Top 10 Marching Shows

[Tubalord11]

Hey everyone! I thought this would be a fun forum to start, and I think it would be a great way to help everyone expand their knowledge of marching band shows! I'm trying to make it less of a top 10 ranking, and more of a "If you could only watch 10 marching shows ever again, which ones would you pick, and why"? For me, making this list was extremely hard, but I was finally able to do it, so here's mine: 

1. Vista Ridge 2018: I doubt that this will ever not be my favorite marching show, even with the activity starting to get better over the years. It's such an emotional, powerful story, and it's what I believe to be the marching show; not only does it tell a story to the audience, but also about the band program it's self. I have yet to watch the show without starting to tear up, and the Go-Pro video they did after winning state was even harder to watch. It's literally a perfect show, and I have yet to find a show that has been as impactful as this one. 

2. Avon 2019: This is another one I love so much simply because of the story they tell, not to mention how amazing the play/marc. They tell the story of music and it's creation perfectly, from the amazing vocalist to the different song choices, this is another show as a musician myself that I find to be so powerful. 

3. Tarpon 2014: Probably my favorite show musically, feels like a book that Hebron would do, and the GE was absolutely insane! I'm amazed how they pulled this show off so well, it's just so so cool! 

4. Cedar Park 2015: I could listen to this show on hours end! They played this show with an insane amount of musicianship, and that ending will get me every time, may very well be my favorite closer ever. 

5. Hebron 2019: Yes, this is my favorite Hebron show, more than 21/22... The Ballad is just so beautiful, the soloist this year were on another level, and the closer is just amazing! This show from start to finish is just beyond incredible, another show I could listen to for hours on repeat. 

6. Blue Springs 2018: I feel like this show should be talked about more than it is, because its incredible! What they were able to do in their closer, literally, like LITERALLY jazz ran almost the whole thing, while playing!!! Might be my favorite ballad, absolutely gorgeous show, and the talent in this group this year was off the roof! 

7. Vandegrift 2021: Favorite Ballad ever, absolute masterpiece of a music book, nothing but a show full of emotions, and their percussion, as always, was so freaking good. 

8. CTJ 2019: One word when I watch this show, WOW! The duet in the "Can't wait to be king" section is like listening to two of the best musicians in the world battle! It' such a fun show, and they killed it with ease! LOVE LOVE LOVE this show! 

9. Vista Ridge 2022: BEST BRASS SECTION EVER, PERIOD! I'm still a little salty they didn't medal at state, but my GOD this show was powerful! Just Vista doing Vista things. 

10 Leander 2014: Favorite opener, absolutely stellar show! This is defiantly one I wish I could have seen live, because they absolutely rocked it! 

[J-Mike16]

1. Hebron 2021 

2. John B. Alexander 2018 

3. Broken Arrow 2012

4. Avon 2012

5. Wando 2014

6. L.D. Bell 2010

7. North Shore 2016

8. Bixby 2022

9. Castle 2017

10. Ronald Reagan 2004

 

Honorable Mentions

• Vista Ridge 2018/2019
• Ronald Reagan 2019
• Pearland 2019
• Blue Springs 2015/2018
• Lumberton 2017/2022
• Adair County 2014
• Wylie East 2019
• Lovejoy 2019

 

[slowbrass]

I’m gonna try to limit it to one show per band here, just to make it more fun. 
 

10) CTJ 2014 - Chameleon

9) Carmel 2017 - Serenity

8) Tarpon Springs 2014 - Man vs Machine

7) Broken Arrow 2011 - Destiny Leaves You No Choice

6) Vandegrift 2019 - Aria: Queen of the Night

5) Flower Mound 2016 - Leonardo’s Dream

4) The Woodlands 2013 - Crossing Boundaries

3) Marcus 2012 - Gilded Melodies

2) Hebron 2021 - Penstriped

1) Avon 2010 - Iconoclash

[takigan]

Best (Execution):
[Ranked]
1. Flower Mound 2016 - Leonardo's Dream
2. Carmel 2022 - Vitruvian
3. Hebron 2022 - Odyssey FM
4. Marcus 2012 - Gilded Melodies
5. Vandegrift 2019 - Aria, Queen of the Night
6. Hebron 2021 - Penstriped
7. Hebron 2015 - 360
8. Reagan 2019 - Secret World
9. Carmel 2018 - Voyage to Valhalla 
10. Carmel 2017 - Serenity

HM:
Flower Mound 2018 - Pop - Might've made the list with another week of cleaning and a Nats appearance
Hebron 2018 - Endeavor - Probably Would've made the list with cleaner visual and a Nats appearance
Marcus 2007 - Botanika - Would definitely have made the list with 11 more days of cleaning and a Nats appearance on Day 12
Avon 2010 - Iconoclash - It's almost impossible for a pre-2010 non-Tx band to make a list like this bc I frankly think the best sounding Tx bands at this point were outplaying every other state almost every single year and this list prioritizes music....This year Avon was playing just well enough to compete while also marching the SNOT out of their sets to close in on this list.


Favorite (To listen/watch):
[Not Ranked]
1.  Hebron 2021 - Penstriped
2. Claudia Taylor Johnson 2019 - The Circle of Life
3. Vista Ridge 2018 - Lost & Found
4. Hebron 2015 - 360
5. Ronald Reagan 2015 - Every(One)
6. The Woodlands 2011 - Uninvited
7.  LD Bell 2010 - Honor: We Will Remember
8. Tarpon Springs 2010 - Paranormal
9.  LD Bell 2008 - The Quest
10. Ronald Reagan 2002 - Journey of Man

[RooBandAlum2004]

I think I'm going to step outside the box a little bit. Add some bands that are not powerhouses and some that are lol

10. Copperas Cove 2022-Miles From Home. 

9. Westfield 2002- Metamorphosis

8. Churchill 2003- Toxic

7. Harker Heights 2021- Serpentine 

6. Dripping Springs 2014-Bohemian Rhapsody in Blue Shades

5. Belton 1995- Opera Unplugged

4. L. D. Bell 2006- The Remaining

3. CTJ 2016- Flashdance

2. L.D. Bell 2004- Blue

1. Leander 2015- Choral Works 

[Samuel Culper]

On 5/24/2023 at 9:03 PM, takigan said:

Best (Execution):
[Ranked]
1. Flower Mound 2016 - Leonardo's Dream
2. Carmel 2022 - Vitruvian
3. Hebron 2022 - Odyssey FM
4. Marcus 2012 - Gilded Melodies
5. Vandegrift 2019 - Aria, Queen of the Night
6. Hebron 2021 - Penstriped
7. Hebron 2015 - 360
8. Reagan 2019 - Secret World
9. Carmel 2018 - Voyage to Valhalla 
10. Carmel 2017 - Serenity

HM:
Flower Mound 2018 - Pop - Might've made the list with another week of cleaning and a Nats appearance
Hebron 2018 - Endeavor - Probably Would've made the list with cleaner visual and a Nats appearance
Marcus 2007 - Botanika - Would definitely have made the list with 11 more days of cleaning and a Nats appearance on Day 12
Avon 2010 - Iconoclash - It's almost impossible for a pre-2010 non-Tx band to make a list like this bc I frankly think the best sounding Tx bands at this point were outplaying every other state almost every single year and this list prioritizes music....This year Avon was playing just well enough to compete while also marching the SNOT out of their sets to close in on this list.


Favorite (To listen/watch):
[Not Ranked]
1.  Hebron 2021 - Penstriped
2. Claudia Taylor Johnson 2019 - The Circle of Life
3. Vista Ridge 2018 - Age of Discovery
4. Hebron 2015 - 360
5. Ronald Reagan 2015 - Every(One)
6. The Woodlands 2011 - Uninvited
7.  LD Bell 2010 - Honor: We Will Remember
8. Tarpon Springs 2010 - Paranormal
9.  LD Bell 2008 - The Quest
10. Ronald Reagan 2002 - Journey of Man

Vista Ridge 2018 was Lost and Found

[takigan]

Fixed.  I was trying to remember the name of the show and remembered the compass and was like "Oh yeah! Exploration-style show, Age of Discovery".    Probably would've been a good title, but BA already took that one.

[Samuel Culper]

10 hours ago, takigan said:

Fixed.  I was trying to remember the name of the show and remembered the compass and was like "Oh yeah! Exploration-style show, Age of Discovery".    Probably would've been a good title, but BA already took that one.

Age of Discovery is a great name, but it wouldn't have fit the show.  Lost & Found was perfect.

[Vidal28]

Here are mine, list is a mix of “best” but also some personal favs as well. it’s obvious which group have me excited every time I hear them, and which one is my own HS but I enjoy that show so much ok here we go!:

1. Hebron 2021: Penstriped- One of my favorite and best live experiences of the marching band/arts activity, period. SCV 2018 is up there too so I guess I just really enjoy dark, gritty, explosive brass haha. Won’t ever forget that Church Windows opening

2. James Martin 2013: Elegy for a Young American- neither of my most fondly remembered shows my high school did were anything close to perfect, but I still love both nonetheless. The 2013 show was my first ever marching show I ever saw, at the hs’ junior high night! It was an eye-opener for me, many beautiful moments, stirring emotional beats, a strength of that show remains what makes me enjoy it so much to this day.

3. James Martin 2014: Midnight-

Another Cinderella story🙃if the previous year opened my eyes, actually being a part of creating this show and the whole process made me love band even more. My enjoyment of the repertoire for both years is up there with some of my favorite pieces of music to listen to this day, lots of awesome classical repertoire from some of the greats(Prokofiev, Debussy, Chopin, Tchaikovsky). Anytime a group today plays any of the pieces of these few years, I definitely get a big smile on my face😊

4. Flower Mound 2016: Leonardo’s Dream- Hard to beat this one, those kids were definitely on a mission that year, another one I saw live at a local BOA in my HS days haha. Not one of my favorites, but definitely one of the best productions I’ve seen. Someone flew✈️

5. Hebron 2019: Among the Stars- This one is a favorite, love the variety of sound that all the various sections of the ensemble got to contribute that year, mellophones were fantastic especially that year, and of course, that Million Dreams ballad is fantastic, loved the sax ensembles they had. My favorite viewing of it is definitely the one video where they performed a practice run in that indoor field in Indy, quite fantastic.✨✨

6. Reagan 2019: Secret World- didn’t see this one live but, boy if it’s a marvel to listen to and view from the high cam, you can bet it’d be a fantastic show to watch live. Lapping the competition that year, truly dominant, very unique and it has a ton of stand out visual and musical moments. The best band in a year full of great ones!

7. Castle 2017: Fly to Paradise- I can’t stress enough how I believe this fits the OP’s prompt. If this one’s not in my 10 shows I can only keep, I would be left wanting. A very beautiful tribute for one of Castle’s members, healing the band and the community who lost a young soul and their family far too soon, and potentially some were healed in the audience as well. I very much loved their performance of One Day I’ll Fly Away and Benedictus, have it in my mind as I’m typing this.

8. Hebron 2015: 360- My last Hebron inclusion, but yes, another one of my favorites and one of my early favorites especially, only my second year of HS at this point. Of course, you have the standout ballad, the opening and ending oboe solos are fantastic, more to mention, but anyways! spinning around in circles is cool

9. Vista Ridge 2022: Divisi- if there’s eye candy, this is music to my ears. One could imagine they do just as well this year, if not better. Really hoping this is the case because they KILLED last year. Every section was fantastic, woodwind and brass ensemble stuff, section features, drum features etc. 
a show stopper of a closer. Everything fundamentally was so good for this group🔥🔥

Gonna stop at 9 for now because I am tired😴
 

 

 

 

 

 

[ReveriesOp24]

On 6/3/2023 at 5:09 AM, RooBandAlum2004 said:

I think I'm going to step outside the box a little bit. Add some bands that are not powerhouses and some that are lol

10. Copperas Cove 2022-Miles From Home. 

9. Westfield 2002- Metamorphosis

8. Churchill 2003- Toxic

7. Harker Heights 2021- Serpentine 

6. Dripping Springs 2014-Bohemian Rhapsody in Blue Shades

5. Belton 1995- Opera Unplugged

4. L. D. Bell 2006- The Remaining

3. CTJ 2016- Flashdance

2. L.D. Bell 2004- Blue

1. Leander 2015- Choral Works 

No way you put heights in here😭😭