July 27/28 Mississippi

Arrived at D'iberville High School for a two day stay. The first day was spent in rehearsal, the evening - laundry day!

The show Wednesday evening was held at the University of Southern Mississippi, home of Brett Favre. A good show, but plenty of things to work on in the coming weeks.

The corps will moving on to Georgia, where we will have 2 rehearsal days before the Atlanta regional. Looking forward to getting a lot accomplished!

July 26 - Louisiana

Had a great stay at Iowa High School today. Thank to the band and color guard, and band director for being such terrific hosts.

Thunderstorms throughout the day so we moved inside and under cover for the last couple of hours of rehearsal.

No rain at the show, in contrast to Monroe LA in 2008 when the corps got drenched on the starting line.

Show was a mixed bag, some parts showed greater clarity, others still needing work. Plenty to work on before Wednesday night's show in Hattiesburg MS, but we are moving forward!

San Antonio July 25

Today the corps started off with I and E - Individual and Ensemble. The corps was very well represented in a number of categories. You can see the results here: http://bit.ly/bbET5J

Then a well deserved free day down at the River Walk. Off to Iowa, LA , pronounced I-O-Way for housing and a show in Lafayette Monday night.

July 23/24 Dallas/San Antonio

Last two shows in Texas. The show in Dallas Friday night had a rough start but the corps went on to give a solid performance.

Our housing in San Antonio is terrific; St Mary's Hall, a private middle school on a very large, wooded campus. Plenty of field space, great facilities and very supportive hosts.

Saturday's show in San Antonio was the best of the season. Everyone's hard work this past week definitely paid off. A great way to cap off a week of shows here in Texas.

Today, I and E in the morning, then free day at River Walk!

July 21/22 Houston

The corps stayed at Bammel Middle School, a familiar place as we have been housed there in the past. The entire pre show staging was completed during our Wednesday rehearsal day.

Thursday's show was delayed first due to possible lightening, then rain falling. At one point, three corps were assembled under the back stands waiting for the weather to clear!

The performance was good, but there were also several spots that everyone feels can be cleaned up by Friday night's performance in Dallas.

We are in Dallas now, some floor time, rehearsal, then it's Showtime!

July 20 Odessa TX

Show Day: Thunder in the Desert, Odessa TX. The show was at the stadium used in the filming of the movie "Friday Night Lights"!

The weather was great today, especially in contrast to the past few days, although it was a bit windy. The local water on the hand, not so much.

Some parts of the show are showing definite improvement as a result of work during the past few days since the SoCal weekend. Tonight, the corps also had the opportunity to provide the encore performance at the show; all the members enjoyed the opportunity to perform once again; the staff had a good time as well!

Long bus ride tonight to Houston, then a rehearsal day before Thursday night's show.

El Paso TX - Monday, July 19

Monday was a rehearsal day in El Paso TX. The corps worked on several aspects of the show, including sketching in the basics of the pre show. Front sideline screens were also added, and the logistics of getting them on and off of the field addressed.

All sections are definitely showing improvement on a daily basis as we head east during this first week of tour. We are also spending time on getting some of the new brass players into the show.

After rehearsal, the corps is headed off to Odessa, TX for Tuesday night's show, Thunder In the Desert.

July 18 Mesa AZ

Upon arrival in Mesa, the corps rehearsed from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., then rested and slept until it was time to prepare for the evening show: this allowed us to avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day. The school facility was very nice, and a welcome change from the previous couple of days.

During warm up at the show site ("the lot"), the skies opened up with rain, thunder and lighting. After a delay, the show was cancelled, although a couple of corps then performed a standstill (by then we had already packed up the equipment).

It was off to Texas, going through New Mexico, roadrunner territory! The exhibition show in El Paso has been cancelled due to show sponsor issues, but we still have retained the housing site, so it will be a rehearsal day instead.

The staff has been very impressed by the corps members thus far on tour. They have been resilient and done a fantastic job, particularly given some of the logistical challenges in Southern California and the rainout in AZ. They are focused and hardworking in rehearsal, and appear driven in the task of improving the show rep by rep, show by show. They are doing a great job!

Next show is in Odessa, TX, Tuesday night.

July 16 and 17

Our last couple of days in California are now over. During our stay there were some issues with the show sponsor provided housing and rehearsal fields, yet the corps was able to work through them. Saturday's show in Paramount was the best of the season to date.

Shirley Dorritie was with the corps this weekend reinforcing the positive performance visualization techniques and methods she had introduced at the Memorial Day camp. This certainly contributed to the success of Saturday evening's performance.

The corps is now on the road to Arizona for Sunday evening's show in Mesa. By the way, this is the first time since 2006 that the corps was full at the beginning of tour, with every spot filled. This season the corps includes 60 brass, 28 guard, 27 percussion and 2 drum majors (and a brass line alternate as well!)

We're Back on the Road!

After several weeks of shows and rehearsal in California, the buses left Elk Grove CA early Friday a.m. on July 16. A couple of SoCal shows and then on to Arizona and Texas for our first week on the road. A lot of improvements and refinements have been made both visually and musically, with more on the way.

The color guard has a number of theme days, which dictate the rehearsal attire for the day. Today is "Pink Day"!

Everyone is looking forward to a great show in Paramount tonight, our last show in California for the season!