When the Boston Crusaders took the field on the night of July 22, 2025, at the Belleville West High School stadium, the crowd knew it wasn’t just another drum corps performance: it was history in motion. Their 2025 production, BOOM, delivered retro-futuristic visuals paired with a score as bold as its title. In front of thousands, the corps from Boston claimed first place at the opening Drum Corps International St. Louis (Belleville) event with an electrifying 93.500 score. The Cavaliers followed in second at 86.200.
At its core, BOOM confronts the tension between boundless innovation and the anxieties of an atomic age. Performers dressed in space-age silver and turquoise uniforms marched past oversized atom props under stadium lights. Clock motifs ticked, electronic swells grew, and then the hornline erupted into brass-laden statements lifted from Tigran Hamasyan’s compositions and classic mid-century exotica.
This was not novelty, it was precision. Each section moved with intention. Mellophones passed each other’s hornlines while rifle tosses flew overhead. A contra soloist executed the splits mid-flight, catching his rifle with fluid confidence. The crowd roared at the finish, and for a moment, Belleville felt less like a high school field and more like a time machine, guided by the Crusaders’ vision.
For Boston Crusaders members, BOOM carried more than spectacle, it carried legacy. Founded in 1940 and early charter members of DCI, the corps has long balanced innovation with lineage. Their 2025 season is their 85th, and after coming in second in the 2024 world championships, expectations this year were higher than ever.
Yet the work behind the performance spans long before the field lights glow. On the inside, show preparation is a logistical feat: a fleet of buses, tractor-trailers, mobile kitchen, carts, and volunteers feeding over 200 members daily. Inspire Arts & Music president Chris Holland described the operation as a year-round commitment, made more complex by travel, housing, and coordination across states. The cost? Millions per season. But the investment, said Holland, is driven by the shared belief in what drum corps can offer: discipline, artistry, and community.
Back in the stands, alumni from groups like the Belleville Black Knights watched with nostalgia and pride. Some reflected on the national prominence their corps once had in the 1950s and the legacy that continues through local supporters and East St. Louis ensembles. Those connections, stretching decades deep, remind everyone that drum corps remains as much about relationships as it is about musical excellence.
As BOOM came to a close, the announcer’s voice echoed through relentless cheers: “From Boston, Massachusetts: the Boston Crusaders!” Spectators jumped to their feet. For many, it was a favorite show. For others, a moment of shared awe. As the Crusaders move on toward finals in Indianapolis, Belleville stood witness to one thing: drum corps can still astonish, and in the case of the Boston Crusaders, reinvent itself in every season.