Every so often, though, an anomaly shakes things up, offering upstart ideas the chance to dislodge reigning ones.
The reigning one was Zola Jesus, who managed a ritualistic intensity even during 10 30 a.m. set in a hotel lobby.
It was the edicts of the cloistered emperor, not the reigning one, that were obeyed, insofar as any orders were obeyed in a period of increasing collapse of central authority.
That, at any rate, is one appraisal of the reigning champions, one seemingly shared by those cold-blooded stiffs of the bookmaking community, who make Leicester much more likely to be relegated (14-1 or thereabouts) than to retain their title (33-1 if you're lucky).
Kimi Räikkönen, the reigning Formula One champion, is the most famous living Finn, while his compatriots regularly take top honours in international rallies.
"As long as the reigning symbol of one American's pride is the shameful symbol of another American's pain, we have another bridge to cross".
Rice is the reigning Olympic champion, one of three golds she won in Beijing, but has struggled with a long-term shoulder injury while Miley holds the European and Commonwealth titles.
It would be an unprecedented event uniting a pair of dead pontiffs with a pair of living ones, the reigning Pope Francis and the retired Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
So after 36 holes, the 1951 and 1953 winner Hogan was two off the lead; the reigning champ Nicklaus was one off it, alongside the 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964 victor Palmer.
The superhero genre – the reigning blockbuster model, and one into which Skull Island could easily be categorised – has long had fascist connotations, but it would be wrong to believe that authoritarian sentiments are unavoidable in these movies.
The reigning European champions were one of the clubs expected to target Pogba this summer, with Barcelona having already made known their long-term interest and both Manchester United and Chelsea monitoring the Frenchman's situation.
