GBMELLO Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 it's o'connOr!!!! Why do people always misspell the name?!?!?!? Anyways, it's gonna be a fun contest. Wish I could be there to support my high school band, but I wish them luck! I'm interested to see what kind of scores are given after the early scores given out at BOA Denton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellopwn1 Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 (edited) Does no one really think CTJ can pop into the top three? Their Denton performance was ON FIRE. I can't imagine what they will be like a month after. My mouth was on the ground the whole time I was watching the video. They look and sound soooo good (omg that oboe soloist) and the flow of the show is just so seamless. I feel like their show is going to be an absolute monster come San Antonio. I don't want to make any predictions until I see a good video of Bell from St Louis, but I think I CTJ is going to be in my Top 3. Heck, I think they might be able to WIN this competition. Edited October 20, 2012 by mellopwn1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.Stechnij Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Does no one really think CTJ can pop into the top three? Their Denton performance was ON FIRE. I can't imagine what they will be like a month after. My mouth was on the ground the whole time I was watching the video. They look and sound soooo good (omg that oboe soloist) and the flow of the show is just so seamless. I feel like their show is going to be an absolute monster come San Antonio. I don't want to make any predictions until I see a good video of Bell from St Louis, but I think I CTJ is going to be in my Top 3. Heck, I think they might be able to WIN this competition. I am completely with you! They have the effect to do and they sound amazing-- only rivaled with Marcus, Woodlands and Bowie. There were a couple tears at TMC Prelims but it was surely a fluke. They really can take that top three. LD Bell seems to be really different than what we are used to from them. It will pay off eventually but I think this will be a transitional year for the. I am basing that off of a decent recording from last week. A band can do a lot in a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubisco Posted October 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Does no one really think CTJ can pop into the top three? Their Denton performance was ON FIRE. I can't imagine what they will be like a month after. My mouth was on the ground the whole time I was watching the video. They look and sound soooo good (omg that oboe soloist) and the flow of the show is just so seamless. I feel like their show is going to be an absolute monster come San Antonio. I don't want to make any predictions until I see a good video of Bell from St Louis, but I think I CTJ is going to be in my Top 3. Heck, I think they might be able to WIN this competition. I just watched the Denton video again, and I'm going to have to stick by my original assessment. I think there's a chance that performance-wise they could be in the top 3 groups by San Antonio. Still, that won't remedy some of the design things I'm noticing, and that'll hurt their chances of being in the top 3 in the almighty GE category. One of the issues is, actually, the flow of the show. I don't think it is seamless. Lots of the music just seems to come out of nowhere (i.e. Polovetsian Dances in the opener, and The School for Scandal in the closer). I think that's probably why they were docked (aka not top 3) in music GE at Denton. Still, they sound fantastic, which should help their score. I also like how they gave Barber's Violin Concerto something of a pop beat. That was clever. Mind you, though, they're going to have to breach Bell, Marcus, and The Woodlands, which is a tall order. Then again, anything is possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubisco Posted October 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 I just watched Bell in prelims at St. Louis. It was sort of.... uneven, actually. I really like Ave Maria (and that creepy floating purple queen), but a lot of the show seemed sort of shapeless. Sure, there are some moments where I was like, "Oh, that's the Bell I know and love!", like during the reiteration of Ave Maria in the closer, but for a lot of it I was just sort of like, "Wait, what?" The thing that really concerns me is the performance aspects. They don't sound or look at the level I'm accustomed to hearing/seeing them. This could be a problem for them if they don't get it together by the much more competitive San Antonio regional. At this point, I actually would have Claudia Taylor Johnson, Marcus, and The Woodlands all ahead of them. My, how quickly my opinion of the SA top 3 changed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.Stechnij Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 (edited) I just watched the Denton video again, and I'm going to have to stick by my original assessment. I think there's a chance that performance-wise they could be in the top 3 groups by San Antonio. Still, that won't remedy some of the design things I'm noticing, and that'll hurt their chances of being in the top 3 in the almighty GE category. One of the issues is, actually, the flow of the show. I don't think it is seamless. Lots of the music just seems to come out of nowhere (i.e. Polovetsian Dances in the opener, and The School for Scandal in the closer). I think that's probably why they were docked (aka not top 3) in music GE at Denton. Still, they sound fantastic, which should help their score. I also like how they gave Barber's Violin Concerto something of a pop beat. That was clever. Mind you, though, they're going to have to breach Bell, Marcus, and The Woodlands, which is a tall order. Then again, anything is possible. The flow is odd but there is a lot that can be fixed with that. Within a couple weeks my band was able to design transitions that seem to be very effective. LD Bell really has done a lot of work in the past week; it is really shaping up, yes I still feel like I am missing a part of the Bell from the past years, which is neither a good or a bad thing. First they used some huge props! Their was a good vs. evil feel that were very well represented in two guard solos. I felt that these didn't really go anywhere but I think they have a huge potential for the end of the season. Second, there was a flute soloist in the first movement and the last movement- that was the only real soloist. There was a ton of ensemble playing which is something we don't always seem from Bell! Their is crazy woodwind parts throughout the whole show and in my opinion it is the best LD Bell has sounded this early, that being said their was some clarity issues. Visually, I think it is weaker than it has been but it also is really hard, definitely one of the hardest shows I have ever seen. That being said, the color guard was obviously not a Cartwright guard, they were still good though. I honestly cannot predict how this show will go. It is so demanding and there is a lot of room for improvement. Either way it is LD Bell; there is no way it won't be phenomenal. I am going to keep my original top 5 as: 1/2. Woodlands and Marcus 3. CTJ 4. Hebron 5. LD Bell. Those last two spots could easily flip; last I saw, they both suffered from insanely hard shows. Edited October 20, 2012 by T.Stechnij Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubisco Posted October 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 My predictions now that I've seen all but Spring: 1st The Woodlands 2nd Marcus 3rd Claudia Taylor Johnson 4th L.D. Bell 5th Round Rock 6th Hebron 7th Ronald Reagan 8th Cedar Ridge 9th Cedar Park 10th Vandegrift 11th Flower Mound 12th Winston Churchill 13th Hendrickson 14th Anderson Music: Marcus Visual: The Woodlands GE: The Woodlands Lots of wiggle room at the bottom for other groups! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellopwn1 Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Bell was lacking a lot of polish today. It might have been the venue/mic placements, but I thought the pit was totally overbalancing the band. I could hardly make out the brassline in a lot of sections. Visual and musical clarity was somewhat lacking, and there are some very un-Bell design moments at work. The guard is less intense and cut throat than in years past, and the drill design is a little muddy or trite (at least from what I saw, the video mainly focused on the very odd props). The floating guard girl was almost comical for me. I didn't "get" what she was about and her sheer size made it a little ridiculous. Overcriticalness aside, they were still very good, but not to level we might have expected (to echo the others above me). I think they will still win the title tonight, but by a smaller margin than we expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenon Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 I agree that LD Bell did lack quite a bit in the performance aspects, especially in brass music, but the GE level is incredible. The question is whether the GE will make up for the lack of performance (of a really really hard visual show) and whether or not they will be able to clean the show enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubisco Posted October 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 I agree that LD Bell did lack quite a bit in the performance aspects, especially in brass music, but the GE level is incredible. The question is whether the GE will make up for the lack of performance (of a really really hard visual show) and whether or not they will be able to clean the show enough. Oh, Lord! The brass was what killed me, too. It was more than a bit disappointing. To be honest, I don't even think the design is enough to beat Marcus or The Woodlands. There were many moments in Bell's show where I was just waiting for the music to evolve, but it took too much time. Things were drawn out for too long. And a performance that is much sloppier than their nearest competitors WILL hurt them in the GE department at SA. We'll have to wait and see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubisco Posted October 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 The preliminary St. Louis results seem to confirm our suspicions about a weaker Bell than usual. They won the music caption, but lost visual and GE to Owasso. Owasso beat Bell in class 4A. I'm interested in the final result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jersey mike Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 The preliminary St. Louis results seem to confirm our suspicions about a weaker Bell than usual. They won the music caption, but lost visual and GE to Owasso. Owasso beat Bell in class 4A. I'm interested in the final result. Based on the comments I am surprised LDB won the music caption. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.Stechnij Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Based on the comments I am surprised LDB won the music caption. It wasn't that bad. I thought they sounded good for Bell. I thought Owasso was all around better truthfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jersey mike Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 It wasn't that bad. I thought they sounded good for Bell. I thought Owasso was all around better truthfully. Thanks. Off to check out Hebron and Marcus at Regional competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellopwn1 Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 (edited) Thanks. Off to check out Hebron and Marcus at Regional competition. Report back later, will ya? I think the bigger story for the predictions world is UIL State. After these STL results, this will be the first time in over a decade that LD Bell is not a shoe-in for medal contention at the state contest. This is huge news for Bowie, Duncanville, Hebron, Johnson, Coppell, and The Woodlands who might take one of those top 3 spots on Election Day. Its too early to say how these bands who have only competed at BOA contests (minus Duncanville) will fare at UIL, but it is an exciting possibility that Marcus and Bell's stranglehold on Gold and Silver may finally be over. But I guess that's a topic for a whole other thread, isn't it? Edited October 20, 2012 by mellopwn1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitewing09 Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 So I'm wondering, is Bell's show harder, or does their struggle make it seem more difficult? Also, is Owasso stronger than usual, or is Bell just significantly weaker than usual? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.Stechnij Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 So I'm wondering, is Bell's show harder, or does their struggle make it seem more difficult? Also, is Owasso stronger than usual, or is Bell just significantly weaker than usual? Oh no. It is hard. It is really hard but at the end of the day who cares if it is hard? It is all about performance. In my opinion Owasso is about as strong as they were last year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitewing09 Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 OMG. Bell's show is intense. HOLY. It looked so difficult... It just flew right by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.Stechnij Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 Just to add something new to the conversation: Round Rock.Oh My God. I was just getting find with performing and watching them from out side of the stadium. Wow, they sounded really good from my angle. The Mozart took me away. The visual package is kind of boring but they added these enormous white and black panels that are suppose to be windows I guess? There is a ton of them am it was almost over kill. Guard and guard soloist look phenominal. The percussion is awesome. They have a pretty effective voice over too. Very very good. There were a couple of tears, especially with pit, but wow. Wow. It was REALLY good. I feel like if one panel were to watch the same performances of these groups over and get again there would not be even close to consistent scores. There is so much good going on this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOAfanatic Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 (edited) Just my thoughts/analysis on some bands we can expect to see in finals as well as the large bubble of great programs that will be in my opinion fighting for spots in finals. Firstly, my own personal picks for finals (NOT in any particular order, I won't guess on placements yet): Marcus- A very strong program, as usual, although they did suffer a bit of drawback last year, placing fourth at San Antonio (definitely worse than expected by myself). However, in retrospect, the more and more I look at last year, the more and more I'm thinking they deserved fourth, if not lower. Marcus has kind of gotten into a bad habit of using gigantic props to sit there and take up a third of the field so that the remaining 200 band members can march drill with extremely small step sizes and many holds (thus making it easy for the music to sound good). I know I will probably receive a good deal of criticism from the many fans of Marcus, and I definitely do not want to undermine all of the hard work these kids do. It's just, when you look beyond the multi-colored light up props, what all is left? And that is more what should be judged. Anyways, on to this year. They should be able to show off their fantastic woodwind section with all of the Bach music they are playing, which is good, and keep in mind their wind symphony placed third in the state honor band contest playing the toccata and fugue in d minor, which is also good. The gates this year are definitely more active than props from previous years, which is good, and the show design as a whole provides much more comedy, intensity, and resolve than I felt from last year. I would absolutely say this show is on the right track to do much better than last year's, and top 3 is a definite for this band considering the absence of Bowie. Sorry for being a bit longwinded on that one, most will not be that long. LD Bell- Shoot. LD Bell, the band that has reigned supreme in Texas and the nation in its decades long dynasty. Considering their massive success last year, I had these guys as my favorite to win this contest. However, I just don't know anymore. First off, I'm not so sure it was a good idea on their part to not go to any regionals, and then just go to St. Louis and San Antonio. I mean, do you really want your first contest of the year to be one of the most important? And then, the results of St. Louis. Second in class to Owasso? I know, Owasso is a quality program, but this is LD Bell we're talking about, former Grand National champions. This was an upset in every way. This band in many ways including guard, brass sound, design, and endurance does not seem to be doing as well as they were last year. Alot can happen between now and San Antonio, but I would not be surprised at all to see another program take this band's spot in the top 3. The Woodlands- With their first ever BOA regional win at Conroe this year. This is a band that was at the center of it all last year; the premier Texas band attedning Grand Nationals, the breathtaking second place finish at San Antonio, and more. This is a band that consistently impresses, and has made an even further push in the last few years. Their use of props is intricate and appropriate, enhancing the GE but not snatching all of the attention away from their great sounding band. The narration in this band's performances is second only to Marian Catholic from Illinois in my opinion. I expect this band to place in the top 3 as well, and third place is no longer my cap for them. Claudia Taylor Johnson- A band that has really broken onto the scene the last couple of years. 2010 and they made it to UIL state, very close to finals as well. And then last year. I don't think I have ever seen a band turn it on so much for the prospects of attending Grand Nationals (for the first time, too). This band is unrivaled in their brass' ability to play with such a loud yet balanced sound, which is far superior to a loud and edgy/unbalanced sound. No doubt, their decision to convert many woowind players to brass instruments for marching season has given them a very large ratio of brass to woodwinds, which is surely a contributing factor. But nonetheless, this skill truly makes them stand out among the common rabble of contest bands. The shows this band performs are also very well designed to give them a maximum GE score, which is good for BOA. Transitions however can sometimes be a problem. Anyways, I'd say top 5 at SA is a very likely proposition for this band, and as for top 3, it's a maybe. Ronald Reagan- A band that has truly been all over the place. After the school split some years back, this program was struggling a bit and definitely fell off their throne of the early to mid 2000's. In 2010, it appeared as though this band was indeed making a comeback, and we began to see bits and pieces of their former glory. A strong sixth place finish at SA and a tie for eleventh at state, barely missing finals, made it apparent that this band was on the right track. However, last year we did not see the improvement we would have expected. In fact, we kind of saw the opposite. Spaces would have been a great UIL show, because it had some pretty cool music and pretty cool drill being performed at an ok level, but the show just didn't make any sense to me, and I think that was their greatest downfall. However, they seemed to have turned things around again this year, just in time for their return to Grand Nationals. Let it shine definitely has a much better GE than last year, and the drill is not so exhausting as spaces that they will lose endurance and suffer in the end of the show. They are using many innovative little props, and once again, there is a plume change as well as a guard change. This show, while quite dirty at Denton, is beginning to shadow the Reagan we once knew and loved. I would say, especially after a shocking second place finish at Conroe, that this band is well on their way to making a splash at the late competitions this year, considering how they almost never peak early, and should definitely not be viewed in the same light as last year. As for San Antonio, it all depends on the amount of improvement we see from them. If they can improve the same amount they did in the week between Denton and Conroe every week following, these guys could kick bands like Cedar Park or Hebron right out of the top 5. I'm excited to see what becomes of these guys at Grand Nationals. They should really spice up that upper bubble of bands fighting for finals like Plymouth Canton, William Mason and what not. Good luck to them! Cedar Park- A band that is currently excelling in some areas, and lacking in others. As always, this is a very strong group, well deserving of their 4A state champion title. However, the idea is suddenly growing on me that these guys may be a fairly UIL skewed band. As for this year, thier music is absolutely fantastic. They achieved a commanding victory over The Woodlands in ensemble music at Conroe and are playing their Mexican themed music like nobody's business. Visuals are decent, not quite what I would expect from Cedar Park, but the reason I say these guys may be UIL skewed is because of their general effect. I mean, let's be honest, how good is it in celebracion? And I'm not saying it has anything to do with their performing the show, but more with the design. I mean, is it all just a celebration for celebrating's sake? I don't know, but I will gladly listen if anyone else sees something that I don't. As for this band, I would expect around 5-7 place, maybe eighth at the lowest if someone comes out and really steps it up. Hebron- These guys have been in for a sheer roller coaster ride. They did great in 2010, and then I missed them in San Antonio finals last year. All in all, this band really is remarkable for their marching and playing ability, and they jumped right back into the swing of things with a strong fourth place finish at Denton. However, the question arises, do these guys just peak too early? This is a very real possibility, if not consistently then definitely last year? It really is unfortunate for bands that peak early like that (the most notorious example I can think of being Vandegrift). These guys seem to still be holding up, which is good. I would say a top five finish for these guys is a likely thing. Cedar Ridge- A band that sort of just jumped right into the mix here, which is the great thing about Texas; every year, we see dark horse bands (ie. Round Rock, Johnson, etc.) that come from almost out of nowhere and start challenging the long standing powerhouses. In almost every other state, all we see is a dynasty of perennial bands that hold an absolute strangle hold on the state, never to be contested (ie. Broken Arrow in OK, Tarpon Springs in FL, Avon in IN, Marian Catholic in IL, Kennesaw Mountain in GA). These guys came from literally nowhere to making quite a splash at Conroe. Even more shocking is how well they did in the individual sub captions (I believe they actually won some in prelims or finals). I would be very surprised not to see these guys in finals at SA, and top 10 is calling their name. Hendrickson- Definitely a dark horse at SA. I don't remember seeing these guys in finals in my days attending the contest, and I don't know if they have ever made it before. However, all that aside, I strongly believe these guys are well on their way to making finals at this competition. This band did very well at their last regional in Conroe, placing fifth in finals, over the bottom five bands like Pflugerville and Churchill (the ladder I definitely see as a SA finalist) and bands like Friendswood and McNeil who didn't even make finals (which I know made some people upset). These guys can march and play, and demand not to be forgotten at this competition. I definitely see these guys in finals. Round Rock- From what I have heard, this band is doing quite well this year (much better than last year). This is good, for I feel that this band could be doing alot more (at least as of last year). I have not seen them at all this year, so my opinion of them is pretty blind and I wouldn't advise anyone to take this to heart too much. I will be seeing them at the UIL area D marching contest (assuming they make area, which I'm sure they will, it's just this has yet to be officially confirmed to me since region was today). Perhaps my opinion of them will change after then, but rest assure I think I can safely say we will be seeing these guys at SA finals and probably state (although state finals are in question). Winston Churchill- A band that has been hanging in there over the past few years, but is definitely on the right track to start doing much better. They started the season off with a strong score in finals at Conroe, tying Pflugerville but losing due to general effect. The use of props in this band is really involving, and although I can't really say I like this year's venus fly traps that appear to just sit there over last year's moons that turned into suns, the equipment the color guard is using (as well as the guard itself) really lends itself to creating a strong general effect (that and the bari sax visual soloist, which was both intriguing and comical for I at first did not know if that was planned out or a big mistake considering how chaotic and dangerous it is). I still feel though that too many people somehow forget about this band when making predictions for finals at SA. This group is a strong contender for finals, and I would be quite surprised not to see them at SA finals. Anderson- These guys are currently doing a great job at the St. Louis super regional! I can't wait to see how they placed after finals. While that should add alot more speculation fodder, I feel strong enough already to say that this band is a strong contender for finals at SA. Don't get me wrong, SA is easily the most difficult super regional to place in, and can't really be compared to St. Louis, but that is not needed; this band is also a strong contender for UIL state and should add some intrigue to the lower split of SA finals. Well, there's 12 out of 14 spots for finals. At this point, we get into the "bubble" zone of bands that may or may not make it. No doubt, there is a strong bubble and a weak bubble though. These descriptions will be much shorter due to the number of bubble bands. Strong bubble: Flower Mound- definitely the strongest contender I haven't yet listed. I had the chance to watch their finals performance at BOA SA last year, and there was quite a bit of quality from this group. They seem to be in a pretty good place competetively, and probably are included in my own finals picks for the top 14 bands. Spring- One never can guess exactly what you're going to get from this group. I have not seen them yet at competition this season, but I feel that it is essentially going to be a fight between these guys and Richland for the last spot in finals. Richland- A nice finish at Denton earlier this season gives this band a strong edge in terms of the fight in the bubble bands. Again though, I feel it will be a huge battle between these guys and Spring for finals, who will win I can't really say. It should be close. Weak bubble: Vandegrift- Lots of people are saying this could be the year that Vandy makes finals at SA. I just don't know though. Yes, they are doing great in early season competitions like Denton and Vista Ridge, but again I feel like they come out with such an early season edge, and then by the time everyone else has caught up they are just buried. I would not bet on this band making finals at SA, but anything could happen. Stephen F. Austin- My deepest condolences to this band. I really can't imagine what it would be like to have the head band director leave you for a higher ranking fine arts position, leaving you with no show or nothing, and then have another instructor step down and being left effectively staffless with no show, no arranger and no drill writer. The fact that this band made finals at Conroe is really a Cinderella story and is just a testament to the sheer willpower of the students in this band. However, I just don't think I see this band making finals at SA. It's really heartbreaking to think about the fact that the recent breakout Stephen F. Austin band is effectively gone, and may take many years to rebuild. Best of luck to them. If I was in charge of this whole thing, I would give them an exhibition performance in finals to give them some sort of appreciation for how hard they have been working despite so much going wrong. The Woodlands College Park- Finally! A year where this band is no longer the nobody band who everyone gets angry at for confusing with The Woodlands! I honestly don't think these guys will make finals, but I must say that I LOVE THEIR SHOW! When I found out that they made finals at Conroe, I was 10 times more happy than finding out that my band made finals! If they were to make finals at SA, I would support them all the way and watching them would likely be the highlight of my night! But honestly, the general effect of their show is actually quite decent, and could very realistically be in the top 14 GE scores of the contest. But at this rate, they could someday soon become a real competitor. Well, that's about all for SA. No doubt that after this it'll be time to analyze for state and Grand Nationals (wish Bowie was at SA, for their show was easily my favorite last year and I think they should have won SA). Edited October 21, 2012 by BOAfanatic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drum major Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 Just watched Cedar Ridge march. WOW! Where did the guys come from? What an improvement from last year. I said earlier to watch out for Cedar Ridge and ..they just solidified my statement. Good luck to them at SA.. I hope they make finals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellopwn1 Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 This might change a bit after area weekend, but these are my predictions: 1. The Woodlands 2. Marcus 3. Claudia Taylor Johnson (Top 3 could end up as any combination of these three. All three have potential to win it) 4. LD Bell (I think they are solidly below top 3, but still a level above everyone else) 5. Round Rock 6. Hebron (5-6 could swap if Hebron brings it) 7. Ronald Reagan 8. Vandegrift 9. Cedar Park 10. Cedar Ridge 11. Flower Mound 12. Winston Churchill 13. Spring 14. Hendrickson The top 3 is a TIGHT pack. One of the kids sneezing on the field might be the difference between 1st and 2nd. In order to win this competition, Marcus is going to have to be a little more exuberant in the dynamics department, The Woodlands is going to have to be really, really clean (something they often are not), and the GE judges are going to have to be thrilled with CTJ's show. Round Rock/Hebron are completely swappable at this point. Unlike others, I think Vandegrift is solidly in finals. They have a better product than Cedar Park/Ridge and perform at a comparable level to cross-town rival CP (this year, at least). They are no longer a "small" band that performs mediocre shows. Vandegrift is finally grown up and ready to play with the big boys. There are some serious design flaws in CP's show, but I still think they will pull ahead of Cedar Ridge based on sheer performance muscle. Their paint-peeling volume might be their saving grace this year. Cedar Ridge has a better show than CP, but there were some clarity and scoring issues that bothered me at Conroe that still concern me. I think the two will be pretty close, but CP will prevail. I think Spring will be in finals as well. This year's show is far superior to last year's (despite those god awful tents), and I think they will have a more-than-likely shot at performing Saturday night. The 14th finalist is FAR from definite. I chose Hendrickson, but it could just as easily be Richland, or Anderson, or Plano East, or College Park, or Leander, or......a whole bunch of other bands. It is going to come down to who has the best run that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellopwn1 Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 Here's a picture of LD Bell's comedically large hovering cone behemoth: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Statebound Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 1. The Woodlands2. Marcus 3. Claudia Taylor Johnson (Top 3 could end up as any combination of these three. All three have potential to win it) 4. LD Bell (I think they are solidly below top 3, but still a level above everyone else) 5. Round Rock 6. Hebron (5-6 could swap if Hebron brings it) 7. Ronald Reagan 8. Vandegrift 9. Cedar Park 10. Cedar Ridge 11. Flower Mound 12. Winston Churchill 13. Spring 14. Hendrickson There was a packed house last night for Region 24 in Carrollton and Flower Mound, Hebron, and Marcus shows truly lit up the night. The Flower Mound show is one of the most "GE" friendly shows I've ever seen and the attention to detail they bring with their "Big Top" theme is really outstanding. There is not a lot complexity to their drill and their overall sound is very good although I would not label it elite. That said, this show is a ton of fun and I could easily see it as a top 10 show at BOASA. I'm not sure what else to say about Hebron. This is my 4th time to see their show and it is truly special. Their drill and music are at such a high level that it dwarfs all but the most elite programs. Their 2nd set ballad might be my personal highlight of the year. Hebron's visuals have improved quite a bit this year although they are still not on the level of some of the other obvious choices. This show might play a little better for UIL than BOA but they could very easily be top 5 in both. I'm am totally torn about the Marcus show. They have tweaked and improved their opener and the clean precision of the Bach score is unmatched. However, outside of the huge beautiful gates and the incredible guard visual, their is not a great amount complexity to the drill and frankly, there is not much of it. Thus far, the total show is only a little over 6 minutes and it's been that way now for 3 weeks. You certainly assume they will be adding more to the show for UIL and BOA but I have always thought it was risky to add a signficant portion of your show as you head into the big events. Marcus has proven many people wrong and I will very likely be another, but I am truly intriqued to see how this show evolves from here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOAfanatic Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 Unlike others, I think Vandegrift is solidly in finals. They have a better product than Cedar Park/Ridge and perform at a comparable level to cross-town rival CP (this year, at least). They are no longer a "small" band that performs mediocre shows. Vandegrift is finally grown up and ready to play with the big boys. I saw Vandegrift's show for the first time today. I definitely think it has the charm and GE to get into finals, and what can I say about starting a show off with that clarinet gliss? All in all the theme is very relateable and if they continue to push into the late season, which is something they have had some trouble with in the past, they could definitely make finals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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