Jake W.

Love it!!!! What an interesting crossover. And a terrific use of his talent from BD!

If I'm looking through the scores/my memory correctly, it's the first time they've beaten a World Class corps outside of their neighborhood (Pioneer or Jersey Surf - or any WC corps other than those 2 in general) since refielding in 2009. Congratulations, Cascades!!!! Huge accomplishment!

Interesting point that you're alluding to. I maintain that Phantom isn't catchable by Mandarins, as Phantom is having a banner season with an incredible, tons-of-gas-in-the-tank show and I think it's only a matter of time before they pass Crown and secure 4th. I hadn't considered the idea that there still may be another corps Mandarins could overcome by the season's end... Between Padilla at San Antonio & Miller at Mesquite, that's two GE separate judges who have had Mandarins above Crown in Rep. And...why not? Mandarins have a tight, well-crafted banger of a show this year that has TONS of gas left in the tank as well. Now there's an interesting thought!

The battle for Finals is often my favorite race each season, and this year it's exceptionally thick! Let's look at where they all stand mid-season based on San Antonio numbers: Madison obviously grabbed that coveted 12th spot on Saturday night, and deservedly so!! They blew down the house. But a closer look at the numbers belies a show that could stall mid-season. None of the four GE judges had their design as top 12 in content, and Padilla even had them maxing out their GE content. Visual was excellent - the corps is moving so well together and guard is terrific. 18th across the board in percussion is not at all an average you want to have as scores tighten with your neighbors. Brass scores were great, but the brass judge also had Madison maxing out that caption. Overall, the scores to me paint a picture that the Scouts have found mid-season success due to a good corps cleaning a less-effective/less-challenging vehicle to a higher degree than those around them. Crossmen was by far the most consistently well-received of this group in GE. Plenty of top 12 finishes in both rep & perf to go around. 13th in guard content & seemingly maxing out that caption isn't great, but still in line with consistency across their numbers at this point. Lower scores in brass & percussion probably aren't where Crossmen want to be. Overall, GE would make it seem like Crossmen have the most room to move forward. Just like at DATR, the GE judges were in complete disagreement with BK. I'm not actually entirely certain how that's possible - I have said before that I don't think the show makes a bit of sense structurally, so I'm not sure where that 11th in both sub captions from GE1 came from, but one thing remains clear - this poorly-constructed but passionately-performed show elicits different reactions based on the judge. I'm not sure where that leaves them for the rest of the season. Guard scores aren't great, but percussion scores sure are! I wouldn't have had them so low in brass; BK's brass line is just sensational this season. Overall, it looks like BK's best shot is to get all GE judges on board. Interesting to note that Pacific Crest's GE scores were also all over the place - I just don't think they've brought the "Frida" into this show in an undeniable way yet. The judges aren't convinced either. Those guard scores are punching above their weight and that caption could indeed be a secret weapon for PC. Some good ground to be made up in percussion performance as well. A consistently high GE read would vault Pacific Crest forward nicely through the season's end. Spirit's strengths are obviously brass & percussion; each were 13th respectively, which is terrific for a 17th place corps. Their GE numbers are pretty consistently reading at the low end of this group, though. I don't think Academy will break into Finals, but their numbers consistently indicate that cleaning up across all captions would get them more competitive within this group of corps, and that there seems to be a lot of ground to gain. Guard & percussion scores could keep them up with this group as well. For me, it - ALWAYS - comes down to show design. Kids with great vehicles are wayyyy more apt to push through the end of the season, and staffs are able to better carve out magic & nuance from well-made existing blocks of granite rather than attempting to rebuild them mid-season. Madison & Crossmen both have what I call "vibe" shows - vague themes detailing a plotless thought or mood. I like "vibe" shows a lot, but there's got to be a little drama even with that absence of a plot. Crossmen seem to be finding those highs & lows better right now that make it all just a little more interesting, although both certainly still have pacing issues. Both executed their concepts well, but Crossmen seem to have a lot more room for nuance written into their vibe. PC & Spirit both have what I call "creative world" shows - plotless views into a fantasy realm. These shows can easily fall a little flat without defined moments (Crown's "Beast" or Mandarins' "Subterra"), but can quickly turn into something special with properly-defined structure & moments that make you a part of that world (Troopers 2022 or Colts' "Silk Road"). I think both Spirit & PC are still in the former camp - they're well-constructed, nice shows, but the magic isn't there. Spirit isn't Creaturesy enough and PC isn't Frida-y enough. I want Troopers 2022 - "world" shows aren't usually the proper vehicles for subtle design! Let's see every detail of that world you're inviting us into, and give it a real purpose. The good news is, both shows really have great structure (to my eyes). Nothing big needs to be tinkered with. Just fill in details to make us interested! Bring Creatures to life, bring Frida to life! BK I've expanded upon enough in other threads - the architecture of the design is a mess and doesn't portray busking at all, but the corps is supremely talented and is obviously super hungry to stay in Finals. They drove an improper vehicle over the finish line last season, managing to find the clarity & passion in a flawed design, and they could very well do it again this year, although the competition is stiffer. Let's give these unbelievably-talented kids the vehicle they deserve next season! Academy seems to be right in the traditional vein of "decent show with decent content"; they just need to clean it!

Grow up!

Loooooovvvvvvvvvve the new ending. Pure gold!!!!

Great job, Academy! This is by far the hungriest we've seen them since pre-Covid. I don't think I realized how much I missed the 2015-2019 absolutely stellar iterations of this corps (though with sometimes lackluster show designs) that was always in the mix as a potential Finalist - seeing the 2024 corps' hunger & performance zing made me realize how much I've been missing that energy from them. Excellent to see them back on that track of pushing forward. Seems like the last 2 summers were more just "getting through the season".

Excellent job, Cascades!!!! Frankly, I was a bit worried that they had taken a step back this season watching them a week ago at DATR, even though I readily conceded to myself that the bones of the show were great. I think I just forgot to take into consideration that their tour had really only begun a few days prior to that performance. This is cleaning up nicely - if how well they've cleaned the opener in the last week is any indication of the rest of their season, then they will be just fine. That ballad is really some nice writing and unique staging - they haven't found the clarity in it enough to make it make sense yet, but what they're going for has my interest piqued! I'm really liking the way they're shaping up.

WOW tubas ending that trade off brass feature in the opener!!

Excellent opening flugelhorn soloist from Cascades! Great tone.

Love it, Surf!!!! So so so so sooo great to see this corps large & healthy this year. Sure a lot of that was still a mess, but they legit did just start their touring season. Like every show since they picked up Alan Spaeth in 2019, this is actually a slow, solid design that still allows them to be who they are and have fun. There's some great bones here. Can't wait to watch the show clean and grow through indy!! Great to see you back in San Antonio, Surf!!

Nice job, Genesis! Love the sizzle in their sound this year. That's a juicy, FUN music book they have this year, and wow they're finding the passion in performing it. Sure, they're smaller this year, but they are performing like quite a tight group - like everyone who needs to be there is there.

Did they take out "and the mountains rising nowhere"???? That was a giant section in the closer, I'm surprised they went with such a large rewrite!! I really loved their use of that piece.

And/or pass them altogether! Loving Phantom this year!

I purposefully kept the Flo stream open in a separate tab so that I could revisit it once home tonight - I thoroughly enjoyed watching the show with some beers & then a few whiskeys. Outside of The Cavies (more on that in a minute), wow what an exceptional lineup of top-notch shows this season. Pure excellence all around - everyone is performing on overdrive this year. Other booze-soaked thoughts: Zephyrus is fantastic - can't WAIT to see where this corps goes. The Tulsa area band world is absolutely ready to field a world class drum corps. Excellent performance; I highly anticipate their entrance into Open Class after this season I believe. Cavies are giving super Phantom 2019 "Joan" vibes - a deeply-flawed show (that hopefully, like Joan, crowns the end of a downward trend!!) that the corps proper is just performing the snot out of. Great corps, horrible show. I find Colts & Troop to be endlessly more fascinating & well-designed for the tier. That said, the Man in the Mirror ballad is terrific, with the brass & percussion creating the mirror moments with the two different uniforms. That's cool. Outside of that...woof. Enough negativity. Everyone else tonight was just jaw-dropping, even over Flo. Phantom is absolutely "it" for me this year - how can you not love this show?? The Moonlight Sonata recap is a total earworm that has been refusing to release its grip on my brain. Every time I see catch a video, it just gets clearer & more intense. I love love love this design for Phantom. What a group this year. The "Equilibrium" technical passages in the opener are just wild. I cannot get enough of this show. I love the idea of a top 5 Phantom again! Boston is hands-down my surprise for the night. I haven't caught them much this season, and wasn't expecting the level of maturity that this design brought to the field. They are GOOD. The show is progressive & fresh, the brass is out of this world, the guard is just astoundingly good. While I consistently love Boston each season, this is a massive step up in maturity. If Bloo hadn't come out with such a home run this season, I could see this show running away with it at the moment. I really was floored by Boston tonight, even though I always enjoy them. What a phenomenal show they've come out with, and plenty of legs to grow. Absolutely sensational. I'm totally on board. I expanded much more on Mandarins in their thread, but this show is such a pure pleasure to watch. Totally different from Sinnerman, but the vibe is something that no one else is creating this year (maybe Bloo). They've arrived with the big boys and 100% belong. This show somehow feels light as a feather but dense & murky. I'm in love. If you see it in person, it goes by in a flash, yet somehow feels timeless and totally transports you to a different time & place. I got that same vibe tonight. Their design team won't stop until they're at the top, and this season is yet another step in that direction. An incredible group & design this year. Totally captivating, and content upon content for daysssss. I discussed BD ad nauseam in their thread too - it's too dense and undigestible on an initial viewing to be the instant hit that The Cut Outs was, but that doesn't stop me from loving it. In fact, I'm all in - I know what to look for now and am totally invested in watching the show layer & explore the conceptual ideas throughout the season - and every facet of the corps is to die for. I can't wait to watch this show grow, but I understand why it isn't scoring (as) well. It's brilliant either way, just not as accessible as past shows. Bloo is "it"; it just is. I challenge anyone not enjoying this show to take off their blinders or any biases and imagine their own corps performing this show - who wouldn't want that? It's just fantastic. It took them 8 years, but they found that magic again that shifts the marching arts paradigm and rewrites it all. This is going to be one fun ride - it's insanely good. I don't know if anyone will touch them this season. My one request: make the final build into the Son Lux hit bigger, bolder - more drama! Give me a better build into that glorious payoff! But, how much can I realistically ask that when the entire show is about defying expectations?? Either way, this show is one for the history books. I love it. Crown isn't winning this year, or any time soon, and I realized tonight that that's ok with me. Maybe they're just the corps that plays unbelievably well and maintains their spot near the top and that's that. Would that really be such a crime?? Sure the shows are dated as hell but I found myself not caring tonight. Camelot ended up being quite the masterpiece of a music book and I revisit it often. Marching arts at its finest. If they're a top-notch group each season that can occasionally churn out some brilliant shows, who am I to object?? As long as they never put out another RHRN, I am happy to just sit back and enjoy their wonderful offerings each season, and their incredible talent. This year is no different - great corps, great music book, I'm excited to see this show develop to its end. Yet again, another mind-bendingly good group from them. What a terrific night (and year!) of drum corps! Outside of a few groups, everyone is just knocking it out of the park this summer.