Big Tex

[BigTex]

Here is a picture from Saturday night in the Alamodome. By this point in the season, everybody has settled into their spot in the rankings and there is very little movement. The scores at any one competition are generally in line with the overall rankings. So the Blue Knights are holding steady in sixth place. We will see them again tonight at Lake Highlands High School. And then they will move on to Arkansas on their way to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

I was very unhappy with our Alamodome experience. The competing corps take up about two thirds of the available parking with all of their trucks and buses, so when we got there the parking lot was already full. So we had to hunt for a suitable spot in the surrounding area. Think Fair Park and you will know what we were dealing with. Then we had to walk to the building and take the stairs up to the third level. At intermission I discovered that there was one concession stand open for the entire level. There was an announced attendance of 12,00-plus, so at least 4000 were on the third level. There was a line to get into the concession stand line. I decided to try again in the short gap between two shows and the line was shorter but still pretty bad. So I missed two performances while I was in line. And I'm not making this up, when I finally made it to the front of the line I asked for 2 hot dogs and was told that more hot dogs were 15 minutes out. So I settled for the overpriced drinks and returned to my seat in total defeat. I don't know if that's an Alamodome decision or an Aramark decision, but that was just totally unacceptable. I have already told the Drum Corps International people that we will not return to a show in the Alamodome. Lots of sentiment out there that it needs to be moved to Jerryworld, but I'm not holding my breath.

And then there was Interstate 35. Simply not worth it.

[BigTex]

Forgot to post this. From the performance Monday night at Lake Highlands High School

[BigTex]

If it wasn't a sell out it was pretty close.

[jellowrestling]

Big Tex,

My daughter and son-in-law met while they were in the Phantom Regiment color guard together in 2006 (there are several large pictures of my daughter from that show at the DCI headquarters in Indianapolis, btw. That was "Faust", and she and her husband were feature performers). They are professional dancers in Indy now, and do some movement work with DCI corps. I'll ask them if they have done any work with the Blue Knights this year.

That (DCI) is quite a commitment.

[jellowrestling]

BTW, for anyone who is wondering about BT's "sellout" comment, in light of the empty stands in one of the pictures: fans only sit on the pressbox side.

[BigTex]

Phantom Regiment is holding at eighth place this season. Their 2015 show has a Paris theme, the show begins with the corps formed in the shape of the Eifel Tower. My wife likes the show but it's not my favorite.

Blue Knights and Phantom Regiment fought for seventh place during the 2014 season. Blue Knights had the lead going into
the finals but Phantom Regiment scored higher in their last show and the Blue Knights had to settle for eighth. Of course, the Blue Knights family felt like they got screwed. There were a lot of questions about the judging at the finals as the judges gave the Blue Devils an unheard of perfect score of 100.