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First Friday Night Lights Performances


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Other programs typically don't post their shows early on in the season whether it be because of copyright or because of the program not wanting other competing schools to see their show or both. Like I know that Bowie is usually very private and does well about keeping their show off the internet until the end of the season.

What is a competing school seeing a school's schow going to do? I can't see how knowing another school's weaknesses or strengths can be capitalized on in such an activity as marching band.

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What is a competing school seeing a school's schow going to do? I can't see how knowing another school's weaknesses or strengths can be capitalized on in such an activity as marching band.

I don't think that it's thought of in that aspect, but as a program not wanting another group seeing what and how well they are performing. It leaves an element of uncertainty and surprise that always brings excitement to the first competitions.

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Aledo's on youtube.  Crappy angle, heard New World Symphony and Sabre Dance, 

 

Brass is very full, should polish very well.  Lots of difficulty combing music and drill, sabre dance on the move in the woodwinds is impressive.  Beautiful flute soloist for the Largo ballad, very nice.  Guard looks really solid, drums as as well.  Marching is very solid individually, can't tell as an ensemble.  Looking like another solid year for Aledo as always.  Congrats on the 5A honor band!

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Is it just me, or does Flower Mound look really clean on the visual ensemble spectrum for this early in the season?

I would say they are at or just a notch below the level of James Bowie and/or Marcus from a visual ensemble standpoint, but it might just be the awesome drill that they're marching (great visual general effect instead of great visual ensemble marching?).

 

And, quoting LKendrick, Keller's colorguard has some field coverage! As for the band, they look solid from a visual standpoint.

 

I can't really comment on the quality of the music for either of these groups because the sound quality in both videos is somewhat distorted.

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Flower Mound is really impressive. I wish the sound was better on the video but even at this point I think I'm going to say I like their show better than last year's. The music is interesting and there's a lot of movement in the drill too. The occasional park-and-blow of course, but I can forgive a few of those. The Arlington regional will not be the cut-and-dried Hebron/Marcus champion we're used to I don't think. If Round Rock and LD Bell put out a good product this year too, I could see the top 5 coming very close. Maybe we'll even see a new regional champ.

 

On that note, does anyone have any reviews of groups we aren't lucky enough to view on youtube (or really just any band viewed live for that matter)? Marcus, Round Rock, LD Bell, Cedar Ridge, The Woodlands, Bowie, Keller Central, etc? 

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Goodness, Leander. I think it's going to be tough for any group to wrestle away the GE caption from them in 2 weeks. My only concern is what might be a bit of an overuse of scatter drill, but I do think it works well for the opening hit. 

 

 

 

Here's Vista Ridge:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U4rgHKLyLw

 

I'm really impressed with Vista. They're executing some very hard drill exceptionally well. I don't think it would be crazy for them to land in the top 5 at BOA Austin. 

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I think Leander is in fine form, and they do a ton of things really well, but their show this year just isn't as compelling as their show last year. For the record, Leander was my pick to win the SA Super Regional last year, so it's not entirely surprising that the show this year might not match last year's. The biggest issue for me (as it stands) is that the show doesn't really have the same elegant sense of flow, visually or musically. For instance, I don't really think the opening music transitions well into the Philip Glass Symphony, although I do really love the Glass piece. The ballad also doesn't match the sheer beauty and emotion of last year's. There are performance issues as well, but it's early enough in the season that I think there's a chance they'll all be fixed by November. Anyway, Leander's success last year definitely wasn't a fluke, and I think they'll place well again this season, but I'm skeptical that Choral Works is 2015's show-to-beat.

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I like Avon's show. I usually do. This year's production, called "Black Gold" (about oil?), seems like a fun, quirky one. I don't think they sound very good right now, but they move so much, and it's so difficult, that I think there will be a bit of a learning curve. They usually shape up by the end of the season. I'll probably be complaining about their music performance right up until Nationals, when I'll start talking about how much better they sound.

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Avon had a TOUGH visual package last year, kicked their butts for most of the year in the videos I saw until around the Indy regional when they really built up the endurance and were able to really sell it.  This year looks much the same, not a good angle, but there's some REALLY tough looking things in there, they're always one to beat, this year looks no different.  3:26, WOAH.  That's gonna be freakin cool.  A show about Oil?  That'll be intriguing in the least.  Love Avon.  

 

I'm personally loving Leander, music is absolutely fantastic, beautiful color scheme.  Some big GE moments in there, that opening hit makes me smile big every time I hear it.  I thought last years show had some issues early on, and then around early October it REALLY started clicking.  We'll see, show aside, they're already sounding absolutely fantastic.  

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Also, VERY impressed with Vista Ridge.  Hinshaw visual program is FANTASTIC!  The guard/dance team costuming and those skirts are just AWESOME, some really neat unconventional moments from them in the front half.  Really cool.  Winds are sounding fuller every new video I see, and drums are starting to REALLY polish.  Love the music as well, they're going places.  The music for the closer at standstill.........ooh.  That's gonna be fantastic.  

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I think Leander's show may be different due to being a UIL year, but it was going to be

hard to follow up Color Study. It'll still be a great show and they have to be a state

favorite for 5A. I can't even wait to see what they throw out next year though since

they are going back to Nationals in 2016. I was part of the group that got 11th in 1999.

We sweated finals, I believe they will be a lock for top 5-6 and can challenge for maybe

even top 3 if it all comes together for them next year and they keep it up. Great staff, an

amazing guard and an amazing GE designer along with tremendous morale and momentum

in the program are helping them soar right now.

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I'm not sure how Rouse will do this season, but man, this is probably the best they have been visually this early in the season (musically, they're doing okay). They are certainly on the rise (even if it might be slowly) and they could potentially become a serious competitor over the next couple years or so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih_46c7oW5w

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