7/31 - Allentown Day One

Blue Devils - 93.725

Santa Clara Vanguard - 90.575

Blue Knights - 87.875

The Cavaliers - 85.250

Blue Stars - 83.600

The Academy - 80.275

Spirit of Atlanta - 77.900

Mandarins - 75.050

Cascades - 70.900

Pioneer - 65.425

Click Here for Recap

Blue Devils - Taking first in every caption except one percussion score, the Blue Devils had a terrific run as usual. They continue to make strides between every performance. It seems that a corps that beats them one night, will get bested by the Blue Devils the next night. The show continues to grab audiences with the Blue Devils’ creative visual concepts. This following week will be one to watch. Going into Finals, Blue Devils is a corps that will have to watch their back but also may take the whole thing.

Santa Clara Vanguard - Despite some technical problems with their synthesizer, Santa Clara Vanguard put on a terrific performance and lit up the stadium with their hornline. Taking second in every caption except a percussion score where they came in first, Santa Clara is not done yet. Their use of electronics is adding to their show and is captivating audiences at every performance. As an audience member, I can say that they audience went crazy when Santa Clara turned on their LED lights. This is a corps that might make a final surge going into Finals and may turn a few heads.

Blue Knights - Before seeing their show live, I can personally say that I was not a fan. But then after I watched it, I understood the concept a lot more, I loved their visual program, their color guard, and was in awe at their portrayal of “Fly to Paradise” as their closer. Sitting in an island when it comes to scores, I think Blue Knights are working hard to push away from their usual competitors and start being looked at as a Top 6 corps in the next couple years.

The Cavaliers - Run Boy Run. Coming off an illness, The Cavaliers are working hard and making up for lost time and showing audiences that the game is on. Placing fourth in everything except Visual where they tied with Blue Stars, The Cavaliers continue to make late season strides. This is also another show I was not a fan with after seeing them in the theaters on Premiere night. But after seeing them live, I’m glad they changed my mind.

Blue Stars - This is a corps that have had major ups and downs in their season. There were moments in the season when they were sitting strong in seventh place and then there were moments when they were worried about making finals. After seeing them in Allentown, I don’t think they’ll have that worry again. Their show “Side Show” has come a long way. I’m interested to see what happens during Finals Week.

The Academy - Taking on the theme of Mary Poppins, this is probably one of my more liked favorite shows from The Academy. This is a show that’s connecting with the audience and has them walking away from the show humming show tunes. Score wise, they scored sixth in every caption.

Spirit of Atlanta - Coming in seventh place in every caption, Spirit of Atlanta doesn’t seem to be budging from their overall placement. They still have this week to try and climb the ranks a little bit more so maybe we’ll see a very last minute jump from them.

Mandarins - With a surprising twist in scores, Mandarins had tied Spirit for Percussion but A. Kristensen placed their percussion in sixth place. Overall it was a great performance from Mandarins and the crowd really seemed to enjoy it.

Cascades - The corps with a huge competitive surge, it was a treat to finally see Cascades live. They are really improving in all captions and the new look is a great way to introduce fans that Cascades are a corps to watch. They came in ninth in all captions except eighth in one of the General Effect two scores.

Pioneer - Pioneer is continuing to improve their show. Although they finished in last, they are going into Finals week with a program that is more well put together than in years past, in my opinion.