While I think Esperanza has some talented players, the marching band horns are a definite liability. Though their numbers are nearly the same as West Coast Sound, they didn't have a fraction of the sound, power, or projection. First show of the night to part the audiences hair. Forget the theme and all you've heard about it being a Joan of Arc show. This group has all the elements to be top 12, just in a slightly smaller package.
Visual show fits the music as well or better than anything else on the field tonight.
I recorded in mono to get the most time on my minidisc, but I will record this one in stereo in the future, because the stereo imaging of the sound is so very important in this production. The sound really moves around much more than in the average show. The guard seems overwhelmingly massive. Truly a hidden jewel of So. Unis seem plainer than I remember them, like they removed piping or buttons or something.