Origin

Did he say “Texcellence” 🤣

Always hoping that there’s a tie that forces an extra band into finals like what happened at Nats in 2016.

Amazing performance by Waxahachie to conclude an unprecedentedly amazing prelims competition!

Both Wylie schools were so good!

TWHS guard is insaneeeeee

Cy Fair’s show is too short! I wanted it to keep going! Everything is working for them with this show. It just flows seamlessly. However, I think other bands in the bubble showcased stronger technical brass playing. Still a strong finals contender though.

Cypress Woods was great. Very clean! The visual demand felt very light to me though. They really didn’t march that much until the closer.

Flower Mound is always one of my favorites. Just so consistently creative. The drill lacked a bit of variety for me (a bit too blocky) but I’m nitpicking! Guard is still fantastic after their director change.

Keller!! Still a solid contender for finals! Love that bicycle set with wheels that actually rotate (great attention to detail). And wow do they know how to end a show.

Magnolia and CTJ giving me some deja vu 😂

Timber Creek was great! Very clean! Big UIL vibes, but I could definitely see them top 20 here.

Reagan’s visual program is probably unmatched here. It’s crazy what they are attempting! There are a lot of noticeably unrefined moments but the content is through the roof.

Leander and Keller Central starting off today’s last block strong! Leander has improved soooo much. I love all the stuff they’ve added/changed since Austin. KC brought the energy! Maybe too much at times 😅. Their guard is fierce!

Vandegrift grew on me ALOT since I last saw them. Wowwww.

Rouse has it figured out. Everything just flows so perfectly.

There needs to be a built in break after Cedar Park so everyone can pick up their faces. So much stronger of a concept than last year. Yeah, I would like a few more exposed/quieter moments for contrast, but I’m nitpicking because they’re at the highest level.

You can tell that Hendrickson loves performing their show. So much energy!

Lake Travis is always a treat to watch and listen to. Great performance!

Box 5 high cam cutting away from Round Rock because they were too powerful. That was excellent! Probably my favorite from them since 2016. The front flats are very reminiscent of their 2013 show. Maybe a little lacking in GE here and there (I wish the show told more of a story), but they were very clean until the closer. I expect to see them again tomorrow!

Wow! Westlake does not want to be first out again this year! Love everything about their show. Clarinets went off.

I love the way Vista Ridge’s show starts with the french horns. Immediately captivating. I also really appreciate the level of difficulty in the drill. I wish they took this show to Nats. The Texas curse of not bringing your best shows to Nats continues! Did notice a decent amount of holes, but it didn’t seem to affect them at all.

Great job Bowie!!

They placed 15th last year, so with 14 going to finals, they’ll certainly be in the conversation.

Lots of realllly weird stuff in the “content” subcaption, especially for the first judge in finals lol. For example, how are Coppell and Keller 1st or 2nd for all other sub captions, then 6th and 8th for content 😂, like what??? It’s wild to me that the music judges are expected to separately score 5 different components.

Waxahachie, TC, & Keller we’re super close. LD Bell was solidly in 5th. 6th-10th was insanely close wow. Looks like Carroll lost the tie with Duncanville.