jwillis35

Boston is really really good. They are doing what most corps should be doing...and that is cleaning the heck out of this show. I absolutely love their music. Guard is stunning and will get better. Percussion was really hot tonight. Brass sounds great and in tune for the most part. Be careful mellos...I hear it when you're not quite there. But for the most part when it comes to performance captions these folks can throw down. They are legit for sure.

Bluecoats guard was on FIRE tonight. Brass sounds much better now to my ears. Percussion was rocking. A very enjoyable show for sure.

That section is just wild and full of great rhythmic grooves. Great music and fantastic visuals.

Oh HOLY MOLY Bluecoats guard! That flag work was on point! Nice.

Carolina Crown really brought it tonight. As always you know their brass line is going to be fantastic...and they were. There was all kinds of brass goodness in this show. That ballad may be one of the best things and some of the most controlled playing I've heard in DCI. Their soloists were just perfection. Percussion sound mighty good to me tonight. Love their guard. I think GE will be the key for Crown. Let's see where they go with this but as of now all I can say is I LOVE THIS SHOW. I like Phantom's show just as much and think Phantom is not that far away in terms of GE. But the music ensemble for Crown is just incredible.

Just glorious! I really believe Phantom Regiment is on an island in 5th. And the shows in 3rd and 4th better not look back. I love Mandarins. I do have them over Cadets tonight, but Phantom's show is a bit more readable, effective, with I believe a higher ceiling to grow and communicate to the audience. It's a monster production that is both visually and musically stunning. Mandarins and Cadets are magnificent and I love those shows, but Phantom is perhaps a point or more over those two shows.

Incredible...talk about effective staging and field use as Phantom sets up the ballad. Very nice.

This brass line is top shelf. Blend is so wonderful.

Maybe the best use of tarps I've seen. Let's go Phantom!

The Mandarins are just SOOOOOO GOOD! Attitude, great music, fantastic guard. The show just keeps moving and flowing. The color scheme is in your face and effective. And @ChiefGuns those tubas are amazing! Your son and the others are having a blast and performing like a top 6 corps should.

I like the closer much more now. Diagonal front moves better and the step-over is cool. The big circular form with guard is very nice. Last set is good for now but I think that will change. Brass kind of over-blow the show from WSS to the end and hence have some serious intonation issues. All that said there is a super nice show in there. It has come a long way and we are beginning to watch one of the great percussion lines take off. If they can find the musicality and finesse needed for the music book and also clean this visual program they can definitely move up.

Nice big open form as they go into Somewhere from WSS. But this low brass intro is not too readable and sounds muddy. Mellos are seriously strong and may be bit too much on the big climactic hit. They need to sort out their ensemble balances here.

This percussion section could easily win high drums come Finals. I mean that percussion feature just lit my hair on FIRE.

The 1st song for Cavaliers is just wonderful. I pretty much love everything about it. Song 2 here is losing me musically but DANG that percussion section...HOLY WOW.

I love when Cavaliers play backfield. This opening moment is gorgeous.

WOW, Troopers! Crowd just erupted at the end of that show. I don't think anyone uses the entire field better than Troopers do this year. And that drill leading up to the final company front was awesome. Crowd was ready for that hit and craving it. This is almost the perfect vehicle for the Troopers. Great music, staging, and I love their guard and all the improvements. They need to clean the feet and the intervals. In that sense they are still quite dirty. But it is undeniable the enthusiasm and joy this show is bringing to the crowd this year.

Blue Stars were fantastic! A difficult theme or concept to pull off but I love how the colors change throughout the show. Brass is really good and powerful. Percussion has cleaned a lot and I love their guard and the silks. Sometimes I feel there are too many things going on at once but all in all I really dig this show. Keep pushing and cleaning Stars.

Dang CADETS!!! That was one heck of a performance. Brass and percussion continue to be top notch, and the guard is really doing an outstanding job. This show just gets stronger and stronger. Just for the music book alone I absolutely LOVE this show. That closer...when that cleans and they can boost the tempo just one more notch we are talking sheer excitement. Tonight's performance order may hurt, but keep pushing Cadets. Still plenty to clean in the visual book for sure.

Oh yeah bass drums...I hear ya!

Oh yes! WOW and Bravo!!!!

The articulations of this Thai group are just pristine.

Nice. Now that is how trombones should sound. This group sounds fantastic. Very wind ensemble/ concert band like performance with awesome articulations, almost perfect ensemble balances, and incredible control of sound, range, and dynamics. There are many indoor concert bands that don't sound this good. BRAVO BRAVO!!!!

I am very happy to see Pacific Crest doing so well. The show is enjoyable and some very fine staging. Visually the show is close to being a solid top 12 contender. Musically it's not quite there. Brass is certainly strong and I enjoyed their performance but they do not have the same depth the Colts have. The Colts percussion and brass really kind of sets them apart from PC. But I have to admit I may like the visual color scheme better with PC. Both are outstanding shows. But I give the edge to Colts for now.

Really nice, Colts! Love that closer. When the brass hits that company front and locks it in visually with the body moves I think that section looks fantastic. They should pull a Santa Clara pants change there to all white and close the show with a nice color pop...much the way the guard is doing with those closing silks. Great music throughout the show.

Blue Knights were very good today. I am enjoying the show more and more. Brass is getting better. Nice job overall and I do like the music a lot. Colts have really cleaned up. Mature brass sound and not overly forced. Great solo players. Trombone solo and soli section is very nice. Some strong players. I just wish every trombone solo in DCI didn't feel like they needed to use glissando. Too much clowning around when the instrument is capable of so much more. Colts guard doing a nice job and the staging is very good.