I had the honor of showing up to experience the eighth seasonal Texas D&BC Showcase at the beautiful Cotton Bowl, and the corps were as stunning as ever.

At 6:30PM CST the top fifteen finalists appeared to a crowd of about 13,520. 13 Division I corps were in the finals, as well as 2 Division II corps. The top fifteen were selected by score (with 5 away from DII and 10 from DIII) to determine finalists.

However, we shouldn't forget prelims. Two Division III corps came to perform, and 12 other Division II corps came to vie for the DII gold. Many of those performers are in the stands tonight to witness finals, so if you had performed at all during today- thank you for your efforts.

Now without further ado, let us recap the top fifteen.

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Northern Lights (FAME / 15th) - The Northern Lights from Detroit were our first finalists, opening up the night with their Tribute to Queen. The stadium enjoyed a fun performance, hearing classic Queen songs that people know and love. The vocalist dressed up as Freddie Mercury was a nice touch. 64.125.

Thunderbirds (FAME / 14th) - Dayton, Ohio's Thunderbirds were our DII silver medalists. They are currently 6th in the hot battle for the FMA DII championship. The Thunderbirds brought out "Contact," a space-themed program featuring Space Odyssey, Mars, Nebulous Dawn, and Major Tom. Noteworthy was the visual achievement of this corps for a DII (especially the guard section). The Thunderbirds blended well, the sections working together in running through stellar musical passages. The Thunderbirds earned a 66.325.

Aftershock NZ B (FAME / 13th) - All the way from New Zealand was Aftershock NZ B. Currently, this cadet corps are first in the running for FMA DII, though the fight is close and bitter. Their show "Black Betty" was warmly received by the crowd. The percussion section shined here, earning high percussion scores characteristic of Aftershock corps. Aftershock NZ B earned a 67.350. We wish Aftershock NZ B and the Thunderbirds well as they continue on their DII quest.

Ghost Riders (FAME / 12th) - From Chicago, the Ghost Riders came onto the field with their show A Winters Night. The show told a chilling tale as it narrated events of a winter night. Most notable was the warm, rich toned brass section. Ghost Riders earned a 67.695.

Phantom Legion (FAME / 11th) - Minneapolis's own Phantom Legion played a classic- New World Symphony by Dvorak. It was interesting to hear their interpretation of the piece, each section demonstrating their ability and adding to the corps program. Definitely a corps to watch as they continue in Division I. Phantom Legion scored a 68.410.

Spirit of Atlantis (FAME / 10th) - Nobody knows where they're from. I don't even know. Who are these men wearing rebreathers and suits, looking like they're from a fantasy world? The Spirit of Atlantis was fantastic in many ways, their show Angelus! capturing our attention with both booming, grand fanfares and dark, mystical interludes. Spirit of Atlantis earned a 68.510.

The Holy Regiment B (CLASS / 9th) - The Holy Regiment's feeder corps came in from Charleston, competing in the same division as its main corps. The Holy Regiment B's program was To Tame the Perilous Skies, featuring the David Holsinger composition. The ensemble work for this group was admirable, bringing together a strong show that was completely on air. The Holy Regiment earned a 69.365.

Swiss Regiment (CLASS / 8th) - Our last corps before intermission was the Swiss Regiment, all the way from Zurich. They had earned the silver in the last Texas D&BC Showcase, though they are not as competitive this season. Still, the crowd thoroughly enjoyed "Wind," many in the audience being fans of Swiss Regiment. Wind was the first show to break 70, earning the Swiss Regiment a 71.700.

An intermission followed the Swiss Regiment's show. Two high school drumlines came to battle it out- Round Rock and The Woodlands. Round Rock won the battle.

The Bucs (DCA / 7th) - A huge roar enveloped the stadium as the in-state Bucs came in from San Antonio. Metro was a fast-paced, modern show. Commendations go to the guard for a strong, well executed program. Metro was very ambitious, and we were definitely put on the edge of our seats. 72.835.

Aftershock NZ (FAME / 6th) - Hailing all the way from Christchurch, New Zealand was Aftershock NZ. The Cotton Bowl was a long way from home, but Aftershock yielded many devout fans tonight. Flash! was a strong showing, most notably for the famed percussion section. Strong rhythmic passages at high tempos dominated this performance, and they clinched the high percussion award at sixth place. Aftershock NZ continues on their tour with a 74.490 under their belt.

The Raiders (DCA / 5th) - The Raiders, another corps from San Antonio, marched onto the field to applause. The Raiders presented a lax, cool show- The Jazz Lounge. It was a very downtempo, rich performance that lulled people with smooth, complex melodies. And yet, the performance never took itself too seriously. A wonderful jazz program, for sure. The Raiders earned a 75.265.

West Texas Thunder (CLASS / 4th) - From West Texas was another local showing- the West Texas Thunder. West Texas performed "Cathedral Music," mixing plenty of classical cathedral compositions. The church bells from beginning to end were fantastic, especially during the second movement and closer. Cathedral Music earned high marks for its strong musicality, and I personally fell in love with their performance of Elsa's Procession. 76.965 for the West Texas Thunder.

The Arsenal D&BC (FAME / Bronze) - The host Arsenal Drum & Bugle Corps were highly anticipated, and the cheers were loud for yet another in-state corps. "Space Opera" explored the grandeur of human spaceflight primarily through fantastic fanfares and moving melodies. Arsenal had a strong performance across the board, but primarily so in the music. The use of radio sounds from NASA missions added interesting flavor and authenticity to the program. It was a great showing for the corps- with loud cheers and standing ovations after the end of the epic "Shoulders of Giants" closer. The Arsenal walked away with a 78.190 and the bronze.

The Holy Regiment (CLASS / Silver) - From Charleston, SC came The Holy Regiment. Holy Regiment's program for this season was "The Masters of Mystique - The Dawn of Modern Music." The corps performed musical selections recognized for helping usher in the modernist era in music- these pieces all from Stravinsky, Debussy, and Schoenburg. The Holy Regiment was strongly received; lots of applause for this CLASS powerhouse. They earned the silver, breaking 80 with a 80.210. The Holy Regiment also won the brass caption.

The Tullahoma Azure Force (CLASS / Gold) - This Tennessee corps stepped onto the field with pride in their name. Excitement was brewing for the world-class Tullahoma Azure Force. The corps set their sails for the gold tonight with "Her Majesty's Royal Navy," a show celebrating the naval tradition with sea-themed musical selections. Tullahoma is currently vying for the FMA title, and "HM's Royal Navy" was a fantastic demonstration for their potential to sweep the championship title. Tullahoma won tonight's competition with a score of 88.740, a whopping 9 points past 2nd place. Tullahoma also took home the caption for music ensemble, as well as all visual and general effect captions.

The Arsenal D&BC came on after Tullahoma to perform some unique arrangements for the crowd as they waited for scores. The Arsenal Based Mob went first with their version of "Nuthin But A 'G' Thang" by Dr. Dre. Next was the drumline's performance of "Double Beat 9001." Finally, the corps came together to play "A House is Not A Home" by Burt Bacharach.

Thank you to all the performers at the eighth Texas D&BC Showcase, and good luck on the rest of tour! We hope to see you again next season.

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FINALISTS
1. The Tullahoma Azure Force / CLASS - 88.740
2. The Holy Regiment / CLASS - 80.210
3. The Arsenal D&BC / FAME - 78.190
4. West Texas Thunder / CLASS - 76.965
5. The Raiders / DCA - 75.265
6. Aftershock NZ / FAME - 74.490
7. The Bucs / DCA - 72.835
8. Swiss Regiment / CLASS - 71.700
9. The Holy Regiment B / CLASS - 69.365
10. Spirit of Atlantis / FAME - 68.510
11. Phantom Legion / FAME - 68.410
12. Ghost Riders / FAME - 67.695
13. Aftershock NZ B / FAME - 67.350*
14. Thunderbirds / FAME - 66.325*
15. Northern Lights / FAME - 64.125

*denotes Division II groups, whose scores are adjusted

Full scores can be found here: http://www.fantasymarchingarts.com/event/27189

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ALL-LEAGUE AWARD

The All-League Award goes to the league with the most finalists. Ties are broken by combining the total score of all members.

Winner: FAME - 8
CLASS - 5
DCA - 2

Very nice review! I have a question though. Why are D2 scores brought down?

Everyone competes against each other at TDBC Finals regardless of division. The point removals are simply for placement purposes. It's like in DCI, how Open Class scores drop a little when competing with everyone at prelims.

It leaves just enough space for DII and even DIII (see last season's event) members to make it, but still removes enough advantage to keep things realistic.

So an 85.000 DIII won't come in winning top 3, but it will still be around the middle of the board at finals. The corps will be recognized as ahead of the curve and potentially able to compete in higher divisions, but it wont unrealistically displace units from higher divisions.

Ah i understand. Thanks!

We're from Plato's ideal state and the minds of many Renaissance writers :) Honestly I got the name from Spirit of Atlanta's Facebook page. They posted a pic with Spirit of Atlantis, and I thought, "wow, that would be a really cool name for a fantasy drum corps."