickly drawing near.
Drained as we were, we still met the challenge of maxing out our closer, The William Tell Overture with all the emotion and energy we could muster. The crowd's eyes lit up as we brought back a classic song from our St. Andrew's days, complete with the sopranos quick tounging, before all other sections joined in to lay down the final charge. The crowd was already on its feet by this point and applauding wildly as we delivered the last of our show to them at full intensity! Horns, drum sticks, and guard equipment came down as we faced the crowd and smiled broadly at their antics! It was a VERY good day to a Bridgemen member. We ran off the field, waving to the crowd: pleased with ourselves for delivering a heartfelt, emotional performance. And also for making all Bridgemen who came before us proud.
After a makeshift encore off the field of Battle Hymn of the Republic, we circled up around Director George Lavelle who thanked us for making this day so special in the history of the corps. All of our rehearsal and sacrifice had paid off as we came away from the experience thankful to have been a part of it. Friends, family, fans, and member of other corps were impressed by all they'd experienced and eagerly recounted the great time they'd had watching us perform for them.
Afterward, many of us returned to the VFW Post that Glen Flora has welcomed us into. We recounted the day's events to each other and celebrated our good fortune that day. Plus the ultimate payoff we had in front of such a jubilant crowd. As the hours clicked by, some of us lamented the minor mistakes we'd made in the show. Then Brendon (mellophone) commented, “Yes but we SOLD the show.”
Ain't that the truth? The consumate entertainers are back and the season's only begun!
The Bridgemen Organization would like to thank everyone (on the Board, on staff, as members, and behind-the-scenes) who contributed to make this exciting night so memorable for everyone at Veteran's Stadium!
See John Nadrowski's photos of the weekend on his Bridgemen Tribute site.
And there's Jackie Fritsche's photos of Tournament of Stars at her flickr page.
What does June 10th mean to you?
Executive Director George Lavelle asked this question of the corps members on our Forums. He went on to say, “I wanted to see what all of you are feeling and thinking as the BIG DAY gets closer. It is coming around the corner and I wanted to hear what you folks are thinking!!!” Claire's reply may be the best at capturing the intensity of what was to come, looking back to a fateful night 30 years earlier.
“Where to start??? On that evening in '76, I was the first person behing Bobby Hoffman to come down that hill and through that gate. I remember being nervous, excited, worrying what people would think, say, how would they react to the new look of the Bridgemen. I remember seeing the policemen directing traffic wondering who or what we were, the crowd looking a bit puzzled, the murmurs, the pointing, the gasping. The show began, the crowd was shocked, to say the least!!! By the time we got to A Chorus Line I think every person on the field was thinking, 'Wait 'til you see this!!' The uniforms came off, the guard was dancing, the smiles were electric and ..... the crowd was, by this time, in a frenzy, William Tell started, I think every person watching knew that this was history in the making, drum corps would never be the same!!
“When it was over I remember thinking, 'Oh my God!! This is a feeling I will never in my life forget.' The exhilaration that I felt and knowing that it was shared by everyone else connected with the corps is something that will be with me forever.
“What does June 10, 2006 mean to me????? I feel that I am blessed to be involved once again with this milestone in the corps history, in drum corps history!!!!! We are about to do what the Bridgemen have been known for, change the face of the things as they presently are. Yes, we are an Alumni corps, but not your everyday, run of the mill, white bread drum corps ...... We will not park and blow, we will not field a guard of possibly ten, we will not sling our drums and play in the old style, old time drum corps way .... Nope, not us .... Get ready world, here we come ...... AGAIN!!!!! And for those of you who didn't experience coming down that hill to the whispers and gasps, get ready for the thrill of a lifetime .... We will rock the stadium to its rafters!!! When that last note is played and you look out at the audience and see the delight in their faces and realize that you're the reason for it, you will think, 'Oh my God!!! This is something I will never forget!' Get ready, guys and gals, old-timers and newcomers, this is going to be something very special. When we take the field on June 10, I know that Ed Holmes, Fr. Donovan, Bobby Hoffman and all of the rest of our family in heaven will be smiling and hypin' right along with us!!!! Keep up the intensity, let's make this the best it can possibly be!!! Hype, Hype, Hype!!!!!”
- Claire Kronenfeld
Board of Directors, Bridgemen Organization
President, Bridgemen Alumni Association
A review from Triple Forte:
OH MY GOD…..here we go folks……the hosts of the TOS 2006 Show….The Bayone Bridgemen:
Like most drum corps shows you can usually see the next corps set to perform next lining up in the back or side of the field. It was obvious that the Bridgemen wanted to make a full corps entrance and wow the crowd. I watched about 7 Bridgemen pit members setup and run off the back side of the field. There is a street and side streets that are beyond the back sidline of the field which is visible from the stands. The first thing I saw were blinking strobe lights. It only took about a second to realize that the Bridgemen had a police escort and were going to come down the street and march in to the stadium. The police car finally turned off out of view and like a movie fade in I saw a sea of yellow and black. About 30 seconds later the sea of yellow and black continued to come in to view and then you could hear rumbling……rumbling from their drumline. People in the crowd started cheering loudly as the corps came onto the field. Truly a memorable moment……but the best was yet to come. The corps is BIG and are fully dressed from head to toe like the BB of the late 70’s and 80’s. They have about 60 horns, 30 + guard, 10 snare…….The show itself features GREAT Bridgemen classics and the highlights are two many to mention. I am told that the corps will be adding some more gimmicks as the season progresses.
Their show was really awesome and there is no doubt in my mind that they are going to light up crowds at every performance. It was so INCREDIBLE to see them……I definitely felt like I was in a time machine.
Thanks BB for a great night of drum corps. All of the corps did a great job and the show was extremely well run. Keep up the great work and believe me I cannot WAIT to see you again.
Triple Forte
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