Origin

Probably shouldn’t be talking about results, but…Marcus with the most judges having them in 1st 👀👀👀

Vandy’s simultaneous demand might be unmatched here. They just don’t stop moving, while playing, while being spread so far across the field.

Westwood plays SO well. I think visual is holding them back a bit, it just feels too contained. I wish they broke free from the cages and really filled up the field in the closer or something.

Keller is another that exceeded my expectations. That was way way way better than their football halftime performance from just a few days ago. I love how they play their most difficult technical passages on the move. The last minute is just so powerful, I just love that Mahler ending, ugh!

Hebron was insane!! They exceeded my expectations, which were already super high. My only complaint is the woodwind runs in the ballad we’re so overkill that it took away from the moment for me, lyrical playing is okay sometimes! Also shout out to the guard which has really stepped up and tackled all that crazy flag work.

I looove the first half of Flower Mound’s show. That bassoon ensemble is like my favorite thing ever. The second half of the show wasn’t nearly as interesting to me and it didn’t really take risks design-wise, but the execution is obviously there.

Marcus! Definitely my favorite show from them in a while. It’s edgy and weird but still has the beauty that we expect from them. That final ballad drill set with the prop and flags is goooorgeous.

Bridgeland is only the third band I’ve seen today, but that absolutely deserves to be in finals. This years show is just so much more aesthetically appealing than last year. And that guard is huge!

I love how much Westlake features their woodwinds

Coppell is the first band that I’ve gotten to see today, and they did not disappoint. Truly an impressive musical feat with all those time signatures. Definitely some iffy intonation in the ballad but I’m sure every group is dealing with that today.

That margin 😵

It’s crazy to me that they expect each music judge to score five different sub-captions 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

Very good for building houses and such, but harvesting too much can damage local ecosystems.

Carmel rifles showing why they are the defending WGI champs. That was pretty amazing. When did Carmel become such a music powerhouse? I swear they didn’t sound this good pre-covid.

That was bottom half? 😳 Thought Keller was fantastic Also McKinney North was so fun! Was not even on my radar going into prelims, oops.

Prosper was really great. Love how big the show feels visually. Kinda disappointed that the show is literally Broken Arrow 2019 with some different music.

LOVE Keller’s closer, that’s how a Mahler 2 show should end. So so difficult with all that technical playing and tempo changes on the move. Very beautiful throughout, and still with room to grow.

I don’t know that Keller’s highest score at HEB since 2019 can be considered a slip…but anyway, I think there’s a good chance that the top 8 from last year is the same this year, with Coppell, Keller, and Waxahachie being the safest locks based on consistency in the past. It’s gonna come down to who can have a clean, full show, especially since it’s a week earlier in the season. Performance time could play a role with how competitive this area is. I’m pulling for Timber, Bell, and Central if 6 advance. But I also really like Carroll’s show. Haven’t seen Duncanville at all.

This competition really is an Area B finals preview lol (minus Coppell), plus a lot of other great bands. It would be cool to see Keller finally get a regional win, but Wakeland is looking pretty dominant and has been performing their whole show since HEB, so they’ll only be getting cleaner. Maybe Bell, Timber, or Keller etc. will add the rest of their show and close the gap, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Wakeland sweeps like last year.

Reviving this thread to share my disappointment in finding out that Cy-Fair is not attending.

I think the only non-LISD medalists in the last decade were LD Bell in 2013 (Flower Mound not in attendance) and Keller in 2018 (Marcus not in attendance)

This BOA DFW finals was seriously so good, like wowwww. Considerably stronger than last year, even with no Keller in attendance. Still sad about Forney missing finals, they were definitely just as good as some of the bands that made finals.

Hebron’s closer is so interesting. I really like that musical selection. It’s different than anything I’ve heard them play. We’re so used to this level of musical craziness from Hebron that I always have to remind myself that it’s not normal to be that freaking good.

Flower Mound back in their art bag. I think I enjoyed the first half of the show more than the second half. Those bassoons were incredible!!

Love Coppell so much. Tons of imagination visually and the music is so demanding with all those different time signatures. Feels light on the marching in some parts though.