Weird title? Nah…not really. It’s from my high school band director back in the day. He always stated that the audience we played to was comprised of “Parents, Perfectionists, and Popcorn Eaters” and that programming a show for all three sitting in the stadium at the same time is difficult. So…as a kid when I asked him to define “Popcorn Eater” he defined it as:
Popcorn Eater (noun):
1. A person sitting in the stands on a Friday Night listening to the band that really enjoys what he or she is listening to, but has NO IDEA how to assess the level of sophistication or difficulty of the program he or she is observing.
So…when I started posting on DrumCorpsPlanet back in 2015, I used “PopcornEater63” as my username. It’s the kind of self-deprecation that allows me to literally predict whatever I want…And as you all should know by now I do that quite regularly! So…what does this Popcorn Eater see on the horizon for this weekend?
Well…you didn’t really ask…but I’m going to opine anyway…. Here are the storylines/predictions I’m watching.
1. The Blue Devils will win the Gold Medal in 2022: I could wax poetic for a full page but I don’t really need to. The Blue Devils do the best job of any corps understanding what the JUDGES want, and they play to the sheets better than any corps in history. They will win. Does it mean they have the most entertaining show? No. Does it mean we’ll recognize or like the music? No. Does it mean their kids are better performers than ours? Definitely no. But ask the last question…”Is their organization world class and understands what it takes to win 20 DCI titles?” ( when they win tonight)… The answer to that is a resounding yes. Like it or not, the investments the Blue Devils have made into having their Corps win aren’t investments made last year, or even 5 years ago. Try 25 years ago. They have two feeder corps, Blue Devils C and Blue Devils B. They don’t recruit…they reload. And they reload with kids that have been doing it the “Blue Devil Way” since they were 10 years old. Their staff longeivity over the years as other corps have “seasons” with a staff only to move on to another teaching staff is a stark difference to literally ever other corps in the field. So…like it or not…they win.
2. The “next” tier of 3 – Carolina Crown, Boston Crusaders, Bluecoats
Carolina Crown– This is going to be CRAZY. Three amazing and storied Drum Corps and ANY ONE of them could be 2nd, 3rd, or 4th. My last read of Carolina Crown says they have the show, the crowd, the brassline they’ve always had, but are coming with a lot more help for that brassline in 2022 and that they eventually take 2nd.
Boston Crusaders – On the other hand, the Boston Crusaders are on fire, were one of the first corps to cross 95 after the Blue Devils, and they are HUNGRY! This is the best season in their corps history competition-wise. Their current scores set new Corps records every night out now for an organization that’s been around longer than even our beloved Cavaliers. Boston will fight to the last note is echoing out in the Dome. I have them in 3rd, because when you predict a placement you have to fish or cut bait and call a slot. But they could catch fire and win this whole thing.
Bluecoats – what do we say here? The Bluecoats took a left at Albequerque, smoked some peyote, chased it with Tequila, and then sat down and wrote a drum corps show that no one can “categorize’. As an old fart dinosaur, I don’t care much for narraration end to end, but the visual, musical, and intangible energy coming off the field is undeniable. They’ll score above 95. And still very likely finish 4th while doing it.
3. The “Standalones” 3rd tier– Santa Clara Vanguard and The Cadets-… this will probably not be viewed favorably by Santa Clara Vanguard fans ( I count myself as one by the way), but I see them anchored in a 2-corps group with the Cadets. I don’t see Cadets overtaking SCV, but those two corps are not gonna threaten the top 4, and in my estimation, will not be threatened by the corps behind them. They are in their own little 2-corps standalone group.
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4. The Drum Corps Fistfight of Four – Bluestars, Cavaliers, Mandarins, and Phantom Regiment: If you’ve been waiting to read predictions for the Cavaliers, this is your section. I’m struggling with my personal bias inside this group. Hey, I had a Cavalier myself, and I tend to “see green”. But doing my best to put that aside, here’s what I see happening inside this group.
Bluestars hang on to 7th place, but by around 0.5 points over the Cavaliers. They have done an amazing job since the night Davis and I saw them on opening night in Detroit. I walked away from Detroit thinking they’d lost their marbles. War?Peace? Cannons? Beds? Pastel colors mixed with army uniforms? I thought it was a mess. I was wrong. And this is where design, instruction, and execution show that their teaching staff had a vision, and knew it would take a full season to develop it into something magical. And it is. Please note that their drill appears to spread goal line to goal line in parts of their show which with their flags popping, rifles flying, etc. makes for an amazing effect.
The Cavaliers finish 8th – So…let’s start here. If you’d told me the Cavaliers would miss 5 competitions and 13 days of marching a full field show before the season, have 34 kids contract COVID early in the season when all the cleaning and development takes place, I would have gladly wagered that they wouldn’t even make finals…full stop. So inside that perspective, I’m bursting with pride that they fought like banshees to get back on the field, and then to compete like warriors to get back in the mix. And let’s be clear on this, too. The Cavaliers have been known in the past to catch fire in Indy. Ask the 2016 Cadets or the 2017 Bluecoats. They know! 🙂 But aside from that, we’re going to take 8th and be proud as hell doing it.
The Mandarins can’t hang on to 9th – Okay…more disclosure. I love them …but I do NOT get how Mandarins are scoring where they are. Their total horn ensemble doesn’t play enough minutes, they don’t sound that tight in the minutes they do play, and Mandarins are running purely on visual and GE in my opinion. The singer is excellent. The arrangement around him is excellent. The “wow” factor trom the crowd is excellent. But I’m not sold fundamentally that I’m watching a top 10 drum corps when I watch the Mandarins. Still…I think they finish 10th.
Phantom Regiment, on the other hand, is EVERYTHING a drum corps wants to be. Great brass, great drill, great excitement, and a fan favorite. Mix that cocktail up and pour it into a glass and you see Phantom’s score going up every night this week. Heck, they could push us before its over. Do NOT sleep on the Phantom Regiment. I have them in 9th, less than a point from whereever our boys finish.
So…there’s your top 10 in the Popcorn Eater’s Paradise! For fun, let’s throw some numbers on these placements.
Corps | Score |
Blue Devils | 99.25 |
Carolina Crown | 98.25 |
Boston Crusaders | 97.50 |
Bluecoats | 97.00 |
Santa Clara Vanguard | 96.00 |
The Cadets | 95.5 |
Bluestars | 93.5 |
The Cavaliers | 92.5 |
Phantom Regiment | 91.75 |
Mandarins | 90.75 |
And with that, to my old and new friends at Parents Of The Cavaliers, I put a wrap on my “on the field” observations about the 2022 season. I really wish I could be there this year, but I have professional obligations this weekend as well as my daughter’s art being featured in an upscale Atlanta Gallery Saturday night. While I count you all as family, she is REALLY my family. 🙂
I’ll be posting two more bios later today…but at that point, the BLOG will go dormant until the 2023 season. It’s been a pleasure, but I have one last personal thing!
I never did “bios” when my son was in the corps, and I’m not going to do one now. But I do know there are almost 100 new Cavaliers families involved this year that weren’t involved when he was in the Corps. So, this is your quick and dirty introduction…if you see him in Indy, please say hello to him. He loves this corps and bleeds green.
Until 2023, Parents of the Cavaliers! Enjoy your time in Indy!