I tuned in late and only got to see Phantom and Stars.
I was disappointed by Phantom overall. I thought the opener was riveting, but after that it sort of fell flat. I am turned off by out of time scampering across the field, which seemed prevalent on first viewing. I don't understand this design philosophy or how is it rewarded. I mean, I can teach a five year old to run over there and stand by the metal thingie.
To me, every moment of scat...ter drill is a moment you don't have to clean, effectively reducing the length of the show. I had Phantom far below the Stars
The Blue Stars were a treat. Visually interesting, great guard work. Whole lot going on. Not sure about the hi hat perc feature. Those always sound too muddy for my taste. Huge upside (downside up?) to this show.
Saw the trooop live stream, and was mesmerized by the prop like everyone else. Another solid vehicle for this corps. I think they will be back in finals this year.