principalagent

Ok, I like doing these after I've had some time to process the year as a whole.  I'll start with these 5.  
 
1) Broken Arrow - Age of Discovery
There are VERY few times when a show has every single thing that I love about marching band crammed in there, and Broken Arrow this year is not only my favorite of the year but possibly one of my all time favorites.  And no, it has nothing to do with their awesome pedal powered gimmick.  Stunning perfectly flowing drill, fantastic color guard integration and color/motion contribution, BEAUTIFUL and huge musical moments throughout the show, and a closer that is as glorious and majestic as anything I have heard in the high school world. From the bass drums giving that heartbeat at the beginning of the closer after the drum break under the brass to those final massive chords at the end this show just captivated me in a way that doesn't happen very often.  Just beginning to end it was a seamless and phenomenally performed show.  I think the departure of Cartwright almost lent itself to an incredible refresh/reboot for them.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good Cartwright show, but this year just seemed different in the absolute best of ways.  I hope they attend Grand Nationals again next year, because along with Flower Mound I think the two best shows didn't go this year.    
2) Flower Mound - Leonardo's Dream
Honestly this is interchangeable with #1.  Texas has been shifting lately, in the past few years starting around 2011 or so there was no clear leading voice in Texas, which I think has lent itself to some very exciting and interesting switch ups and new names rising.  And I think Flower Mound has risen to the top.  I remember seeing this one back on the webcast from Plano, and me and everyone else I was talking to there and watching online was just in awe.  There was no way a band could be that good that early.  There were questions about that lasting through the end, and what they could do to keep squeezing points out.  And they did.  This show has so much attention to detail it is absolutely staggering.  Down to the people turning their props at the end of show being in step while they move them.  That's commitment.  Musically and visually this was so immaculate, every run and technical moment from the brass and woodwinds was crystal clear and clean, their drums and front ensemble need more credit for how dang good they are, and their guard was BEAUTIFUL, particularly on the wing flags in the front half.  I don't know who thought of putting Freebirds on the field, which is originally a wind ensemble piece featuring two dueling clarinets, but it's GENIUS.  And their arrangement of To Tame the Perilous Skies is my favorite since probably The Cadets did it in DCI back in 1992.  This show was a full package, no weaknesses, and they performed the living heck out of it.  If they're going to Nationals...they're my favorite to win.  With them and who else is rumored/attending I think Texas is about to take it back by storm.   3)  Leander - The Fourth Dimension 
Personally, overall at Grand Nationals I saw a bunch of repackaged shows we have seen a million times before.  Many of my favorites did not attend and while the bands that did the best were all fantastic, there was not a lot design wise that excited me, particularly in the top half of finals.  Leander was one of the exceptions (CP too).  Leander has a clear voice and identity that is so exciting and fresh.  The music they pick is so interesting and unlike the typical pieces/go to's that get beaten over the head.  A Son Lux intro is almost a Leander signature at this point, and it is theirs.  Paired with the Stravinsky which sounded like a completely new piece, and this show was just a breath of fresh air in the top half of finals.  In addition to that, the simplistic but incredibly fleshed out visual aesthetic they created just made for a show that was a treat for every sense.  The use of the big cube throughout the show to feature soloists, draw visual interest, and at the end to transport the band to another dimension was simple genius.  This show was a through thought, and phenomenal in its simplicity.  I took it as that's what a fourth dimension looks and sounds like. Regardless, Leander, just keep what you are doing.  You are one of the big boys now.  And one of my consistent favorites.   4)  Hendrickson - 3D
Most entertaining/fun show in a long time for me.  The first time I saw a video of this one I went absolutely nuts.  Wasn't because of the 3D aspect either which of course was fantastic, but just the amount of energy/entertainment this band gave to the audience this year.  Love the play on the title with the composers listed, and those pieces work so well together.  Red Cape Tango floored me, and then the closer with the trombones blasting away over the band...priceless.  Just 8 minutes of pure fun.  I fell in love with Henny after 2014s UnRavel show, last years show was another favorite of the year, and this year is my favorite ever from them.  Keep doing what you're doing.  It's working and people have noticed.   5)  Keller - Ascend
Beautiful.  Only word I can use to describe their 2015 and 2016 shows.  2016 took it to a whole other level.  Best Keller show ever?  I think so.  From that absolutely lush and full opening statement to the band just blasting away as the trumpet player does that amazing front flip and ascends the ladder, this show was just a gorgeous work of art.  So many moments in this show, the two I mentioned, the trumpet feature in the front half, and my personal favorite ballad of the year from Yagisawa.  That ballad just builds...and builds...and builds...and when you think it can't anymore...it builds again to that final climax musically and visually.  8 minutes of drop dead gorgeous.  They sound like a million bucks performing it too.  I can't wait for them to go back to Grand Nationals.  2015 sewed the seed for greatness and they're letting it grow and flourish. 

First Brexit, then Trump now I discover that Marcus has not won state?!?!?!!?!? The world truly is coming to an end!!!

I know that Leander flew because they were in the Indianapolis airport with me at 3am on Sunday.

Four bands from Texas made finals last year as well.
 
And Leander has so much to be proud of! I had them higher too, but the entire top 6 was amazing.
 
I stuck around to listen to Carmel's encore and already started warming up to their show. They definitely "kept it simple, stupid" in terms of theme, but their music is deceptively difficult and it's probably the best arranged slow-fast show I've ever heard. They also have a top notch design team which assuredly led to their critical GE win. They seem to only win questionably, but I'm personally not going to question it.
 
Now after going to BOA SA all day last Saturday, 6A State finals, and all 3 days of GN, I'm not even going to listen to a show for about a week and a half. I'm burned out.
 
Huge congrats to #TeamTexas for keeping the standard of excellence so high and continuing to show the nation how great band is in Texas!

Four bands from Texas made finals last year as well.
 
And Leander has so much to be proud of! I had them higher too, but the entire top 6 was amazing.
 
I stuck around to listen to Carmel's encore and already started warming up to their show. They definitely "kept it simple, stupid" in terms of theme, but their music is deceptively difficult and it's probably the best arranged slow-fast show I've ever heard. They also have a top notch design team which assuredly led to their critical GE win. They seem to only win questionably, but I'm personally not going to question it.
 
Now after going to BOA SA all day last Saturday, 6A State finals, and all 3 days of GN, I'm not even going to listen to a show for about a week and a half. I'm burned out.
 
Huge congrats to #TeamTexas for keeping the standard of excellence so high and continuing to show the nation how great band is in Texas!

Four bands from Texas made finals last year as well.
 
And Leander has so much to be proud of! I had them higher too, but the entire top 6 was amazing.
 
I stuck around to listen to Carmel's encore and already started warming up to their show. They definitely "kept it simple, stupid" in terms of theme, but their music is deceptively difficult and it's probably the best arranged slow-fast show I've ever heard. They also have a top notch design team which assuredly led to their critical GE win. They seem to only win questionably, but I'm personally not going to question it.
 
Now after going to BOA SA all day last Saturday, 6A State finals, and all 3 days of GN, I'm not even going to listen to a show for about a week and a half. I'm burned out.
 
Huge congrats to #TeamTexas for keeping the standard of excellence so high and continuing to show the nation how great band is in Texas!

Cedar Park completely maxed out at GN IMO.

Ronald Reagan
Wando
Claudia Taylor Johnson
Marian Catholic
Avon
William Mason
Union
Leander
Cedar Park
Carmel
Tarpon Springs
Vista Murrieta
 
This is my 12 for tonight. Owasso is my first out. Hoping Bowie can move into the teens.
 
I have Avon and Leander leading into finals tonight.

If you look at the schedule, you can infer it. It always follows a pattern.
 
To advance to semi-finals:
- The top 11 placing bands from each day advance.
- Then the next 8 highest score bands regardless of day advance
- If not enough bands advance to satisfy the condition that two bands per class per day are represented in semifinals, then the highest ranking bands in each class advance. 
 
With these conditions met, you can use the rules of semi-finals scheduling to tell where a band is ranking, groupwise.
- The first bands are always class qualifiers. Because the first two rules advance 30 bands, then the first x bands (# of bands that make semis - 30) are the class qualifiers. So this year, there are 6 qualifiers on class representation.
- The next four bands are half of the bands ranked 23-30 overall from the combined prelims scores from both days.
- The next 22 bands are the top 22 ranking bands from combined prelims.
- The last four bands are the other half of the 23-30 bands.
 
With this, you can tell that there are some surprises, like Ayala and Bowie only placing in the 23-30 range.
 
My personal hunch here is that there was bad score management on both days. Thursday started off with weak bands, which inflated the scores of stronger bands. Friday started off with a high bubble band for finals, which probably made the judges conservative and kept scores deflated across the board. This, then creates a problem when you combine both days, as the bands are scored on effectively different scales. 

Yup, it very much looks like a score management issue that caused Thursday to have scores that were significantly inflated compared to Friday. The plus side for Bowie is that they got the best possible next-8 performance slot, right after the top-22.

If you look at the schedule, you can infer it. It always follows a pattern.
 
To advance to semi-finals:
- The top 11 placing bands from each day advance.
- Then the next 8 highest score bands regardless of day advance
- If not enough bands advance to satisfy the condition that two bands per class per day are represented in semifinals, then the highest ranking bands in each class advance. 
 
With these conditions met, you can use the rules of semi-finals scheduling to tell where a band is ranking, groupwise.
- The first bands are always class qualifiers. Because the first two rules advance 30 bands, then the first x bands (# of bands that make semis - 30) are the class qualifiers. So this year, there are 6 qualifiers on class representation.
- The next four bands are half of the bands ranked 23-30 overall from the combined prelims scores from both days.
- The next 22 bands are the top 22 ranking bands from combined prelims.
- The last four bands are the other half of the 23-30 bands.
 
With this, you can tell that there are some surprises, like Ayala and Bowie only placing in the 23-30 range.
 
My personal hunch here is that there was bad score management on both days. Thursday started off with weak bands, which inflated the scores of stronger bands. Friday started off with a high bubble band for finals, which probably made the judges conservative and kept scores deflated across the board. This, then creates a problem when you combine both days, as the bands are scored on effectively different scales. 

I'm at Lucas Oil and I've seen every finalist caliber band in person. I gotta say, and I hate to say it, but I'm having serious doubts about #TeamTexas. I want all of them in, but the bubble bands are stepping it up big time. Union and Owasso put on amazing performances while Vista Murrieta came out of almost nowhere and probably put on the performance of the day. Homestead is as strong as ever, and Castle and Dobyns-Bennett are giving Cedar Park a serious run for their money for class placement in 3A. Marian Catholic also cleaned up a lot and will likely earn #33 - one of the stronger overall designs and concepts here, per usual.
 
Leander had a stellar run this morning is in the thick of the eagle conversation in the stadium. Johnson's choice to skip state was correct. They have shaped up nicely and are a crowd favorite - they'll be between 4-7, I believe. Reagan has had their best performance of the last week this morning and should place around Johnson. I could see a last minute surge as well into the medal table.
 
Cedar Park and Bowie are executing better than most bubble bands (except maybe Homestead and Union and VM and DB), but the overall design of their shows may not hold up in the long run. Like I said, I want them both in and I want to be wrong. It's absolutely the toughest year in a long while to get into finals. And perhaps for the eagle too, seeing that no one band is leading the charge, and about five have a legitimate shot.

I'm at Lucas Oil and I've seen every finalist caliber band in person. I gotta say, and I hate to say it, but I'm having serious doubts about #TeamTexas. I want all of them in, but the bubble bands are stepping it up big time. Union and Owasso put on amazing performances while Vista Murrieta came out of almost nowhere and probably put on the performance of the day. Homestead is as strong as ever, and Castle and Dobyns-Bennett are giving Cedar Park a serious run for their money for class placement in 3A. Marian Catholic also cleaned up a lot and will likely earn #33 - one of the stronger overall designs and concepts here, per usual.
 
Leander had a stellar run this morning is in the thick of the eagle conversation in the stadium. Johnson's choice to skip state was correct. They have shaped up nicely and are a crowd favorite - they'll be between 4-7, I believe. Reagan has had their best performance of the last week this morning and should place around Johnson. I could see a last minute surge as well into the medal table.
 
Cedar Park and Bowie are executing better than most bubble bands (except maybe Homestead and Union and VM and DB), but the overall design of their shows may not hold up in the long run. Like I said, I want them both in and I want to be wrong. It's absolutely the toughest year in a long while to get into finals. And perhaps for the eagle too, seeing that no one band is leading the charge, and about five have a legitimate shot.

I'm at Lucas Oil and I've seen every finalist caliber band in person. I gotta say, and I hate to say it, but I'm having serious doubts about #TeamTexas. I want all of them in, but the bubble bands are stepping it up big time. Union and Owasso put on amazing performances while Vista Murrieta came out of almost nowhere and probably put on the performance of the day. Homestead is as strong as ever, and Castle and Dobyns-Bennett are giving Cedar Park a serious run for their money for class placement in 3A. Marian Catholic also cleaned up a lot and will likely earn #33 - one of the stronger overall designs and concepts here, per usual.
 
Leander had a stellar run this morning is in the thick of the eagle conversation in the stadium. Johnson's choice to skip state was correct. They have shaped up nicely and are a crowd favorite - they'll be between 4-7, I believe. Reagan has had their best performance of the last week this morning and should place around Johnson. I could see a last minute surge as well into the medal table.
 
Cedar Park and Bowie are executing better than most bubble bands (except maybe Homestead and Union and VM and DB), but the overall design of their shows may not hold up in the long run. Like I said, I want them both in and I want to be wrong. It's absolutely the toughest year in a long while to get into finals. And perhaps for the eagle too, seeing that no one band is leading the charge, and about five have a legitimate shot.

James Bowie breaks my heart, thought they were awesome. 
 
Definitely think they'll place much higher at Grand Nationals.

Well one reason they fell behind is that it's definitely arguable that Johnson and the Woodlands have two of the hardest combined music and visual books this year (I think Hebron is the only other in that mix) and just weren't going to be clean enough at Conroe.
 
At any rate, they'll absolutely be in finals on Wednesday and Saturday, but perhaps not as high was originally thought by many. For what it's worth, I thought they gave a performance worthy of cracking the top 7.

They performed because they were the actual Class 3A champion at BOA Conroe, and should have gotten an exhibition then, but did not because of TWCP's misclassification.
 
Edit: scooped

Because Grand Nationals attendance isn't predicated on results. It's just a "sign up and go" experience and FloMo decided not to go this year.

From my experience when scores are tight they tend to be pulled way down. 

Although scores themselves don't necessarily show it, Leander is absolutely in the conversation for a medal next week. Their finals performance was way, way on. I think they'll continue to lead the Texas contingent through next weekend.

They performed because they were the actual Class 3A champion at BOA Conroe, and should have gotten an exhibition then, but did not because of TWCP's misclassification.
 
Edit: scooped

Good call!
 
Bell missing finals is a total shock, but I LOVED this show as well. Nothing to be upset about at all.
 
Very happy to see The Woodlands so high up. Thought a top 7 placing from them is much deserved.

Good call!
 
Bell missing finals is a total shock, but I LOVED this show as well. Nothing to be upset about at all.
 
Very happy to see The Woodlands so high up. Thought a top 7 placing from them is much deserved.

Good call!
 
Bell missing finals is a total shock, but I LOVED this show as well. Nothing to be upset about at all.
 
Very happy to see The Woodlands so high up. Thought a top 7 placing from them is much deserved.

I really feel for those kids at Bell, but there's nothing for them to hang their heads about. I personally thought they had one of their best shows in years, so I am genuinely confused about their absence in finals. 
 
Hendrickson has had this coming for a while now, so I couldn't be happier for them. They definitely earned that finals spot! The same goes for Cypress Falls, good for them! It's always nice to see Churchill in finals as well! 
 
Can't wait for finals!