It is 7PM CST and in a few minutes, the finals round of the seventh seasonal Texas D&BC Showcase will begin. If you're watching online or in theaters, kick back, relax, and enjoy the show. If you're watching live here at the Alamodome, prepare yourself for a blast of sound from these great fifteen ensembles. Remember to cheer for them, as these performers have worked diligently to create the products you will see on the field tonight.

Earlier today, thirty corps from the FMA displayed their finely crafted shows. Seven Division I corps appeared, as well as 9 from D2 and 14 from D3. The top fifteen were selected- determined by score (with five points taken away from D2 and ten from D3 to accurately place each group)- to go onto the finals competition.

Some of those who were on the field earlier today are in the stands watching right now, and we would like to thank you greatly for coming out to perform for us tonight.

Now, without further ado- on to the first finalist corps, which seems to be marching on right now...

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The Commonwealth Crusaders (FAME, D3, 15th) - From Bassett, VA, the first corps off the field tonight is D3's champion. The Commonwealth Crusaders hits the field with a drum corps arrangement of the iconic Rite of Spring by Stravinsky. The brass was undoubtedly the shining star in this ensemble. They received a score of 52.110 (62.110).

Dark Regiment (GEDC, D2, 14th) - Next off is the Dark Regiment, from Atlanta! Their show is A Lighter Side. They are our first D2 corps and performed alright for a first-time D2. 53.135 (58.135) points to them.

Star of Indianapolis (REGAL, D2, 13th) - The Star of Indianapolis, from Indianapolis, IN, marched onto the field in finals competition after Dark Regiment. A very intellectual and moving program, Free the Mind was a very satisfying show to watch on the field. They achieved our first >60 score, 60.545 (65.545).

Firestorm (CLASS, D2, 12th) - Firestorm comes here tonight from BCPA. Where is that? No idea. What we do know about Firestorm, however, is that their shows always seem to stay with the crowd, and indeed it did tonight. Stand Up featured Creep, Bully, and You'll Never Walk Alone- songs that the crowd can really get into. The winds gave a strong first impression during Creep, and the percussion hit hard during Bully. YNWA left the audience with a torn heart. The crowd really "stood up" for this one, as is expected for a CLASS ensemble. 61.215 (66.215) for them.

Northern Warriors (FAME, D2, 11th) - The Northern Warriors are from Wausau, Wisconsin. Their show, Second, literally took one second. And then they marched off the field after playing the second of their show "Second" the second time today. The second from today's second performance of "Second", however, was pretty decent. 65.945 (70.945) and 11th place for them.

unstoppable (CLASS, D1, 10th) - Taking 10th place tonight is our first Division I corps, coming all the way from nowhere. We can infer that they are from Wyoming. (Sorry, Wyoming.) Their show Warpath was quite rhythmically inclined. 67.315 for them.

Red Lightning Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps (CLASS, D1, 9th) - The Red Lightning Regiment comes from Lynchburg, VA. Their show Requiem's Dream interestingly included a choral section to assist with some major elements in the show. They slid by unstoppable, with 67.860.

The Moingona (FAME, D2, 8th) - D2's bronze medalist today performed after Red Lightning. The Moingona comes from from Des Moines, Iowa, and they performed selections from the 2009 movie retelling of A Christmas Carol. Some in the audience grumbled at first to see what might have been a cheesy Christmas show, but the Moingona instilled in the Scrooges a little Christmas spirit. The judges feel just as well, awarding our first >70 score, 72.065 (77.065).

A thirty minute intermission took place after The Moingona's performance. Two San Antonio drumlines came to duke it out during the intermission- the Ronald Reagan HS and Claudia Taylor Johnson HS drumlines had a Drumline Battle. CTJ won.

Jägerbombers (FAME, D2, 7th) - D2's silver medalist came almost as an answer to the jolly Christmas tale presented by the Moingona. From Pierre, South Dakota, The Jägerbombers dropped Merry Christmas lies, playing the (not stolen from Pagans) music of Christmas in a darker, slightly more sinister version. They slid by The Moingona, with a score for 72.260 (77.260).

Pure Insanity (CLASS, D1, 6th) - Next up is the fifth placer from Division I. Pure Insanity came from Elizabethtown, KY, and they performed their show "Considered Armed & Dangerous." Pure Insanity blasted away to widespread crowd applause, and the corps does sound just like their program. They received a 73.290.

Fixed Arrow (CLASS, D2, 5th) - Our final D2 for the night is the Division 2 gold medalist Fixed Arrow. Currently, Fixed Arrow leads in the overall FMA D2 standings. Standing ovations for this corps from Broken Arrow, OK, who performed their show The Red Queen. Fixed Arrow left no doubt in the audience's minds of their D2 standing, as expected of a CLASS ensemble. Hopefully they'll be back next season again in the big leagues. 73.990 (78.990) for Fixed Arrow.

The Arsenal Drum & Bugle Corps (GEDC, D1, 4th) - Lots and lots of love for this next corps coming onto the field. The Arsenal is the hometown favorite, competition host, and the only Texas corps in finals today. With an explosive sound, The Arsenal took it away with a story of Redemption, expressed in winding songs of hope. Applause for these hometown heroes as they nab fourth and continue on their first true D1 competitive season. 75.510 for The Arsenal.

Red Hand (CLASS, D1, Bronze) - The bronze medalist today is Red Hand from Mason. Their show Nightmare gave audiences a fright. The ensembles worked well together in order to achieve such a strong scare factor. The judges subsequently handed them the bronze with our first >80 score, 80.260.

Swiss Regiment (CLASS, D1, Silver) - The crowd noise was insane, even inside the relatively quiet Alamodome. It was one of the corps people were coming to see. The Swiss Regiment all the way from Zürich, Switzerland marched onto the field. Shostakovich's pieces are not uncommon in the marching arts, and when it's the Swiss Regiment, you can expect to hear it played well. The Swiss took home the caption awards for Winds, Percussion, Visual Perf, and Colorguard. They also took home the silver medal. The Swiss Regiment obtained an 88.315.

Blue Deviled Eggs (Independent, D1, Gold) - If the applause for the Swiss Regiment was loud, then the applause for the BDE was deafening. From the frying pan of Concord, California, the Blue Deviled Eggs marched in with a mission. "If we don't win by a lot, we better win by a little." And so did that phrase dictate the performance of this many-time World Champion corps. "Blue" was a hit with the audience, and the BDE nabbed the M Ens, V Ens, M GE, and V GE captions. The highly competitive BDE continues on their way with yet another golden trophy to stack in their trophy hall. 89.290.

Ending the night was a drumline battle between The Arsenal D&BC and Fixed Arrow (Winner: Arsenal), as well as an encore by The Arsenal, who played an arrangement of "Azz & Tittiez" by Three 6 Mafia as well as "A House Is Not A Home" by Burt Bacharach.

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LONE STAR ALL-LEAGUE AWARD
The new seasonal Lone Star All-League Award recognizes the league with the most finalists. Any ties will be broken by awarding it to the league with the highest overall score (all members combined).

CLASS - 7
FAME - 4
GEDC - 2
REGAL - 1

The first Lone Star All-League Award goes to CLASS!