1977 Bridgemen Drum and Bugle Corps - Finals Night

1977 Bridgemen Drum and Bugle Corps Denver, Colorado Corps was disqualified but allowed to perform at finals. Notes from an outside source on the DQ: The Bayonne Bridgemen were serious title contenders in 1977. The corps' show started off with “Chiquita Banana” (“Yes We Have No Bananas”) drum solo, along with “Pagliacci” as the opener, complete with the operatic tragic clown in tow. Jim Brady, arguably one of the finest horn players in drum corps history, was the featured solo soprano. The Bridgemen won the World Open and DCI East titles, before heading out west to tour en route to Denver. After their announced 3rd place prelims performance, several members were singled out by DCI personnel, with the full support of some DCI member corps directors, where the persons under scrutiny were declared ineligible subjecting the corps to disqualification. The Bridgemen sued DCI to contest the disqualification on the grounds that there was no intent to have an overage member march beyond their 21st birthday since the corps had replacement members on tour to take the spots of those members in question on the day prior to their birthday. A compromise was reached by which the Bridgemen were allowed to compete in the 1977 DCI finals. The day of DCI finals in Boulder, CO was a painful one for the Bridgemen as no one knew how this would turn out. But lawyers for the Bridgemen found a loophole in DCI rules that allowed the Bridgemen to take the field. The audience's resistance was met with Bayonne's tenacity as the corps unleashed a powerful performance in the face of adversity. By the show's end the crowd was roaring their approval and the Bridgemen proved they were one of the strongest corps in contention that night. Their score and placement would not be recognized in the DCI annals. But years later, the disqualification was rescinded and the Bridgemen are now listed as finishing in 4th place in 1977. Enjoy!