MarchingMafia

Same, I would have put Flower Mound and Marcus over Hebron. I just wasn't crazy about their show although it was executed really well. That's the thing with all these bands though, the kids will absolutely crush whatever show they're given. There's not a single band that works harder or longer than any other. Some have more money, some have more members, some have better middle school bands feeding their program... the variables are endless, but every single one of them deserves to win on the merit of their effort alone. It comes down to the show they're given and the combination of judges scoring it. Who knows what the judges see that we don't. Sometimes it's a matter of pre-existing bias due to a judge's previous experience with a band's performance abilities, sometimes it's simply preference for a certain type of musical or visual artistry, other times I think they're plucking it out of thin air. All I really know is that every single band on the field yesterday was amazing.

I loved it! It was perfect with the weather too.

I'm still firm on my top 5. We'll see how FloMo looks this afternoon and I may adjust. It's so hard to predict. Still haven't seen so many of the performances. Had to do life today and couldn't stay past the morning break. Heading back for finals later. I liked Eaton and am moving them into my top 10. I'd like to see them clean up their lines before tonight assuming they advance, but I was favorably impressed.

Everyone is looking great so far! Dealing with the weather like champs. Rock Hill even lying down on the wet field in their opening. Here's to keeping it as dry as possible through the rest of the day and giving everyone a chance to show off their best!

It's misting pretty good right now. Still marchable though. Makin' up my own words for this...

1) Marcus 2) Flower Mound 3) Hebron 4) Wylie 5) Prosper I've haven't seen the shows for McKinney, McKinney Boyd, Rockhill or Wylie East so I have no idea how to rank those with Braswell.

With high chances of rain in the forecast, what happens if it rains both Saturday and the makeup day?

I don't think they're done with the show. They historically don't debut the full show with props until UIL Area. I was at Region 2 last weekend and it was the same ending as BoA Prosper. Definitely abrupt and kind of a "Huh?" moment. The folks in front of me with Marcus shirts were talking about looking forward to seeing the full show so I'm anticipating there will be more at Area J.

I agree. It was a great show and beautifully performed. I loved it! Not at the same level musically as Marcus, but their trombone features were awesome and it was a really entertaining show. They absolutely nailed it.

Percussion and front ensemble from North Mesquite caught my attention early on and did not disappoint. Really liked the play between the brass sections. Solid show with very nice execution!

Liberty HS really showcasing their woodwinds in the middle part and sounding lovely. Vibrant props and the water lily was a beautiful touch.

Beautiful work Braswell! Really loved the horns and that finale was really cool!

Loved the beginning! They looked and sounded really good. Thought their uniforms against the green field elevated the visual effect and kept it really clean. I was excited to see what those stairs props were about but had to step away and didn't get back in my seat in time to catch the rest. Hoping I get another chance tonight!

The complexity and intensity in the Marcus show blows me away! Definitely more edgy than I'm used to seeing from them. Love the opening and the brass is just menacing. I thought they looked super clean today from formations to flags, and everything in between. The euphonium solo was haunting, and the echoic effect from the full band was brilliant. I appreciated them finally flaunting their percussion a too. Still waiting on those props though...

Saw both Hebron and Marcus tonight at halftime and Wow! Marcus Band is legend and they're bringing it this year. I thought last year's show was captivating, but this one jumps up and grabs you with its boldness. The brass and percussion are so clean and the overall sound was amazing. Some really aggressive parts musically and they're practically sprinting around the field while playing. Definitely not a march, stop, play kind of show. Can't wait to see it with the finished props. I hope Vandegrift is ready cause I think they're coming for you. Hebron's size is always impressive and gives their formations big visual impact. There was a nice piccolo solo, and some cool brass and percussion features. I liked the full band sound, it was really nice, but it seemed like there were more small ensembles sprinkled throughout and not a lot of the powerful sound you expect from a band that size. Maybe not quite as dynamic as I was expecting. However, there's still more to come so we'll see what it looks like when it's time for UIL on 10/19. Overall these two killed it on the field tonight. I can only imagine how much better it's going to get as they fine tune these shows in the coming weeks.