2023 DCI Southwestern Championship presented by Fred J. Miller, Inc.

Giddy Up, It's Time for Texas Tour | 3 Things You NEED To Know

Giddy Up, It's Time for Texas Tour | 3 Things You NEED To Know

It's time to gear up for Texas Tour! Here are 3 things you need to know about the July 17-23 competition span leading up to the Southwestern Championship

Jul 14, 2023 by Natalie Shelton
Giddy Up, It's Time for Texas Tour | 3 Things You NEED To Know

Buckle up because it's officially time for Texas Tour!

Drum corps from across the nation will converge on the Lone Star State for a week of competition from July 17th through July 22nd, all leading up to the big mid-way point showdown: The Southwestern Championship. Almost every World Class corps will be in attendance at the day-long battle for first place at the Alamodome, allowing fans to see how each ensemble stacks up against each other when scored by the same judging panel. 

Competition is going to be hot, so three things you need to know about this year's Texas Tour:

Everything You Need To Know About DCI 2023

Weekly Watch Guide: July 17-23 📺   |   DCI 2023 Top Moments, According To Fans 🎥  |   Stream FloMarching Radio 🎧   |

WATCH NOW: Carolina Crown Full Closer 👑⚔️   |   DCI 2023 Archives With Sound 🔉

1. BD, Boston, Bluecoats, and Crown To Face Off in Broken Arrow

You're not going to want to miss this one, folks - Blue Devils, Boston Crusaders, Bluecoats, and Carolina Crown will face off for the first time during the 2023 season at DCI Broken Arrow on July 18th. These four have been neck-and-neck since the season first began, and fans are eagerly anticipating seeing what the outcome will be when they all meet on the same competitive field. 

On July 5th, Boston Crusaders, Bluecoats, and Carolina Crown met for the first time during the 2023 season at the Summer Music Games in Cincinnati, and as expected, it was a photo finish to see who would come out on top. At the end of the day, Carolina Crown was victorious after earning an 80.150, while Bluecoats claimed second (79.850), and Boston third (79.750). The point spread between those three corps? 0.4 points. Holy moly. Since then, scores have only increased and caption margins have remained slim, adding fuel to the fire of who will be crowned as victor at the Southwestern Championship.

It'll certainly be interesting not only to see who will come out on top, but who will have top marks in each caption - percussion, color guard, brass, general effect, and visual. Based on most recent scores, Blue Devils are holding strong as the leader in all captions, but it's likely we'll see some changes once the corps are in front of the same panel of judges. 

Tune in to DCI Broken Arrow on July 18th at 9pm ET / 8pm CT. More info listed below.

And speaking of the caption races...

2. Current Rankings and Caption Leaders (as of July 11th)

Time to delve into everyone's favorite subject: rankings and caption leaders. There's an overwhelming amount of data and numbers constantly changing after every competition, so here's an overview of where everyone stands:

World Class
1Blue Devils85.150
2Bluecoats
84.900
3Boston Crusaders83.850
4Carolina Crown83.100
5Phantom Regiment81.400
6The Cadets79.600
7Mandarins79.200
8Blue Stars78.400
9The Cavaliers77.650
10Spirit of Atlanta77.100
11Colts76.800
12Troopers73.650
13Blue Knights73.525
14Madison Scouts73.200
15Crossmen
73.050
16Pacific Crest72.350
17The Academy72.000
18Music City71.800
19Genesis67.650


Open Class
1Blue Devils B71.850
2Spartans
69.000
3Gold68.700
4Golden Empire
65.450
5Impulse
62.550
6Vessel
61.050
7River City Rhythm60.350
8Colt Cadets57.200
9Blue Devils C55.450
10Heat Wave
55.150
117th Regiment
53.800


And here's how the Percussion, Color Guard, and Brass caption race looks:

Percussion Caption Race (as of July 11)
1Blue Devils17.000
1Bluecoats
17.000
3Boston Crusaders16.600
4Carolina Crown16.400
5The Cavaliers16.300
6The Cadets
16.200
7Mandarins16.100
8Troopers16.000


Color Guard Caption Race (as of July 11)
1Blue Devils17.300
2Boston Crusaders17.000
3Bluecoats16.800
4Carolina Crown16.600
5Phantom Regiment16.300
6Blue Stars16.200
7Mandarins16.100
8The Cadets16.000


Brass Caption Race (as of July 11)
1Blue Devils17.100
2Bluecoats16.800
3Boston Crusaders16.600
4Carolina Crown16.500
5Phantom Regiment
16.100
6The Cadets15.900
7Troopers15.800
8Mandarins15.700


If you're interested in keeping track of rankings, be sure to bookmark our Rankings tab! There, rankings will be updated every Monday morning to reflect the previous week's scores. We'll also be keeping tabs on the caption races and updating our audience every Tuesday on Instagram.

3. Six Shows Streaming LIVE on FloMarching

Prepare to have your calendar filled because we've got six show streams coming your way from July 17th through the 22nd. Here's everything you need to know, including start time, competing ensembles, watch links, and Rebroadcast links:

West Texas Drums

July 17 | Canyon, TX

Start Time: 6:30pm CT

Event Schedule:

  • 6:30pm - Gates Open
  • 7:30pm - Welcome & National Anthem
  • 7:40pm - Guardians
  • 7:57pm - Seattle Cascades
  • 8:14pm - Pacific Crest
  • 8:31pm - The Academy
  • 8:48pm - Mandarins
  • 9:05pm - Troopers
  • 9:22pm - Blue Knights
  • 9:39pm - Encore - Blue Knights
  • 9:47pm - Scores Announced

STREAM LIVE HERE

More Information | Rebroadcast Information

DCI Broken Arrow

July 18 | Broken Arrow, OK

Start Time: 8:00pm CT

Event Schedule:

  • 6:30pm - Gates Open
  • 8:00pm - Welcome & National Anthem
  • 8:17pm - Zephyrus Drum & Bugle Corps
  • 8:34pm - Phantom Regiment
  • 8:51pm - Blue Stars
  • 9:08pm - Carolina Crown
  • 9:25pm - The Cadets
  • 9:42pm - Bluecoats
  • 9:59pm - Boston Crusaders
  • 10:16pm - Blue Devils
  • 10:41pm - Scores Announced

STREAM LIVE HERE

More Information | Rebroadcast Information

DCI Austin

July 20 | Austin, TX

Start Time: 8:00pm CT

Event Schedule:

  • 6:30pm - Gates Open
  • 8:00pm - Welcome & National Anthem
  • 8:10pm - Spirit of Atlanta
  • 8:27pm - Seattle Cascades
  • 8:44pm - Genesis
  • 9:01pm - The Academy
  • 9:18pm - Music City
  • 9:35pm - Blue Knights
  • 9:52pm - THe Cavaliers
  • 10:09pm - The Cadets
  • 10:34pm - Scores Announced

STREAM LIVE HERE

More Information | Rebroadcast Information

DCI Denton

July 20 | Denton, TX

Start Time: 8:00pm CT

Event Schedule:

  • 6:30pm - Gates Open
  • 8:00pm - Welcome & National Anthem
  • 8:10pm - Guardians
  • 8:27pm - Pacific Crest
  • 8:44pm - Crossmen
  • 9:01pm - Madison Scouts
  • 9:18pm - Phantom Regiment
  • 9:35pm - Carolina Crown
  • 9:52pm - Bluecoats
  • 10:09pm - Boston Crusaders
  • 10:26pm - Encore
  • 10:51pm - Scores Announced

STREAM LIVE HERE

More Information | Rebroadcast Information

DCI Houston

July 21 | Houston, TX

Start Time: 8:00pm CT

Event Schedule:

  • 6:30pm - Gates Open
  • 8:00pm - Welcome & National Anthem
  • 8:10pm - Seattle Cascades
  • 8:27pm - Mandarins
  • 8:44pm - Colts
  • 9:01pm - Blue Stars
  • 9:18pm - The Cavaliers
  • 9:35pm - Carolina Crown
  • 9:52pm - Blue Devils
  • 10:09pm - Bluecoats
  • 10:34pm - Scores Announced

STREAM LIVE HERE

More Information | Rebroadcast Information

DCI Southwestern Championship

July 22 | San Antonio, TX

Start Time: 1:30pm CT

Event Schedule:

  • TBD - this will be updated once DCI has announced the official event schedule!

STREAM LIVE HERE

More Information | Rebroadcast Information

General Reminders For Fans Seeing Shows In-Person

If you're lucky enough to be going to any of the Texas Tour shows, here are a few helpful reminders to keep in the back of your mind:

  • It's going to be HOT! It's been routinely reaching 90-100+ degrees throughout Texas this past month, which means that it's important for fans to remember to stay hydrated, wear breathable, light-colored clothes, properly protect yourself from the sun with hats, sunscreen, and hand-held fans. In past seasons, DCI has even delayed show start times in order to better accommodate high temperatures and ensure the safety of performers and fans, so being flexible is key! You'll want to keep an eye on DCI's website and turn on notifications for their social sites for real-time updates this week and throughout the rest of the season.
  • Clear bag policies in larger venues (such as Broken Arrow Memorial Stadium and the Alamodome) are likely to be effect, so plan accordingly!
  • Want to relive all the action? Tune in to our Rebroadcasts With Sound! Throughout the 2023 DCI season, every single event streamed on FloMarching will also have a Rebroadcast, so no worries if you miss a show. Rebroadcasts will air 24 hours after the original start date/time, so if a show begins at 6pm CT on Saturday, the correlating Rebroadcast will begin at 6pm CT on Sunday. Experience all the action with multi-cam and high-cam views and upgraded picture and sound quality all from the comfort of your home. In order to watch Rebroadcasts, all you need is a FloMarching account - SIGN UP HERE!