Our 2023 DCI Finals Predictions

The whole Funliner team is HERE in Indianapolis and we wanted to give our thoughts on the scores from Prelims and Semifinals! It's been a great time being out here with all the corps and really getting some good time watching them live! What do you guys think of the scores so far and what are your finals predictions???

[@funlinerproductions7071]

Apologize for the not so amazing camera quality. We filmed this on an iPhone at 3am in our hotel room.

[@knifeknife69]

3am

[@SS2Balls]

3am

[@dci_fan0345]

@@SS2BallsGonna be my first time streaming finals. Gonna be wild

[@vidalrodriguez2001]

Oh boy!! 3 AM!!!

[@UbuntuBanksie]

3 am 😲

[@joshuden]

Everyone forgets that Front Ensemble plays a huge role in percussion scores now, judge spends sooo much time right by them now. Cavs are absolutely winning because of their pit, they're just unreal. Boston's battery is probably the best, but their front is nowhere near Cavaliers level Been a fun close to the season across the board excited to see how things flesh out

[@kevinhateswriting]

Cavvies' pit was amazing!

[@Sue20022010]

Thanks, man!

[@jadonh9978]

finals is going to be absolutely wild. i seriously have no idea who could win since these scores are fluctuating everywhere

[@tallmexican3208]

Wrd

[@duston1649]

Blue devils is winning by like a point and a half. Nothing interesting as always 😔

[@cedarpointfan5]

@@duston1649while I see your point, the placements for 2-7 are no where near guaranteed. If you accept Blue Devils getting a (well earned) three-peat, you can see the other craziness happening

[@joeshuwa6940]

@@cedarpointfan5 emphasis on well earned

[@duston1649]

@@cedarpointfan5 oh yeah 2nd 3rd and 4th is gonna be wild, I’m hoping bac will make a comeback and get 2nd

[@crazcubing]

My Predictions: 1st: BD 98.65 2nd: Bloo 97.8 3rd: Crown 97.65 4th: Boston 97.2 5th: Cadets 94.488 GE: BD Visual: BD Guard: BD Brass: Crown Perc: Cavies

[@tredaviousbowser7931]

BD glazing is insane

[@DrumMajorC7]

Mandarins are getting fifth

[@crazcubing]

DUDE I WAS SO CLOSE

[@xxnvytechxx6417]

fr, thts crazy@@crazcubing

[@squillz8310]

You nailed the captions and placements though

[@sooyster4033]

All of the shows are so beautiful and wonderful, I don't even care who wins this season. All of these corps are beating the pants off of their performances and I'm super excited to see finals tonight! That said, I'm rooting for Crown.

[@Mattyfear]

Something that I haven’t heard anyone mention this season is that there’s a chance we have a new scoring record for a 4th place show. Vanguard 2013 show currently has the record with a 96.85 but we could see whoever comes in 4th gets a 97

[@andrewnix6480]

Corrected 👍

[@Mattyfear]

@@andrewnix6480 whoops yea that’s what I meant 😂

[@88winsn08]

Loving the Tony Stewart throwback shirt!

[@laurathornton5828]

Love you guys! Your analysis is greatly appreciated. Keep up the good work!!!!

[@keithbarnes9419]

Writing this after finals. Bluecoats had their absolute best show (except for one tiny timing glitch at the start) BD found another gear, the end of JoJo was just mind blowing the last 90 seconds was the best it had been all year. Since percussion judges were taken off the field, the emphasis has been placed on cleanliness vs difficulty. Not saying it is good or bad just the way it is. Lastly if you watch just for the scores you are missing some amazing shows further down the board. Spartans (open I know but with a truly world class guard) Genesis so fun!, Troopers and Mandarins. This was the most enjoyable year to watch Drum Corp is a long while. Hope it continues.

[@thomasdavidson5276]

Saw you guys being held back by the bossy ushers. I was going to say hi but you were off to find a less protected entry point to watch the show. Below BD it was great to see the competition among the corps this year. Hopefully, SV can join the fun next year.

[@nicholashutchens7629]

Again this channel is gonna be big one day! Great content guys, love the insight! ❤

[@RVVDont]

Harloff is one of a kind, man. Great job.

[@BANDLDR]

I just discovered this channel a few weeks ago and enjoy the content. It’s presented very clearly and authentically. Keep up the great work! I never participated in the activity but have been a fan for a while. As a brass player and band director, it’s inspiring to see what these kids and staffs accomplish. I’m curious to know what the three of you do.

[@Blacktiger54]

I can’t believe Maleek was the only one to guess the order right

[@marisauzick6075]

As someone who marched Open (Memphis Sound) and a lower 6/non-finalist corps (Troopers), if you're only watching for scores and the top of the top corps, you're really missing out on a lot of great shows and content every year. If you think there is no point in watching because BD wins every year, then I feel like you're missing what makes the activity so great. I'm a bit of a honk for my corps and the corps my friends marched in (PR, Bloo, Crown, BK) and will always pull for them to win or improve every year, but there's something to love with every show beyond just the scores.

[@mamascookin]

I hope Crown pulls something out on finals night 😆

[@ertatta]

Boston brass deserved to move up in their Semi scores. Their quarters performance was rough & not representative. Piccolo trpt sólo wasn’t behind and setup the Irish jig section much better last night. In general just a much more relaxed and passionate performance compared to Thursday. Crown brass is simply jaw dropping!! In general, turn the f… bass synth lines down!!! It’s annoying/tasteless and gets in the way of the music.

[@coletaylor3140]

I really don’t wanna be a blue devils hater because they are truly incredible at what they do but the fatigue is setting in for me and it makes watching the award announcement really disappointing knowing nothing will change. The most exciting thing this year was the fight for 2nd, 5th and 12th which is tough. Even the caption awards were 95% decided before the final performance. Again I really don’t want to sound like a hater because the Blue Devils definitely deserved to win with just how clean they were all around but I still have an empty kinda feeling after watching it.

[@markbrown1324]

Agreed..I feel the same. I mean it has to be disheartening knowing who is going to win every year.

[@Monke2120]

@@markbrown1324 BD has only won consecutively for the last three seasons. Their FIRST ever 3-peat. Cavies had a 3-peat in the early 2000s and Cadets had one in the 80s. Is it dominant? Yes. Is it abnormal for the activity? No. BD’s more impressive stat is not falling below second for nearly 2 decades now. To say we always know who’s going to win isn’t accurate. 2019 came down to the last night after all.

[@lukepoolservice]

My question is, is Crown's new drumline staff a "win" for the first season? Will they be back next year?

[@96per58]

I’d say so. It’s wild to me that they don’t have even one full battery feature moment. If they showed them off more, they could have scored better. Watching semis last night, it’s obvious they are featured the least of the top 8 or 9. That has to change for them to move up.

[@squillz8310]

They Medaled this year. They haven't gotten a Medal since 2017. So they're definitely moving in the right direction

[@hyperstargaming6150]

Crown’s percussion took 3rd for Finals night. Percussion was all over the place this year, but it’s been incredible to watch.

[@Davis.smith.weightlifting]

Bluecoats and crown is gonna come down to soloists delivering and the timing of the trumpet feature to the end of bump. I think if they lock those in they’ll take 2nd but I really don’t know if I have faith in their leads. They’ve had a lot of cracks the last few weeks which has been par for the course for them the last few weeks since 2017.

[@johnnychikko3800]

As a brass playerI bet Harloff wishes his HS brass program could ever or even get close enough to a open class corps! At the very least. This guys is a legend. Congrats on being promoted to Avons head director! Let’s push our brass writers to actually challenge brass valve demand at Avon these upcoming years.

[@joshharris3282]

Exciting stuff… let’s go Crown 👑

[@SeanLeonDrumz]

BD FOR THE WIN. Amazing night today at finals. Section 641 was great.

[@tylera86]

I thought Bostons brass in prelims was rough. Inner voice tuning was unstable. I imagine that was their focus for semis.

[@DemMommaJeans]

My Prediction Blue Devils 99.125 Crown 98.86 BLoo 98.86 Boston 98.85 Mandarins 98.1 GE BD CG BD Percussion Cavs

[@_.lxghthxnds._]

Hot take having crown and bluecoats tie

[@dci_fan0345]

@@_.lxghthxnds._Theoretically this could happen tonight

[@korikeyz]

MANDARINS 5 POINT JUMP????

[@dci_fan0345]

@@korikeyz Ain’t no way they scoring 98 as much as I love the show

[@awe331]

there is 0% chance mandarins gets anything above 95

[@corqoiaa9437]

1st - BD 98.725 2nd - Carolina Crown 97.925 3rd - Boston Crusaders 97.795 4th - Bluecoats 97.425

[@haydenandersen3800]

the bluecoats aren't getting 4th 💀

[@andrewlopez9710]

Gang is back together!!!

[@AVaguely]

I’m not sure BD will break 99 with the way captions have been fluctuating so much. If they were sweeping brass, perc and other captions it would be easier to think they could do it. And honestly 2-4 is going to mostly depend on the judging panel tonight. They’re so close and have been tossed up all season. Of course execution will come into play, but assuming all three of those corps are flawless it will be mostly up to chance.

[@DennisJohnsonDrummer]

1- BD 2-Crown 3- Blue Coats 4- Boston Ott=Crown and Sanford= Cavies

[@TURBO-JACKED]

so in history every corps who gets a 3 peat, starts to fall off. will this happen to BD?

[@whydoialmosthave500subs4]

No

[@keananok]

Lol no it wouldn’t make sense

[@keithbarnes9419]

Not unless there are some MAJOR staff changes

[@brandonk.4864]

I hope so!

[@markbrown1324]

Of course not. DCI will make sure that never happens.

[@MichaelNaydeck]

Who cares about Blue Devils Class....We are here for World Class predictions.... #1 Bluecoats #2 Carolina Crown (Brass) #3 Boston Crusaders #4 Mandarins #5 Cadets #6 Phantom Regiment #7 Cavaliers (Percussion OMG WHAT A SEASON!!)

[@DemMommaJeans]

lmao

[@coolwiz7994]

Salty fries and sour grapes. Keep wishing they weren’t there. The only way you won’t see them as champs.

[@MichaelNaydeck]

@@coolwiz7994 Not salty at all. I am amazed by what they do year in and year out. There is no corps like them.

[@johnnychikko3800]

Crusader and Crown (new inside percussion style) are fighting for 2. BD (imo) wind book is not a difficult as Crown. This is a battle! 1: BD 2 Crown/ Cavaliers ….. God I wish UIL would have the DCI judging system! 🔥

[@poopslappa1661]

I always thought the point increases night over night were just political. Like score inflation over the season.

[@96per58]

Tonight will be wild. It takes ONE judge shifting a score ONE tenth to change the top 3. Boston has the potential to jump to 2nd. Don’t count them out. Crown is a little safe at times.

[@tallmexican3208]

I think you could get better by more than a point with in the 3 nights

[@kevinhateswriting]

feel like you guys were sleeping on Cavvies' front ensemble as a major player in that percussion caption!

[@Jason-mk3nn]

Blue Devils are good, but not 98. They're just not. While I love the Championships, the scoring portion is really getting to me. It is more like how little can they pull off the top corps and how much they can pull off the other corps. Yeah, everyone wants their corps to win, but it definitely feels like BD can do no wrong, no matter who is judging, even you guys.

[@DeeboComing]

And the crazy part is, no one is really saying "my favorite show is Blue Devils this year". I hear way more comments about how amazing Crown's brass is or how people like the vibe of Bloo or how great Cavs front ensemble is. Nobody is emotionally invested into BD it seems. I really just wanna hear the X's and O's of what is making BD 1.3 better than everyone else. Like I wanna hear an explanation of how this is happening because as a band director myself, I just don't see it nor understand it. Definitely need to be enlightened on what's going on.

[@mastercircle2296]

Might as well: Gold: Blue Devils (Maybe 99, probably edging it like 98.975) Silver: Carolina Crown (Brass could be perfect or 19.900) Bronze: Bluecoats (Chapels) 4th: Boston Crusaders (THE WHITE WHALE) 5th: Cadets (If and ONLY if they have a good run) 6th: Mandarins (if and ONLY if they have a mid run) 7th: Phantom Regiment (If and ONLY if they have a dookie run) 8th: Cavies (Predictable) 9th: Colts (Could swap with troopers for 10th) 10th: Troopers (Could swap with colts for 9th) 11th: Blue Stars (Sugar Cubes) 12th: Blue Knights (Predictable) GE: Blue Devils (Perfect?) Visual: Blue Devils Color Guard: Blue Devils Brass: Carolina Crown (Perfect?) Percussion: Cavaliers (Perfect????) I will not be answering any questions or anybody. Goodbye.

[@korikeyz]

? cadets is consistently better than both mandarins and phantom

[@jsryan]

bro predicted bd’s score

[@mastercircle2296]

@@jsryan I KNOW ONG

[@Deageke]

15:19 easy to say when you're all alumni of the corps that wins all the time lmao

[@iainoam2565]

Some of the members of this podcast were also previously members of Bluecoats

[@cbo3]

Just appreciate the art of it. Sure, it can be annoying how BD dominates, but I feel like you gain a much bigger appreciation for what they do if you just hear them in person. They're clean and entertaining as fuck to listen to, even if other show designs are equally or more entertaining to you. Go see them live. It's different, and they deserve the credit they get.

[@squillz8310]

​@@cbo3100% agree. I'm always iffy about BD's show until I see them live every year. They're breathtaking.

[@theblockyinkling3889]

Blue Knights sweep incoming tbh

[@jasondavis1427]

I’m going with a 99.0

[@jorgedeleon7162]

I really thought you photoshopped each other in the room lol

[@bruhbpp927]

bros forgetting about 5th

[@crysiscore2051]

Blue Devils should not have won GE while playing out of tune chords on Semis.

[@coolwiz7994]

So then no one would win GE right? GTFOH!!

[@tallmexican3208]

@@coolwiz7994you’re mad

[@crysiscore2051]

@@coolwiz7994 did crown play out of tune? Really don’t think they did. Blue Devils sounded tired as all get out.

[@patrickskoniczin9063]

Amen. Idek what the GE or Visual judges are looking at because the Blue Devils do not have a visually difficult or interesting show this year, plus the fact they sound as bad as they do. I just don’t get it! I’m sick and tired of seeing BD get rewarded for doing essentially nothing on the field.

[@tallmexican3208]

@@patrickskoniczin9063 they do a lot it’s just the contrast isn’t very much In my opinion

[@Mrtellitlikeitis]

Why not give 100 to these gay band corps

[@keatonc.4231]

Gay band corps seems pretty cool ngl