Origin

Awesome news for Westlake!

CARROLL!! What a season for them! No Pearland 😢😢😢😢

Westlake? I hope so!

Uh oh, was it a rough performance?

I can see why Flo Mo and TWHS are skipping stuff. 7 potential performances in a week is too much! Not to mention all the rehearsals, travel, early mornings, etc.

My biggest surprise of the whole competition was Johnson! The visual design stands out against the other top Texas groups in such a good way. If they continue their trajectory I don’t see why they can’t make finals here within a few years (or maybe next year 👀). My other big surprise was honestly Leander. That finals performance was one of the most impactful performances I’ve seen, ever. They maxed out at the perfect time. Since seeing Westlake at Austin, I had this feeling all season that they would make finals here. How unfortunate is it that they had that big electronics delay and fell .1 short of finals. Also props to the Area B bands for giving the Austin LISD bands a run for their money to finish in the top ten! There was a lot of hype (which was deserved) for Cedar Park, Vista Ridge, and Rouse to the point I was convinced they were locks for top 10 or even top half. DFW is still holding things down even without Flo Mo.

Hebron, Keller, and Pearland stayed in the same placements, but everyone else shifted around. Leander and Vista Ridge had the biggest movements from prelims to finals. That 1st place ensemble visual for Cedar Ridge may have put them in the top half over Vista Ridge. It’s also interesting that a majority of the judges had Keller in the top half in prelims. If they had a more effective visual program they would be such a threat!

YES HEBRON!!!!!!! THE CURSE IS FINALLY BROKEN!!!

8-13 were all so close, holy cow.

Sending vibes of the winner being from Carrollton Texas….

What an impressive group of finalists. To think we would be back to this level of quality so soon after the pandemic! Congrats to Leander, Rouse, and Cedar Park on a fantastic end to their seasons. Good luck to the other 10 bands (definitely gonna miss TWHS being there) that will be competing at 6A State in a few days!

Much better performance from Reagan tonight! Their designs are so fresh while keeping that traditional feel. That moment with the guard running with the flags would’ve been cool if we hadn’t already seen it done more effectively in Secret World 😕 . Anyway, the atmosphere they create with basically zero props is unmatched. Awesome performance!

Vandegrift has quickly become one of the very best visual bands in the country. I think they fall into the trap of trying to play alot of things as loud as possible. They have absolutely no weaknesses to me though. I can’t get enough of their visual designs.

THAT LOW BRASS HOLY CRAP! Those woodwind soloists in the opener 😭😭😭 HOW?? Then the whole band does it. It’s gross how good they are. That sax choir is sublime! Mellos in the ballad. Trombones in the closer. My jaw is on the floor. Just HOW?? How do you even learn a show like that. Hebron, I don’t care what happens next, you deserve to win this whole thing!

Cedar Ridge said: “Covid, who?”. Has their guard always been this good??? The last time they’ve been in finals was when the seniors were freshman, so they must be so pumped, especially since they were sooooo close in 2019. How are they so loud, jesus!!!

Did he just say that Marcus is a 2 time state finalist?? Lol

Marcus is perfection. I’ve said it so many times, but that ballad is too good! Okay mellos!!!

TWHS is bringing the energy this year!! They’re also bringing the best Texas guard ever. Such an entertaining production. The music is just so well done!

This “back-to-basics” approach for Cedar Park is really working! It’s really nice to see them back in finals! I could say the exact same things about them that I said about Keller. All you need is a strong set of fundamentals!

Keller was on fire tonight! Keller is the definition of a great marching band: phenomenal marching and playing. They prove that you don’t need all the bells and whistles. That opener was just so so so tight. I love how the musical themes repeat through the show.

Since 2018, I’ve been waiting for Coppell’s break-out moment, and it’s finally here this year!! They are such a well rounded program. The flute solo in the ballad is one of my favorite things from the whole season. This show is fun and flashy but still tasteful. What a treat!

Congrats to Pearland on making finals consecutively! This is a hard show, they clearly didn’t take any steps back since 2019. I didn’t want the show to end! Please come to Nats!

Ugh, Rouse, that was too good. This is just one of those truly special shows. All of the soloists were superb. The ballad (and the whole show) is a season highlight for me. What a way to end their season.

Awesome show Vista Ridge!! The beginning where the whole band is marching facing the end zone is so difficult, I don’t know how they do it so well! The percussion feature into the brass feature was so epic, the show just flows perfectly. The soloists in the ballad created a beautifully cinematic atmosphere. There’s still even more room for the show to grow, which is good because they have a week left!

LEANDER THAT WAS SO GOOD!!! At the beginning of the season, I was verrrry skeptical about their chances on making finals here, but the show has just transformed in the best way. There is SO MUCH character through the show, and every performer is clearly putting their heart into everything they do. Kudos to the guard especially for improving an astounding amount since Austin. Leander just set the bar super high.