Origin

The big fountain pens are…interesting

And the Keller vs. Southlake Carroll game Thursday ?

Video of Reagan out there from the NEISD fall band festival. It’s a great show, and the full show looks to be on the field. I was really excited to hear “Running Up That Hill” at the beginning. The audio is pretty bad because of the wind. I think they might be a bit behind where they were at this point in 2019 (especially in the guard) but that’s to be expected this year, plus their season is longer this year. The show feels like Secret World Part 2, but if it’s not broke, don’t fix it I guess. CTJ performed right after Reagan and I think CTJ has the edge right now, but for this competition, Reagan will dominate.

I get what Vista Ridge is going for: A futuristic show (hence the guard costumes, made up words show title, etc.) with audience appeal, but the Katy Perry feels like a design choice I would’ve seen in like 2015. I think the show has a high ceiling and will really transform like their show did in 2019.

In 2018 AND 2019, Keller finished .1 ahead of Marcus, so it’ll be interesting to see how things play out assuming both bands are still as awesome as usual. Edit: the weather is not looking too great ?

Lake Travis was .07 out of finals and Hendrickson was less than a point out. Such stiff competition!!

CTJ - Feels like it has some callbacks to past shows which is cool. The show isn’t the glorious mess it usually is at this point in the season, but there’s obviously still work to do to make it flow even better. There are some really really cool music moments in there that are gonna be just awesome come nats. The theme and visual design of the show is very on the nose which I don’t know how to feel about. Vandegrift - Just wow. The performance was so strong I’m kindof feeling a Vandy sweep tonight. Cedar Park - A very technically solid show. Impressive marching. Less bells and whistles than they normally have, but I actually think it helps focus on the talent of the performers. Cedar Ridge - I don’t remember hearing any of the “Superstition” electronics in prelims? Anyway, I was very entertained. Strong music and guard. Vista Ridge - Again, it’s an ambitious show. The drill at the beginning with the fast and slow movement intertwined highlights the difficulty of this show. A lot of moments just need cleaning, but they have plenty of time. They always surprise me in San Antonio with how polished they become.

Vandegrift - Second consecutive show about paper, lol. The red is so striking against the black and white. The dance team’s outfits look stunning as they shimmer under the lights. The drill is constantly moving, so there’s always something fresh to look at. The visual design of their past two shows has been immaculate.

Rouse - Small but mighty! The translucent props create a neat effect and I love how the cream colors contrast against the maroon of the band. The big ball of paper opening to make a stage is the attention to detail I like to see!

Weiss - I appreciate the commitment to theme with the band all in foam wigs. I think they may have given a more controlled performance in prelims, but that’s the excitement of making Austin finals!

Round Rock - Not sold on the visual theme of the show yet (but it’s early, the guard doesn’t even have costumes yet.) You can always count on Round Rock for a big sound. They’ll be looking for their fifth consecutive national finals appearance, and I think the potential is there.

Westlake - They had one of my favorite shows of prelims. Something about them reminds me of flower mound. That jazzy sax solo is awesome.

Leander - Those props are really fun. The atmospheric effect put on the Sax solo is super cool. The Buc-ee’s reference on the prop is too funny. The tuba soli into solo is one of my favorite moments. Great soloists all around. Beautifully strong chords in the ballad to end the show! I think they had a much better performance than prelims.

Westwood - Always impressed with their musical ability. I absolutely love the drill move with the bows moving across the field.

James Bowie - Great front ensemble feature to start the show! The ensemble sound is both powerful and lush. Cool moment when the battery splits up and is intertwined with the winds on separate parts of the field. The ballad is a highlight for me and I love the backfield playing that bookends it. I’m intrigued by the people on the tarps with the signs and umbrellas—I wish I understood the meaning.

Mine is working now after the website kept going down. The prelims stream was flawless so it sucks that they’re now having issues.

7:30 — College Park H.S., TX 7:45 — Cy-Fair H.S., TX 8:00 — James E. Taylor H.S., TX 8:15 — Pearland H.S., TX 8:30 — Stephen F. Austin H.S., TX 8:45 — Dawson H.S., TX 9:00 — Keller Central H.S., TX 9:15 — Klein Oak H.S., TX 9:30 — Wylie East H.S., TX 9:45 — Cypress Woods H.S., TX 10:00 — Seven Lakes H.S., TX 10:15 — The Woodlands H.S., TX Surprised not to see Pearland in the top half, though I do remember the last part of their show being quite messy. They do usually peak late.

Rouse being top half is awesome for them! Excited to see Cedar Park since I missed their prelims performance.

Box5 down for anyone else?

So happy for Weiss! I bet Lake Travis and Hendrickson were just out. This competition is so stacked!

James Bowie - Musically strong and I like the arrangements. Comparatively, the visual feels underdeveloped, but it’s early. Vandegrift - The visual scale that happens on the field is breathtaking. The music is equally breathtaking. Not a huge fan of the ballad arrangement but that last note was incredible.

CTJ is just musically superb. Wow. And how they got that much on the field is beyond me. Especially with how clean it is for this point in the season.

Westwood is awesome musically. The props remind me a lot of Marcus 2019 + Cedar Park 2017. Not crazy about the Beauty and the Beast theme though.

Kindof really loving The Woodlands’ show. The guard is insane. I felt like the winds were maybe holding back a bit?

Rouse was very solid in all aspects. Beautiful soloists, great guard, big ensemble sound.