MarchingMafia

I'm stoked for them! Loved their performance today, and think they often get ignored because all the attention is on Vandy. Talked to a couple kids from The Woodlands and Marcus after the show and they were really thrilled for VR.

Anyone else think there should be an audience choice award as well? Hold on, I'm going to talk to the guys down on the field.

FloMo's show is just visually stunning. Very artistic but also such great sound. It can be hard for a band of this size to find the sweet spot with their sound and not enter the territory of blaring cacophony, but this one nailed it. Excellent performance FloMo!

Whoa... The Woodlands. That was more fun than any marching should be allowed to have. Such skill in bringing out the big sounds then mellowing it out to calm us all down. Your trombone soloist just killed me and that brass feature brought it all back together. Dang! One of my top 3 for today by far!

Marcus may have earned the biggest standing ovation of the afternoon with that performance. That is exactly what a concert band that marches should sound like. Your brass section is amazing and those euphoniums in the middle section are like velvet. Woodwinds lifting the ballad beautifully and I don't think I need to mention percussion - it's Marcus.

Love that Pearland threw out some big brass without going harsh on their sound! That was absolutely WoW! Loved every minute that performance!

Well, this was the first time I was able to see Vandegrift all the way through. Beautiful presentation. Loved the dance team's uniforms. They definitely had a cosmic feel. I didn't love the actual music though. I kept waiting for something resembling a song to be played. There was a lot of beat and plenty of horn toots, but not enough melody tying it all together for me. But to each their own. They are highly regarded for a reason.

Congrats FloMo! Well deserved! Hebron, you're a classic! Marcus you earned it! What a performance. Lewisville ISD Powerhouse!

I actually agree with you both. I just think they're going to score higher based on the technical difficulty of their music overall, even though the execution had errors.

I'm going with: 1) Hebron (Wish it was FloMo cause I liked their show better but I get it.) 2) FloMo 3) Marcus (Cause they were musically cleaner than Vandy by a long shot). 4) Vandegrift (There were a lot of musical errors. If they don't get counted I'm going to believe it when people say it's rigged). 5) Vista Ridge 6) Rouse 7) The Woodlands 😎 Pearland 9) Ronald Reagan 10) Cedar Ridge (11) McNeil (12) Cedar Park (13) Coppell (14) Round Rock (15)Seven Lakes

Oh dear, Marcus, I am breathless. That sustained part is incredible. I keep waiting for you to breathe and you don't. I don't even know what to say. You're clean. You're precise. You're beautiful. Just what I was hoping for. Thank you

Oh Lord, I'm agreeing with the clarinet guy somewhat. I'm not feeling any of these top 3 (even Hebron buddy). Maybe I'm just tired. They've executed their shows well but it's not waking me up. One more to go.

Omg, what?! Truly phenomenal. Just an incredible performance all around and I would never have guessed because your sound is BIG. You definitely punch above your weight.

No kidding! What just happened?! Vista Ridge was ridiculous. Just incredible all around. Is it just me or is each performance like "No one can top this!" then the next band goes, "Oh yeah? Watch this!"

The Woodlands - bellisimo! Presentation was outstanding. I'm a big fan of low brass and you knocked it out of the dome! All around phenomenal performance!

Dang, that's crazy. McNeil, Marcus and Cedar Park laying it down with almost 100 fewer people on the field. Those kids are kicking serious A$$ right now to be in finals. It's a lot harder to hide mistakes when you need everyone playing to create your sound vs having extras to provide visual enhancement without needing to play. I'm just blown away by the level of talent all these programs are churning out.

Anyone know who has the smallest ensemble in finals? p.s. Not that the focus is on size. Just wondering who is over performing considering the size of bands they're up against. Some of these bands are over 400 strong while a couple I've seen can't be more than 200-250. Let the size innuendos begin

The height of insecurity is being unable to appreciate brilliance in others because you are afraid it makes your accomplishments seem smaller. The opposite is in fact true. The greater the obstacle, the more heroic the victory. If I'm Hebron, or this "clarinet player", I'd rather beat a bunch of bands that are amazing asf than a bunch of bands that are lame asf. Which one says more about the abilities of my band? Hmmm...?

Wow Round Rock! Talk about visual presence! Loved your formations and couldn't wait to see what was coming next. Looked like you were having tons of fun when you cut loose.

Pearland looking good as always. Really liked the woodwinds in the middle part with the front ensemble. It was a fun little feature. Great work!

I'm excited for finals, but also bummed Wylie didn't advance. I really liked their show this year and thought it was a big step up from what they've done in the past. It's going to be an exciting evening!

Hoping to see them in finals. Haven't seen their show since Bedford but it was really good even that early in the season. Bummed I'm missing the afternoon block.

I so agree with this! Had to get everyone packed for the road trip to SA and missed the rest of the morning line up. Have seen several of the shows at other contests already and know they did beautifully today as well. I do think sometimes Vandegrift and Hebron get an automatic leg up in preference because of reputation and past performances, but there's no arguing they are both tremendously talented programs. It's not as if people are saying they are amazing and in reality they aren't. Those bands are both tremendous. There are a lot of underdogs in the fight though that are putting out podium worthy performances who I think maybe don't get the credit they deserve for not only hanging with some of these behemoth legends, but honestly outperforming in my opinion in terms of pure aesthetics, emotion and audience engagement. I'm not a music expert so I know there's a lot the judges are aware of that I totally miss. I only know what I like when I hear it and see it. These kids are all amazing. Every single band that takes the field deserves to be there and they are playing their hearts out. They are literally the best of the best. We all have our preferences and I don't see a problem in comparing the shows themselves, that's the nature of the contest. If you're going to speak on a single band by name, and not the performance they just left on the field, please for the sake of the kids who are living the emotions of all of this, let your words be ones that lift them up.

I don't know how Marcus makes such big sound for such a small band! And y'all I swear I don't think those kids ever stop moving. Good grief, this band throws goosebumps every time I see them perform. The brass again killing it and the overall musical ensemble just smashing it.

Dawson's formations are cool. You can tell they've been working those dots. Watching on Box5 this morning and their show looks good on the big screen. This lineup is crazy tough.