The band did well under Saturday - oops - Sunday Night Lights! They went in seeded 18th and tied for 15th, breaking 85 and earning a bronze level recognition from the NJA-TOB circuit. Quite honestly, I believe they could have done better, but were done in a bit by a later start than they probably needed for a show with technical and musical complexity above what they were used to, and somewhat by the entire seeding and qualifying point spread.
The technical side was interesting for me, given that the show was written by two drum corps veterans, Marty McCartt and Bill Register, that were there with me at the beginning of Carolina Crown (if you want to see and hear a Florida band's version, click here.) and was clinic-ed (not sure that is a word) by a long time drum corps veteran.
Still, maybe it is parental bias, but I am certain the show was well performed - and the duet by MP was near flawless and brillantly played!
Looking at the scores, Chesapeake HS, another (smaller) area band I did not get to see at finals but saw several times throughout the season, didn't get nearly the recognition they deserved, finishing 20th with what really was most likely a top 10 show. This band is small but consistently delivering a good product (and program).
Strangely, I didn't see anything that grabbed me this time, although the better bands demonstrated superior technical marching achievement that goes with repetition and muscle training. Music was good and excellent, but not always spectacular. Among the top 10, the multi-meter piece "The Canyon" by Philip Glass (as brought to the field in 1999 by Santa Clara Vanguard) was attempted three times. My bias is showing - this show is in my "Quintessential 8" of all time, and so it is hard for bands to reach the acheivement level demonstrated by SCV. (Surfing I found his composition "The Witches of Venice" ... will a band try that?)
The season isn't over yet. They have one more event, but it is under the sunlight on Saturday at the USSBA national championships. We'll see how it all ends then.
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