BandoFando

I thought The Woodlands and Keller were much more comparable to the rest of the top half than the jump in score implies, but other than that I think the finals judges did a good job at ordering the bands.

Keller and The Woodlands we my two “wow” bands of the first half. It’s crazy because both these bands could EASILY make top half at any other BOA competition in the nation. Just superb in every way! Battle for top 7 will be brutal and I could see a lot shifting between prelims and finals.

Huh

This is how I have it as of now (out of the bands I’ve seen) and I’m probably extremely wrong 1. Ronald Reagan (Great design, great effect, great execution) 2. The Woodlands (Great design, great execution especially visually, great effect maybe not as high as 2016 though but the visual execution is better) 3. Flower Mound (Design was great but wasn’t as captivating, super clean visual but still don’t absolutely love the brass sound) 4. Hebron (Insane difficulty music and visual but it’s just not as clean, design and production is lacking) 5. Vista Ridge (best show production wise in my opinion, it just makes you feel something. Could place higher but I think the difficulty doesn’t top the groups above it and the colorguard left me unimpressed, phenomenal otherwise.) 6. Vandegrift (music execution and visual difficulty is high enough to keep them well in the top half, show loses steam and visually it takes away from the music, guard was weak) 7. Keller (They finally brought a full package with consistent execution throughout, some parts dont seem as produced as say Vista but the design stood out yesterday. They also sounded seriously top notch and offered a lot of demand. Guard absolutely sold me much more than Vista or Vandy.) 8. Leander (Overall a really well balanced show, sounds great but there’s something about it that doesn’t quite convince me yet for top half, guard adds so much that the design kindof got in the way of its self if that makes sense) 9. James Bowie (A decent step up from last year but is still a bit reserved, just didn’t impact me as much as I was hoping, will make finals tonight no doubt) 10. Cedar Park (Didn’t peak where they usually do probably because of the rain. Still the Cedar Park we know and love) The rest beats me...it’s just all too close...I will say that I will be over the moon if Timber Creek makes finals, they deserve it.

Unfortunately Hebron was the dirtiest they’ve been in a while. Fortunately their show had a level of demand that is unparalleled so far.

It’s rare when a band lives up to the hype. And it’s even more rare when it exceeds it. Bravo, Vista! Vista and Keller have such well designed shows this year, definitely my favorites. It’s so cool how these bands have risen fast over the last few years to the top. The top group of bands keeps expanding and I have no idea who will come out on top.

Keller was absolutely awesome. Right up there with the other best bands we’ve seen today. I think design wise, it is my favorite along with Reagan, a FULL package.

Wow. Vandegrift was incredible! The only complaint I have is one I have had for years but I don’t really like the dance team/colorguard combo that they have going. I think the guard work is easily over classed by a lot of finalists level bands. Their visual performance just isn’t as immersive as their music in my opinion.

While good, I though that that show was extremely easy in the visual program and struggled heavily in GE. Music was great though. Now they have a full package and have realllllly ramped up the difficulty of everything. 2017 seemed like a stepping stone and even though the visual execution was weaker and there were some design flaws, they still placed 9th. Their consistent improvement is almost unprecedented so they have the opportunity to surprise people I feel.

I was super impressed at area as well! Visual was near spotless for a vast of the show. Couldn’t keep my eyes off of it. I think they will maintain their state finals streak but that super early performance time is a bit of a bummer.

Coppell is a safe bet cuz when have they not made state finals, ya know? 3 Area B bands made state finals in 2016 so a fourth of the finalists came from Area B, and my gut feeling says that only 3 will make it this year as well. It’s prety much a toss up between Waxahachie, Coppell and Prosper. It all depend on how they grow over the next few days.

Keller had an amazing performance and they are probably more than pleased. I don’t think they care about the placement. But it’s valid to call out UIL’s flaws without undermining the bands involved.

I think Keller and Waxa set themselves apart with the difficulty of their show, especially musically. On the live blog I think they said Keller started the show with 2+ minutes left on the clock. That’s a long show. A 10 minute show. Keller and Waxahachie were achieving really hard music which takes a lot of stamina. And I think it’s not about marching vs. standing still. It’s about how well can you move and play. Keller and Waxa moved and payed better then everyone else with harder music which set them apart.

I actually think Keller and Waxa marched and played the most. Simultaneous demand is a good thing and it set them apart. Coppell had a good mix albeit they did sound noticeably better standing still. It’s pretty glaring that Bell rarely marched and played at the same time.

Just saw a video of Hebron from prelims and it’s spectacular! However, there is some noticeable dirt (especially visually). What makes their visual program so hard is their field coverage is insane and the drill leaves little room for errors. Overall the music and visual didn’t feel as crisp as I was expecting. With a few days left to clean I wonder of they bit off a little more than they can chew. I’m being nitpicky though, I really loved what I saw and I bet finals was even better!