2015 BOA San Antonio Comments Thread

[LKendrick]

Owasso - "Unveiled"

 

IT'S A FREAKIN KILL BILL SHOW!!!  One of my favorite movies if you cannot tell.  I love the opening, seems like a cliche weeding show then BOOM, RIP Groom.  And our bride is not happy, she will seek vengeance.  Oh yes she will.  The brass is HUGE after this happens.  Fantastic moment.  Love the quirkiness of this show, so weird.  But in a great way, kinda like the movie.  The guard makes this show work, love the all yellow/black costuming, and the ninja/assassins.  The Mackey works really well for the mood here..  Love the blood stained flags that come as the bride gets her sword to exact her revenge.  The muted trumpet duo as the ninjas scrounge around and battle it out with the brides  is just fun.  "Malaguena"?  What?!  What a fun moment, unexpected, but it works really well.  The bride has exacted her revenge.  Love the flute solos and quotes throughout, really gets to that anime/Japanese vibe from the film.  And here comes "Elsa's", what else could they close this show with.  Absolutely POWERFUL.  That is probably right behind Flo Mo for me tonight for enjoyment.  Just absolutely freakin fun stuff!  

[LKendrick]

I'm gonna jump in informally and say that Owasso just made me smile bigger than I have in awhile. They won't win, but gosh that was fun.

[LKendrick]

Marcus - "The Fifth Element"

 

And now for something completely different.  This show is Marcus to a T.  Beautiful preshow brass ensemble backfield and a fantastic double reed soloist as the show is introduced.  Almost like they're welcoming us to the field.  They're letting us know they mean business.  Love the color scheme, greens, teals, blues, purples and some gold at the end.  5s EVERYWHERE!  Fantastic trumpet fanfare to open the show.  Vs, 5s, ect.  all over the place.  They sound SO GOOD.  Marcus might not have the most challenging show, but the level of polish they achieve is just as hard as those difficult moments.  They sound as I've said a million times before, like a wind ensemble on the move.  Really polished visual program, the drill flows effortlessly.  Here comes Beethoven 5 that we all know well.  Those flags remind me of the 5 gum wrappers.  lol.  I mean that in a good way.  Ballad is absolutely beautiful, LOVE the guard color scheme, fills the field with a deep, rich purple.  Gorgeous mello duet.  Incredibly uniform body movement as the ballad reaches its climax.  Beautiful.  Some really interesting orange guard equipment  introduced in the next section.  Trumpets have a small feature that is just fantastic.  Gold is introduced as the show reaches it's climax which is just glorious.  A member in an all gold uniform with a V runs around the field playfully as the show finishes out.  Few bands can sound that good on the move.  Bravo.  

[LKendrick]

Atlanta Results:

 

1)  Tarpon Springs - 94.55

2)  LD Bell - 90.90

3)  Harrison - 88.85

4) Dobyns Bennett - 86.60

5)  Fort Mill - 86.50

6)  Cypress Falls - 85.55

7)  Winston Churchill - 85.10

8)  Walton - 84.10

9)   Westwood - 84.00

10)  Wando - 82.25 (Dang, that's pretty surprising based on how much I loved them at GN last year)

11)  Clements - 81.90

12) Centerville - 80.55

 

Music - Tarpon Springs

Visual - Tarpon Springs

GE - Tarpon Springs

[LKendrick]

Ronald Reagan - "Every(One)"

 

This show takes an idea that's been done time and time again in marching band and does it in a fresh and fantastic way.  Love the interplay of individual versus community.  The preshow is definitely reminiscent of the Reagan from about a decade ago, can definitely tell Guidry had a part in this.  The theme that's present throughout the show is introduced by the fantastic vocalist.  The "How to Train Your Dragon" opening impact is just off the charts fantastic, the band sounds amazing, and the guard looks fantastic.  The brass in "Belkis" is just fantastic, HUGE and articulate.  Great job.  Woodwinds do pretty much the same, outstanding musicality.  Love the smile on that tuba soloists face!  Great job!  Guard brings out some balls and does some interesting work with them.  The ballad is just......wow.  The singer is beautiful, and when that dance team combines with the guard in the white dresses center field, it's just stunning.  What a fantastic idea that works out perfectly.  The brass release at the end of that was just spot on.  Closer is really upbeat and fun, the field coverage of that guard is insane!  Woodwinds are just absolutely ripping away here as the brass weaves through them.  The final moments are just a whirlwind as we hear the themes from the rest of the show come full circle with the guard on fantastic double flags and the band marching whiplash drill.  WOW!   What a finale!  After the dance team comes center field for some FANTASTIC choreography to close out the show.  Bravo Reagan, and welcome back.  We've missed you.  

[Bonelife]

Now those placements are a little surprising whether you agree with them or not.

[LKendrick]

I had Keller, Vandegrift, Reagan and Flower Mound right in my prediction after watching tonight.  

[LKendrick]

Flower Mound, wow.  They have GROWN HUGE after missing finals only two years ago!  They took whatever they learned at Grand Nationals and RAN with it!  HUGE congrats to them on their first ever Super Regional Championship.  Wow.  That show is definitely on my favorites list.

 

I cannot wait to see how Hebron, The Woodlands, Round Rock, Keller, and Central do at Nationals.  The first three have the potential to be FANTASTIC with some more cleaning, they haven't peaked yet by a long shot.   

[LKendrick]

Prelims Scores (Will Edit As I Get Farther In):

 

1. Claudia Taylor Johnson - 94.35
2. Ronald Reagan - 93.75
3. Flower Mound - 93.40
4. Round Rock - 92.10
5. Hebron - 91.50
6. Cedar Park - 90.55
7. The Woodlands - 90.30
8. Marcus - 90.05
9. Vandegrift - 88.80
10. James Bowie - 88.80
11. Owasso - 86.95
12. Keller - 86.10
13. Wakeland - 84.80
14. Cedar Ridge - 84.35
15. Friendswood - 83.20
16. Westlake - 83.00
17. Cy-Fair - 82.65
18. The Woodlands  College Park - 82.20
19. Brazoswood - 81.70
20. Vista Ridge - 81.60
21. Oak Ridge - 80.90
22. Coppell - 80.80
23. North Shore - 80.00
24. Keller Central - 79.85
25. Mansfield - 79.15
26. Aledo - 79.05

After that it takes a big dive score wise.  

[justabandkid94]

Pretty remniscent of 2013. Although no 5th to 1st jump a la Woodlands that year, Johnson going from 1st with a comfortable gap to 3rd is obviously notable. Round Rock from 4th to 9th.. Owasso goes from being 2 pointed by Vandegrift to beating them by 1.2! Is anyone able to comment on if band's runs were better/worse between prelims and finals?

 

Just goes to show you how volatile this regional is.

[~ME~]

My thoughts:

 

-That is SO AWESOME for Flower Mound!!! A well-deserved championship! I would have LOVED to see how that show would have fared at nationals! Congrats to all the hard working kids and the out-of-this-world design team at Flower Mound! I would also like to thank Flower Mound for fueling my nightmares tonight with the heads. Thanks guys...  But seriously, WHAT A SHOW!

 

-REAGAN'S BACK, BABY!!! 

 

-CTJ is just so impressive. I didn't think they would be able to pull off such an ambitious show, but boy did they ever! This band will be a very, VERY serious Eagle contender whenever they return to Grand Nats. 

 

-I'm glad the judges finally agree with me that Hebron and Marcus are the best bands in the state musically. They both definitely deserved that caption win. I think Hebron is a shoe-in for the music caption at Grand Nats, and I also think they will have a very real shot at the bronze medal there. 

 

-And the award for most underrated band of the year (at least on these forums anyways) goes to Cedar Park! They really blew me away! They truly deserved that 5th place finish! Congrats to them! 

 

-The Woodlands and Round Rock are in very good shape for nationals. I expect both of them to have much stronger finishes at Indy. Same goes for Keller as well! And they all are already fantastic! 

 

-Owasso had my favorite show of the year, and I'm clearly not alone in thinking that. Never would have expected to see a Kill Bill show in a million years, but MAN was it awesome! I'm so glad they made the trip down here, otherwise I might have missed out on experiencing this gem of a show! 

 

-I would complain about Bowie's placement, but the previous two years already led me to accept that things like this are just going to happen from now on with how competitive this contest is. That being said, Bowie was great as always! They have such a lush, rich sound that I just can't get enough of.

 

-Wakeland was FANTASTIC! It was great to finally see them in finals at San Antonio! Congrats to them! 

 

-Vista Ridge is really proving themselves as a great rising band. They were an amazing surprise last year, and they have continued to impress me this year.  The same goes for Vandergrift, though they've been a contender for a year longer. 

 

-Leander was AMAZING. I'm still kind of sad that we'll never know how they would have stacked up, but at least they still have state. Good luck to them there! 

 

-Cedar Ridge has still got it! So happy for them that they were able to make finals! 

 

Despite the weather setbacks (thank goodness everyone stayed safe), this was such a great contest! I didn't comment much this season simply because of how hard things were to predict this year, but this was a fantastic season and I enjoyed every second of it! Here's to another great one next year! 

[Marcato]

So round rock dropped 4.6 points and 5 places between prelims and finals, however from watching both performances, they seemed very close in quality, if anything i think their finals performance might have been a tad better. So which score is closest to where they really are at at this point?

[justabandkid94]

I seriously want to know what Lipman and the CTJ crew are feeding those kids.

 

Every year I just wish more and more that they would go back to Indy already!! The talent in that program across the board is unreal, and their knack for cleaning these MONSTER shows is just getting better and better. They are gonna cause some serious damage next time they go to Grand Nationals

 

Alright fanboy moment is over

[HighToes]

Cy-Fair moving up guys! Halfed their placing from the last time they appeared at this Super Regional and ended up being only three away from finals!

[Parkwoodmom]

Will anyone from TxBands be blogging from Grand Nationals?????

[Xenon]

Will anyone from TxBands be blogging from Grand Nationals?????

Yes, there will be a BOA Grand Nationals live blog that will be a collaboration between staff from IndianaMarching.com (primary), TxBands.com, and DCI. It will be hosted both here and on the MusicForAll site.

[LKendrick]

Cy-Fair moving up guys! Halfed their placing from the last time they appeared at this Super Regional and ended up being only three away from finals!

 

I really enjoyed Cy-Fair.  They sounded fantastic, and the show was incredibly enjoyable.  They've really gotten their act together visually these last few years, I always felt that was the only thing holding them back a few years ago.  

 

 

So round rock dropped 4.6 points and 5 places between prelims and finals, however from watching both performances, they seemed very close in quality, if anything i think their finals performance might have been a tad better. So which score is closest to where they really are at at this point?

 

I had them around 6/7.  Finals they were around 12th in music.  I don't think that's as bad as it looks when you are surrounded by all of those Texas bands that sound SO GOOD.  Like 2013, I think this show will grow HUGE to Grand Nationals, they're a heck of a lot cleaner at this point than they were that go around.  I think it is outstanding visually in design and performance, and they sound beautiful.  A little more restrained, but it takes off the edge that was getting a tad much last year.  When I first saw the show I thought it was going to be another boring Applachain Spring show, but yesterday I fell in love with it.  They really make it their own, and that final push is just breathtaking.  I think the show has huge potential at GN.  

 

I felt the same way with The Woodlands, just more so.  I thought they had the 2nd hardest show behind Johnson yesterday.  They still have some polishing to do, but I think per usual they'll grow into something really special by Nationals.  Visually, they're outstanding in design and performance.  I love the overall scheme, and dichotomy in the front half of the show with the two different kinds of times thing, it wasn't just the drill either.  There was a ripple where it was SUPER fast on one half, and SUPER slow on the other, and it some how managed to end at the exact same time!  Thematically it really clicked with me last night, they have fantastic use of narration that ties the whole thing together.  

 

I can echo what I said there about Hebron.  Their ballad is going to be THE moment at Nationals, I can say that now.  The rest of the show is great too, but that moment.  Oof.

 

I think that Round Rock and The Woodlands will score significantly better in music at GN, they sounded great to me last night, it's just tough when you're surrounded by the best playing bands in the country.  

[snares]

This event has pretty much become a Southern Grand Nats. It's crazy.

Here are my thoughts on this weekend and Grand Nata bands.

Flowermound- Wow. That's all that needs to be said. They're a work of art *wink wink*

To me, CTJ had the hardest visual. Followed by the woodlands and Owasso, who loves to jazz run all over the place. I loved The woodlands visual design, it was pretty darn cool if you ask me. But musically this year, I don't think anyone is playing as many notes as Hebron. In fact I don't think it's that close. And they do it ON THE MOVE. When I went to Reagan 12-16 years ago, we had hard visual stuff and pretty darn hard music, but Hebrons woodwind a are absolutely insane.

Marcus was cleaner than their LISD counterparts in my opinion, I'm curious to see if they would've won state again if UIL was this year, and wholly guacamole those props are cool.

 

I'm really excited about Keller. Making finals yesterday actually makes me think they have a shot of placing top 10 at Nats. I'm in love with their show. It's amazing and I'm so glad we're gonna see them hopefully and probably three more times.

 

The woodlands are a finals lock at Nats, that's for sure. But I don't think they're gonna be the highest ranked Texas band. I think they'll land in fourth at Nats this year, but I really hope they can medal. No offense to the northern bands but I love a old fashioned Texas beat down.

 

Round Rock to me, might actually pass up the Woodlands and take that four spot again. I think them and woodlands will be neck and neck for that last medal/fourth place, depending on how they match up agains Carmel who I'm actually thinking will fall to 6th. Which is a crazy thought, but still I think it might happen. Round rock actually beat Hebron in prelims pretty badly (I think by a point?) but some of that might have been the time they performed, I'm not sure where the 4 point drop came from because I love their show, and I think they should've cracked top 6, and at least gotten a 90. So I'm saying fourth for Round rock at Nats.

 

And now Hebron who I think has the best shot of the Texas bands to win. Hebron REALLY needs to clean up visually if they want to win. I believe they took 9th overall in prelims and 7th or 8th in finals. But the good side of this, is that they're cleaner than last year. They still have two weeks (or a week and a half really) and I think it will clean up but what will be the deciding factor for them will probably be their Visual. But musically, oh my. "Oof " is very appropriate. I know the only thing being talked about really is their ballad, but it's really the most epic moment of this year. It's ridiculously amazing. I love how sultry and dark it is, it's definitely a fan favorite, it's pretty funny to me to hear the crowd erupt after hearing the sax soloists name, I think he's a drum major? Anyways. I love the spinning props, and man some of those are spinning fast. To me, the top three will be Hebron Avon and BA, Hebron winning music, BA winning visual, making whoever wins GE, the winner.

[bandperson1997]

Even though I'm sad that Leander, Hendrickson, and Dripping Springs didn't get to go, I'm glad that some new bands got to be in finals (because of their absence). Keller and Wakeland rocked it. 

[NTXBandFan]

Even though I'm sad that Leander, Hendrickson, and Dripping Springs didn't get to go, I'm glad that some new bands got to be in finals (because of their absence). Keller and Wakeland rocked it. 

Actually Cedar Ridge was 14th in Prelims and they would have missed out on finals if Leander would have been able to go.

[Statebound]

Perhaps the best choreography that I've seen in a show in recent memory.  Totally memorable. Wish Reagan was going to GN's this year.

[Statebound]

Hebron - "360"

 

This show is just a masterclass on technicality, brass and woodwinds.  Gorgeous preshow oboe soloist.  The "Pegasus" opening showcases the dexterity of the woodwinds, lushness of their brass, and the uniformity of their guard.  What an intro!  Next section is just filled with an insane amount of technical passes, some done as they spin on platforms, some on the move, just fun stuff.  The ballad is my favorite thing on the field this year.  That tenor soloist is just fan freakin tastic.   Bravo, the build with the brass under him is just awesome, what a HUGE moment.  The crowd erupts at the end of the ballad as he hits that altissimo note!  That moment is going to be one of the most remembered things this year.  Closer is another showcase of this bands insane musical ability, woodwinds are absolutely ripping away in the lead up to the final moment.  Circles are everywhere in this show.  Not much else to say besides it's simple in concept, executed fantastically, and performed at an incredibly high level.  Definitely still some room to grow for nationals, they haven't peaked yet!  

 

 

I love Hebron -- normally one of my favorites.  However, the closer is still very raw and they have a lot of work to do in the next week if they are going to finish in the top tier. I would think the positive from San Antonio is that they only finished roughly one point behind FloMo with a show that is still maturing.  I think that they can realistically win Music in Indy.

 

Loved Reagan.  I found myself hoping they would win so I could see them play their show again. Congratulations.

​

[achase]

I live in Austin, but I am originally from Pearland and cheer for the schools in the area - Pearland, Clear Lake, Friendswood, Dawson. How did Friendswood do at BOA Super Regionals? I saw that they were only one place out of finals. I'm hoping that the Houston-area schools will rise to prominence once again in the near future. Which bands from the Houston area seem to be doing well?

 

On a side note: does anyone know when videos of the top 15 or so bands will be posted from BOA? 

[natertater21000]

They did great! I got to see them 3 times this year, tmc and boa sa and I enjoyed the show. They were definitely in the running for a finals spot. Hopefully they will make it in soon. As far as videos sadly boa won't be posting any of anyone this season due to a big copyright mess :/

[Hard Core Band Fan]

So round rock dropped 4.6 points and 5 places between prelims and finals, however from watching both performances, they seemed very close in quality, if anything i think their finals performance might have been a tad better. So which score is closest to where they really are at at this point?

 

No, I didn't see it that way. Their prelim show was much better, overall. They seemed to have some failures with their electronics in the finals, so the narration and other elements were missing, plus it just wasn't as cohesive or exciting. I think the scores were fairly accurate for both prelims and finals for them. They definitely have the ability to put a 92 on the field and hopefully can find that same performance level next week at Indianapolis.

 

Edit: Well, a 92 or higher! I hope all of our Texas bands kick it up a notch or two!