2023 BOA Austin (Sept. 23)

[LostChoirGuy]

Vista Ridge has been my favorite so far.  I love their show design and they perform with such passion!

[GeekBoy54]

Holy cow Vista Ridge that was so good!! 

[Origin]

I loooove Vista’s music book. They sound amazing too, maybe the best of the competition for me. Wish I could see what was going on though 🙃

[Ranxh1938292]

  On 9/24/2023 at 1:58 AM, symphbee said:

Maybe I’m just in a grumpy mood because the stream is awful but - I don’t really get the Vandegrift hype train? Like yes they can play loud, but there’s 600 of them - I even think they pushed it past sounding good quite a few times. It’s also hard to keep the visual interesting when the field is so crowded? Maybe I’m the only one who feels this way? Just needed to get that thought out of my head.

Expand  

I’m starting to see what you’re saying, although to me it sounds like someone is pushing past their best sound to the point where it’s noticeable, but it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb, and you can hear it clearly in the sound, but it’s covered up at the same time? Or someone is playing with too much edge?

[LostChoirGuy]

OMG I thought those were people until a few fell over

[symphbee]

Lake Travis really said “y’all are SURPRISED to see us here? Watch this.”

Outstanding execution.

[Ranxh1938292]

Lake Travis let us have it! They let us KNOW they deserve to be in finals.

[LostChoirGuy]

So many technical passages being played flawlessly by LT and I love that they are putting dynamics into them instead of playing them all fortissimo.

[packwick]

getting a lot of "this video file cannot be played" errors as the video quality eventually collapses entirely after constant freezes LOL.

Vista Ridge sounded aaamazing. All By Myself is the best musical moment of the night so far by a mile. those. brass. players. sound. FANTASTIC. clear, sonorous sounds, right on the pitch, clear technique too. i also like their vis design quite a bit, dyanamic, varied, musical, imaginative, but also A LOT dirtier than Vandy lol. both drill and the guard need cleaning, cleaning, CLEANING!!

[Ranxh1938292]

  On 9/24/2023 at 2:14 AM, LostChoirGuy said:

So many technical passages being played flawlessly by LT and I love that they are putting dynamics into them instead of playing them all fortissimo.

Expand  

Yes!! I absolutely love it when I hear lots of dynamic contrast!

[Origin]

Lake Travis sounding like a top half finalist for sure! 

[Band2021]

Lake Travis woodwinds gave me chills! So lush and precise. Great Job I can see why they made top 6.

[Nny14]

  On 9/24/2023 at 2:14 AM, Ranxh1938292 said:

Lake Travis let us have it! They let us KNOW they deserve to be in finals.

Expand  

Definitely deserve top half as well. Great showing from them.

[Vidal28]

Good to know I wasn’t alone with these technical difficulties, most definitely was getting frustrated with it!!

[BandFan50]

  On 9/24/2023 at 2:08 AM, Ranxh1938292 said:

I’m starting to see what you’re saying, although to me it sounds like someone is pushing past their best sound to the point where it’s noticeable, but it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb, and you can hear it clearly in the sound, but it’s covered up at the same time? Or someone is playing with too much edge?

Expand  

It’s one lone trumpet player, it sounded much worse in prelims

[ChristopherRoden]

Any doubt about Lake Travis was immediately squashed with this finals performance. The set is conveying the theme incredibly. Tough book! That brass book and the mastery of dynamics is so impressive for a high school. anonymous is such a great name for this show. Plays into the anonymity of the individual and band in general! 
 

 

None of these shows have had any 😬 moments. Not a single one EVER. I’m so impressed overall. Great year for Band!!!

[ChristopherRoden]

Regardless of Mother Nature’s disregard of Cedar Park’s backdrops, they sounded like a 7A band. Talk about a school who weathered Director change well… them. They didn’t miss a beat, not even even mentioning their impeccable foot timing. Belle Mechanique is an interesting concept but they’re doing it the Cedar Park way: phenomenally. Keep it up, and here’s to defending your state champ! 

[LostChoirGuy]

That Cedar Park show is a GE monster.  So many amazingly cool moments.  It also seems VERY difficult and it's early season.

[packwick]

everyone in the top half has been fab, at least the parts that didn't freeze up LOL.

also really liked Westlake and Leander, Leander is waaaaaay improved over last year. beautiful show!!

[ChristopherRoden]

This intro preshow is very intriguing Cedar Ridge… clean!! I’n left wondering where yall hid those other 50 brass players I heard?! The theme is reading so well. This is one of the cleaner shows of the night too! The guard soloists in the background were rocks are really doing a great job! The environmental demand of the ballad is mind boggling, and they did it so well. The crowd pleaser movement still fit so well in the show and was largely and widely enjoyed by everyone!

[FaultLineBlues]

Wow wow wow, Cedar Ridge with a WAY better run than prelims imo! 

Killer work! 

[LostChoirGuy]

Cedar Ridge has a fun show and is definitely a crowd pleaser.  

[Band2021]

Amazing GE from Cedar Ridge! The musicality of this group is incredible even though they are smaller than some 4A schools. A little more cleaning and this show might once again give them another medal at state. 

[ChristopherRoden]

The rouse cathedrals look like Black/White rainbows, but i get the idea. This is a beautiful opener, though i may be partial because i loved White Lotus. They’re shimmering tonight. They feel bigger than in recent memory, though that could be field design. Audible reactions from the hornline. WOW. What an effective show. They sound HUGE. What an impressive show!! 

[Miyazuu]

a chapel was built in the midst 🤭