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
There's still four more chances to catch our performances this summer!
See us live at these drum corps events:
Saturday, July 1st - Barnum Festival, Bridgeport, CT
Saturday, July 15th - Jersey Surf Show, Wildwood, NJ
Saturday, August 5th - DCI Eastern Classic, Allentown, PA
Saturday, September 2nd - DCA Alumni Spectacular, Rochester, NY