Mummers!

The Mummers were sensational yesterday - brilliantly colorful, tuneful and highly spirited.

Yet, beyond the area around City Hall crowds seemed to be disappointing. Yes, there was a late start so everything was later and that meant that the string bands arrived when the temperature was colder. But there's more to it.

The string bands are not marching bands. They are show bands. And each band itself is but a small part of the show. The string bands now save all their energy for the performance in front of the judges at City Hall. Like much of our culture the Mummers have now become show biz. And the show is performed for the judges, a relatively small group of spectators in front of City Hall and the TV audience. That's it.

For the sixth year in a row Fralinger took first place. I loved Fralinger's cowboy theme but I thought that Quaker City (Adventures in Paradise) or South Philadelphia (Hot Native Nights) or Ferko (Prepare for Glory) or Avalon (Land of Leprechauns) or Polish American (Ghouls Gone Wild) could have won as well. As it was these bands took 2nd through 6th place in the order mentioned. When one band dominates year after year the competition becomes boring. It's sort of like the Patriots. They win, they're perfect, they're boring.

Anyway, I thought that Uptown (Infestation) had one of the most original presentations I've seen in years with giant bugs buzzing round City Hall. But all those innovative costumes, novel choreography and all that wild jazz music landed Uptown no higher than 8th place finish.

Hey, what do I know?