Marching bands: not just for normal people anymore!
Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover:
In 2019 my wife Anne and I attended our very first Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia. We returned home to Indianapolis with a plethora of new memories, hundreds and hundreds of photos, and a shared suspicion that we’d return someday. Not every year, but someday. In the year of our grand pandemic 2020 we attended exactly zero conventions for easily guessed reasons. In 2021 several cons made their comeback plans, but Dragon Con stepped up hardest and made us some offers we couldn’t refuse. We didn’t have to think long or hard before accepting the special rules under which this pandemic-era show would be held…
Okay, so last time when I said, “It all comes down to this,” I meant cosplay in general. But there’s far more to D*C’s annual parade than the costumes. They have marching bands! Geek cars! Community groups! Special guests! And more, more, more! Except we already covered all the “more”. Now we’re down to just bands, cars, groups, and two special guests. Then I can move on. Probably. Enjoy if you will!
The minutes of awkwardness when folks are still crossing the street and cars are coming out of parking garages along the route and the Dragon Con Parade is RIGHT THERE barreling toward them.
It begins at last.
Parades tend to front-load their tributes to U.S. armed forces, and Dragon Con’s was no exception. Posting of this pic also counts toward my 9/11 anniversary content quota as mandated by internet law.
The Seed and Feed Marching Abominable are Atlanta’s premier community marching band and a Dragon Con staple. Our lead photo also shows off a few of their fine folks.
More Seed and Feed Marching Abominable. I’m partial to woodwinds, as I played bass clarinet for three years in junior high.
I would’ve much rather played percussion, but was judged inadequate. I quit band before high school, when marching would’ve become mandatory, because the bass clarinet’s parts sucked. I never got to have the kind of fun these folks clearly did.
A Battlestar Galactica fan car. The con’s official accounts later shared a photo of two BSG actors enjoying a ride in this.
Special guest Academy Award Winner Louis Gossett, Jr., still gifted with that Hollywood superpower of knowing exactly where every single camera is.
The parade’s other special guest: award-winning SF author John Scalzi. You might remember him from our first chapter.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, with bonus cosplay photo-bombing. Dragon Con is historically awesome about inviting community participation in the parade and the show itself.
The Lakeside Viking Band from Lakeside High School in DeKalb County, Georgia. Unlike me, Anne was in high school marching band and remembers all their pains.
Lakeside continued. Marching band is a land of contrasts.
For the auto-show lovers, a Men in Black car with fuzzy alien passenger.
That demon on wheels himself, Speed Racer in his Mach 5.
TIE Fighter and its Star Wars host car, which carried a loving tribute to a cherished leader of the Star Wars at Dragon Con group who passed away earlier this year.
RC Pit Droid for the wrap-up.
…and that plus the preceding eight chapters capture the gist of our 2021 parade experience. If you have a vested interest in any cosplayers or groups who were in the parade but not in any of our 177 posted photos, or who made it into the blog but you’re hoping we secretly have even more pics of, please feel free to ask and we can recheck our outtakes. Some are blurry; some are meh; some are 75% great shots and 25% ruined by other photographers’ fat heads blocking our view. Just let us know.
To be continued! Other chapters in this very special MCC miniseries:
Part 1: Return of the Jazz Hands
Part 2: A Cosplay Sampler
Part 3: Some Cosplay Parade
Part 4: More Cosplay Parade
Part 5: Still More Cosplay Parade
Part 6: Cosplay Parade Stumpers
Part 7: More Cosplay Parade Stumpers
Part 8: Last Call for Parade Cosplay
Part 10: Day Zero
Part 11: Day One
Part 12: The All-Star Saturday Grand Finale With Wall-to-Wall Paneling
Midlife Crisis Crossover! 
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You got some great pictures of the Seed & Feed Marching Abominables!! I’m one of the featured woodwind players (piccolo player with steampunk goggles on my hat, with a red white & blue themed outfit..) in the picture you mentioned being partial to woodwinds, since you played bass clarinet in junior high!
Oh, and if you’re interested, it’s never too late to live out your dreams of playing in a marching band!! 🙂
If y’all live around the Atlanta area, and ever want to be a part of a marching band, (your wife is welcome to join too!), feel free to reach out, and I’ll connect you with our membership coordinator!! 😀
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That’s you in the front of the sixth pic, right? Awesome! Anne and I hail from Indianapolis and sadly no longer have our instruments, but I appreciate the kind offer. 🙂
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Yes indeed, it is me! Thanks! 🙂
Hailing from Indianapolis?! Niice :-D! I’ve only heard good things about that location from a friend who lives out there! Understandable about not having your instruments anymore! ☺️
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