2019 BOA Grand National Championships

[principalagent]

Reagan feels a bit like FloMo ‘16 to me. I think they have this one locked up.

[LHSbandDad]

  On 10/18/2019 at 5:45 PM, IndyTarHeel said:

Why do you feel Reagan would dominate...... visual package, music? What gives them that edge that suggest dominance at SA or GN?

I saw them at TMC with Vandy and Leander side by side.  They were the clear winner.  To me it was the "WOW effect" with that massive guard feature where they circle the whole field with flags while running in a circle with the band playing.  They followed that up with another massive feature with the guard during the closer.  Having said that, they are vulnerable and I think they could be beat on any given day.  As has been documented other bands are putting the finishing touches and adding things but there is quite a bit of gap to make up and Reagan would have to not make any improvements (doubtful) for the pack to catch them.  There are several bands who could catch them so I think the earlier prediction of Reagan no lower than top 5 is a good one and most likely top 3.  

[TWHSParent]

  On 10/18/2019 at 6:06 PM, principalagent said:

Reagan feels a bit like FloMo ‘16 to me. I think they have this one locked up.

 

FM was almost 4 points up on the competition that year early season - Reagan is only 2-3. That full point+ closer makes a difference. FM got 5 of 6 possible captions and won by ~2 points at SA. I don't think Reagan will do that this year.

 

Could be wrong of course, but I don't see Reagan's show in that light, at least not yet.

[FEDude]

I'll admit, I'm biased toward Reagan because of the friends I've made from there and their rich band history has my favorite shows. It's an all around strong show. I'm not a fortune teller, so I can't actually say they'd be 1st, it's a hypothetical prediction. Not even a super controversial one either. If they were going, we'd totally be discussing a potential Reagan victory in the same way we're discussing Avon or Hebron right now.

 

I predicted Reagan 1st at SA last year and was obviously wrong. I think they'll be very dominant at SA. I could be wrong too.

[TWHSParent]

Oh, their show is outstanding this year, just not ready to coronate them yet.

[LHSax]

  On 10/18/2019 at 1:03 AM, Musicwiz93 said:

Vista Ridge is going to Grand Nats next year, it has been confirmed.

 

Seems like we all kind of new this was coming, but it’s exciting to see this officially. IIRC, they thought pretty hard about attending this year, but 2020 makes a lot more sense for a lot of reasons (aside from it being a 6A State year). I don’t think LISD was ever going to be able to send 3 bands in a single year, and the Texas 6 that ended up committing for this year makes the GN field pretty crowded. Next year is the perfect year to introduce themselves to the country, with a newly established staff, an emerging new identity, and a guard that is finally coming into it’s own after restarting 4-5 years ago.

[LHSax]

And no one’s calling this a done deal for Reagan (“that’s why we play the game”), but I may take odds of Reagan over the field at this point. This show is just a complete package, with few weaknesses and with plenty of room to grow. As I often do, I agree with PA…This show has a FM 16 powerhouse vibe.

[FEDude]

  On 10/18/2019 at 6:47 PM, TWHSParent said:

Oh, their show is outstanding this year, just not ready to coronate them yet.

You're right, legendary shows aren't made until BOA SA/State/Gnats. When was the last season with more than 1 super legendary show revered the same as FM '16? I think 2015. But it's rare to have a show so good.

[CTJBandPops]

  On 10/18/2019 at 5:44 PM, LeanderMomma said:

I'm totally with you on this one.  There have been too many times in the past where we were so certain a particular band was going to win San Antonio only to see another band's MASSIVE improvement and newly added movements give them the push they needed to take the gold.  As much as I love the Reagan show, I'm not yet convinced it's our Super Regional champion.  Was it the best show the first two weekends in October?  Yes.  Will it be the best show the first weekend in November?  I'm not convinced.  

I would agree - we had BOA Austin, BOA Houston and DFW, - but there are 4 weeks where none of the shows compete head to head - that is a lot of time to adjust and clean - even make major changes. BOA SA will be the first real chance to see all in one event - even that will not be decided until finals - with the 2 panels that are judging prelims, we could see a big change between prelims and finals.

 

add the 2 weeks prior to Indy - and those placements in SA may mean little in LOS

 

SA and Indy will be a heck of a show this year

[LHSbandDad]

I understand the two judges panel system for San Antonio for prelims.  What about for finals?  Is it a 3rd panel or a combination of parts of both prelims panels?

[principalagent]

  On 10/18/2019 at 7:54 PM, LHSbandDad said:

I understand the two judges panel system for San Antonio for prelims. What about for finals? Is it a 3rd panel or a combination of parts of both prelims panels?

Combination of the two.

[TWHSParent]

And we know the judges, just not the captions or panels:

 

Music adjudicators will include Tim Allshouse,George Boulden,Nola Jones,David Starnes, Ken Turner, Jay Webb, Kyle Weirich, and Daniel Wood.•Visual adjudicators will include Lee Carlson, MichaelGray, John Howell, Greg Llacer, Chris Moss, and Tim Ochran.

 

Oops. This is for SA, not GN.

[LHSbandDad]

Does anyone know if there is a Drum Major retreat on Friday evening at the conclusion of prelims?  I know there is a DM retreat on Saturday afternoon and full retreat after finals but can't remember about prelims.

[principalagent]

  On 10/21/2019 at 6:10 PM, LHSbandDad said:

Does anyone know if there is a Drum Major retreat on Friday evening at the conclusion of prelims? I know there is a DM retreat on Saturday afternoon and full retreat after finals but can't remember about prelims.

Yes there is!

[jmartin1056]

Just saw a video of Avon from this past weekend's ISSMA regional. All I can say is that this is the strongest Avon has looked in a few years. There is one moment of the show I don't care for, but as a whole this show is something special. The guard is INSANE. It's hard for me to see them not placing top 3 in finals and ending up with best visual performance.

[Rubisco]

  On 10/22/2019 at 2:30 AM, jmartin1056 said:

Just saw a video of Avon from this past weekend's ISSMA regional. All I can say is that this is the strongest Avon has looked in a few years. There is one moment of the show I don't care for, but as a whole this show is something special. The guard is INSANE. It's hard for me to see them not placing top 3 in finals and ending up with best visual performance.

 

Yep. I think they're easily the best band in the country right now. Amazing visuals, amazing music, unbelievable guard -- it's all there. One of the more obvious Eagle contenders in recent years.

 

The closer is a bit dirtier than the rest of the show, but they'll have it clean by Nationals. I love how they play a few pop tunes that are based on Pachelbel's Canon, like Green Day's Basket Case. Pretty clever. I could do with a few fewer "8 notes!" narrations. I think we got the point the first time around. But it's a minor quibble. All in all, it's a fantastic show. I'll be surprised if the Eagle doesn't stay in Indiana this year.

[principalagent]

Put me in the Avon camp. I think there’s only one band in the nation that could touch them and the furthest that band traveled this season was Houston.

 

Of course I would love to be wrong on this.

[BlueCircle]

  On 10/22/2019 at 2:30 AM, jmartin1056 said:

Just saw a video of Avon from this past weekend's ISSMA regional. All I can say is that this is the strongest Avon has looked in a few years. There is one moment of the show I don't care for, but as a whole this show is something special. The guard is INSANE. It's hard for me to see them not placing top 3 in finals and ending up with best visual performance.

That has to be the best guard ever. I hope I’m wrong but I only see Texas maybe beating that in music, maybe. A performance that good a month before Nats makes me rethink my love for the 8 hour rule.

 

I will say that I’m extremely excited to see what CTJ has been cooking up since Austin. They are the only Texas band that is ambitious enough to at least attempt a visual program like Avon or Carmel.

[Nny14]

Their colorguard is definitely amazing. I could do without that lame narration though. Visually they'll be pretty much impossible to beat but I like what Hebron and Vandegrift are doing musically more.

[LeanderMomma]

I’m enthralled with the colorguard. I’ll have to see the band live to more fully be able to appreciate what it is you guys are saying is so incredible. I feel like something inside my brain must simply not be able to grasp the magic that y’all see and I’m envious because I so badly want to see it too.

[LeanderMomma]

I’ll say this though, I was fortunate to have been given a chance to see Mason’s show and it is absolutely fantastic. My current favorite in fact. Just a real work of art on the football field. Just gorgeous.

[TWHSParent]

My previous question is still something I wonder about - where is the MGE? They received no reaction based on music. Maybe the judges will be enthralled by the esoteric music theory behind the show, but the crowd certainly won't. ISSMA does not place as high a value on MGE as BOA, so it hurts less on that circuit.

[principalagent]

  On 10/22/2019 at 1:12 PM, TWHSParent said:

My previous question is still something I wonder about - where is the MGE? They received no reaction based on music. Maybe the judges will be enthralled by the esoteric music theory behind the show, but the crowd certainly won't. ISSMA does not place as high a value on MGE as BOA, so it hurts less on that circuit.

I don’t think Carmel’s music in 2017 had heavy crowd appeal. Or for some second place MGE examples, BA in 2014, or 2015. Avon is playing an interesting book with a ton of content and clever references that judges—and the audience—can pick up and appreciate. That’ll be enough to shoot their MGE up.

[DeepEllum]

  On 10/22/2019 at 1:25 PM, principalagent said:

I don’t think Carmel’s music in 2017 had heavy crowd appeal. Or for some second place MGE examples, BA in 2014, or 2015. Avon is playing an interesting book with a ton of content and clever references that judges—and the audience—can pick up and appreciate. That’ll be enough to shoot their MGE up.

But will that be enough to top the musical intracacies and engagement that comes in the Vandegrift, Leander, Hebron, TWHS shows? Or the easy to get, fun CTJ show?

 

I think it comes down to the style of judge. Will the music GE judge weigh crowd reaction more for their scores or weigh the connection with the theme and that effect more? Will they factor in the difficulty at all or will it lean more towards emotional appeals? Will they be a fan of that “Texas Loud”? Or a combo of everything? It’s these interpretations that can make a big difference for every competition, but the band that can be the most appealing should prevail. Interesting to see how these bands continue to refine their sound and add more effect in this last month of the season.

[MadisonBandMan1]

THOSE CONTRAS!!!!!!!