LKendrick

Hebron gets all my love every year playing like that.

This is going to be fun, I count 15 finalist contenders myself. This is the highest attendance for this event thus far at 26. I knew about most of these just based on what has been posted from band calendars, but I didn't know about Clovis which is super exciting, they had somewhat of a breakout year last year to me making finals at BOA St. Louis (and actually beating Marian Catholic before a small penalty which would have had them in the top half of finals) last year. I feel like the top two is pretty obvious with Vista Ridge and Timber Creek, but after that who knows. Glad to see the local participation pretty high again.

Well I’m done so gimme.

I'm really excited for this one, with who I've seen signed up and who I'm expecting to sign up based on the past two years attendance this is going to be a really fun contest with what I'm expecting will be definitely over twenty bands again. Love seeing that some big powerhouse 6As are coming to continue to expose the area to that level of performance, some bands who have either not done BOA ever or in a really long time, and what I'm hoping will be another strong showing from the local programs. I haven't seen Midland Lee and Odessa Permian at the level they were at last year and in 2017 in a long time, and I loved getting to see both in finals along with Lubbock Cooper last year. Hoping to see their faces in finals again next year and maybe more.

Music for Paramount is from Phantom Thread. GORGEOUS score for that movie by interestingly enough Radioheads Johnny Greenwood. Love that movie too.

I just saw CGT Denton’s surprise ending (didn’t notice on high cam). Hahaha love it. Them and Dallas are just a blast. And in that note a ton of the shows in IW this year are just flat out entertaining or beautiful and easy to interpret. Two lovers trying to connect, cops and robbers, cowboys, tornadoes, etc. A lot of the old fogeys on certain forums preach about how heady and hard to understand artsy fartsy WGI is but to me it’s incredibly entertaining with a ton of variety. Yes there are shows that make you think but there are also a ton of shows that make you want to leap out of your seat. Something for everyone.

I think that Black Gold show will always be a special one for me, that was the first show at my first WGI show in Denton that blew me away. It's SO gorgeous, so musical, and so so so well conveyed, especially live. I sat down low and could tell that show was very real for a lot of those performers. Fantastic job to them, have enjoyed their shows a lot every year online but they're the first guard I saw live that made my jaw drop.

George Mason's 99.0 is .05 shy of the 1998 Independent Open record of 99.05 set by the Patriots.

Dripping Springs is one of the few groups I've managed to see all three days this week and that was by far and away their best run. They're definitely a medalist in my eyes, though it remains to be seen which one. They were only .4 out of first yesterday.

Little Elm has one of my favorite designs this year, I love how there is always someone on that back platform with the red flag, it changes who has it throughout the show, but that element remains constant. Hugely improved since I saw them in Denton.

McNeil is so pretty! Love that rifle sequence right up front especially, and the musicality of that flag feature is just off the charts. Very nice!

LOVE Ben Davis’s Dada show.

Fantastic job by ORIGINS as well, their big ensemble moments are so powerful, they nailed that last big rifle toss in the Chopin part of the show. Amazing job today!

Great run for Black Gold Open this morning, what an athletic show! They’re running all over the place the whole time.

Icons 98.055 is an Independent A record, no one has ever broken 98 in that class.

Congrats to Pflugerville on 9th place and Southlake Carroll on 15th place out of over one hundred and forty Scholastic A guards this weekend! That is easily the most competitive class so that's no small feat by a long shot.

Pflugerville had small prop issue in finals (curtain fell over) but they performed through it like nothing happened, it takes a lot to hold it together like that when something unexpected goes awry. Really like the quirkiness to their show and I also love when a show teaches me about something I didn't know before. Isadora Duncan sounds like a fascinating person who died in a very strange way. Loved that flag feature at the end, it was tight! Pfantastic job this weekend! (did I do that right?)

Somerset was great, crowd REALLY liked them. Also, congratulations to Dripping Springs, Little Elm, and McNeil on advancing to tomorrows Open Class finals! That class is super competitive, Dripping Springs is only .4 out of 1st, Little Elm shot up to 5th, and McNeil is RIGHT behind in 6th. 4th - 7th or so is separated by a point. Who knows what could happen there.

Nicely done Southlake Carroll, very pretty show! They move so well!

Anyone else watching having some pretty bad framerate issues?

IA finals are done! I particularly enjoyed: - National Avenue, very pretty show, loved the work with the skirts and that flag feature was great. - Annesidora, really fun show, loved the character work and those big sequential rifle and saber tosses were nails. Enjoyed getting to see them live in Denton! - St. Anns, really cool show design, loved the mirroring of work on both sides of the floor. - Icon, so so so well performed, loved that flag feature at the end. They're small, but definitely mighty. I'd be surprised if they don't take it home tonight. Looking forward to Scholastic A finals, and especially Southlake Carroll and Pflugerville!

Congrats to both CGTs and Black Gold on advancing to finals!

Ayala definitely had a rougher run in semifinals than in prelims.

The Woodlands has improved a ton since I saw them a few weeks ago. Congrats to them and Marcus on their semis performances.

Congratulations to Southlake Carroll and Pflugerville on making Scholastic A finals!