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What are peoples favorite college marching bands to see/hear?

Ca - Caw!

http://www.blugoldmarchingband.com

The best university marching band there ever was was the Big Brown Music Machine at Cal State Long Beach. Unfortunately, even though Long Beach State is a Division I NCAA school, it was rarely successful in fielding a decent football team. Football was dropped in 1992 and the marching band went with it. In 1977, the BBMM marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. The local TV commentators said it was one of the best university bands that ever marched in the Rose Parade.

And there's an even sadder side to the story: A few years ago the university colors were changed from brown and gold to black and gold. The nickname is still the 49ers. (The university was established in 1949.)

I haven't seen a whole lot of college marching bands due to location! I have seen Boston College and Boston University, but they were both parades. Then the hometown University of NH. Their marching band is pretty good....nto amazing, but put on a good show. As far as just the music I have heard a fair share.....by far my favorite is Purdue!

I have never seen them in person, but their drill is incredible.

http://www.aggienetwork.com/aggieBandShow/default.aspx


Texas A&M. They notably one year marched 40 Sousaphones.

I've seen the Aggie band several times, and they do some amazing countermarch drills, and do them very, very well.

But I suggest watching them while wearing a headset playing the Texas Longhorns band!
_____________________________
Joe Baker, who thinks this'll get Rick D's goat

As is LoyalTubist above, I'm a big fan of the music program at Cal State Long Beach. I never saw their marching band, but did hear their concert band when they played here in Berkeley in 1969. That same year, the wonderful University of Michigan symphonic band (Dr. Revelli) came to town. Those two bands were about equal in quality and the finest I have ever heard.

BLUE BAND (PSU)

The band at whatever college you happened to attend.

Well, I march at Virginia Tech. We may not be the best in anyones mind, but we have more fun than most of other bands combined... And the VTubas take the field for the 4th quarter stretch and lead the crowd of 65,000 + in the Hokie Pokie.

As far as most entertaining: FAMU is pretty awesome. The rest of us are pretty much the same thing, left foot before right, etc.

Ohio University was the best band I have seen at a game, hands down. Those guys are awesome! But their practices seemed really, really intense.

In no particular order:

Florida A&M
USC
to some degree, Michigan

I don't dig OSU.

I love seeing Script Ohio. It's a shame that halftime shows are limited to non band events if you can't be at the game.

BUt...the Ohio Univeristy Marching 110 is FANTASTIC!
(yeah, I'm an alum)
In the 70's (am I really that old?) the stadium was packed! 100% on the OU side. Strictly SRO...until after halftime.

Brassdad, I couldn't agree more. I've never seen Ohio State, but there aint no way they could be better than Ohio U.

I'm really glad they brought their band to the VT game. A lot of "band parents" (that word just sounds evil cause of all the high school drama associated with it, etc.) made the trek down as well, and everyone we met were really cool. Hopefully Frank Solich can get football going in the right direction as well.

Lew wrote:The band at whatever college you happened to attend.

Yep, but I had to pay money to see one....it would be FAMU.

HOOK EM HORNS --- nuff said


Damn shame the college bands aren't shown on TV anymore

chipster55 wrote:HOOK EM HORNS --- nuff said
Damn shame the college bands aren't shown on TV anymore

Now, that's the truth!

This year I resolve to get back to Athens Ohio in the fall and get my son to see the Marching 110.
He wants to join TBDBITL and dot the I. Now as a fan I'm all for it, but he needs to see the 110.
Show Band....yeah, I think that's a good description.
I hear the field can be used for football as well, but often isn't.

LoyalTubist wrote:The best university marching band there ever was was the Big Brown Music Machine at Cal State Long Beach. Unfortunately, even though Long Beach State is a Division I NCAA school, it was rarely successful in fielding a decent football team. Football was dropped in 1992 and the marching band went with it. In 1977, the BBMM marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. The local TV commentators said it was one of the best university bands that ever marched in the Rose Parade.

And there's an even sadder side to the story: A few years ago the university colors were changed from brown and gold to black and gold. The nickname is still the 49ers. (The university was established in 1949.)

I was lucky enough to be a member of the Big Brown Music Machine in 1976 and 1977 and I marched the Rose Parade with them on January 1, 1977.

They were an incredible collection of musicians and Larry G. Curtis demanded absolute musical excellence from us. What made the band different was that they had total balance, including an outrageous woodwind sound. The low brass section members studied with the likes of Jim Self and Jeff Reynolds (CSULB Alumni and bass trombone for the LA Phil) so we sounded pretty darn good!

MP3 Samples of our sounds....
I'm a Brass Band recording session 1974 (2 MB)
Stars and Stripes Live performance 1975 featuring Sousaphones on the piccolo oblagato (3.7 MB)
Malaguena Live performance 1975 (3.3 MB)
Ja Da recording session 1976 and one of the tunes we played in the Rose Parade (4.1 MB)
MacArthur Park recording session 1976 (4.1 MB)
Cantina Band (from Star Wars) recording session 1977 (2 MB)
Barnum and Bailey's recording session 1977 (2 MB)
Theme from Rocky recording session 1977 (3 MB)
Captain from Castille Live performance 1979 (2.2 MB)

fpoon wrote:Well, I march at Virginia Tech. We may not be the best in anyones mind, but we have more fun than most of other bands combined... And the VTubas take the field for the 4th quarter stretch and lead the crowd of 65,000 + in the Hokie Pokie.

As far as most entertaining: FAMU is pretty awesome. The rest of us are pretty much the same thing, left foot before right, etc.

Ohio University was the best band I have seen at a game, hands down. Those guys are awesome! But their practices seemed really, really intense.

I saw Virginia techs marching band about maybe 4 or 5 years ago at a Syracuse University game. SU's sousas don't lead the hookie pokie.....but I was a fan of once the band was in formation and ready to play their show.....the sousas come in in a line and acting like a snake going through all sorts of nooks and crannies

Shouldn't this thread be titled....


COME BRAG ABOUT YOUR MARCHING BAND

Because it is basically beocming a "toot your own horn" type thing.