Best dang halftime show by a band, EVER!!!

[jazzpop]

The tbc "show bands" come from a completely different tradition and sensibility, in the same way that James Brown was different than the Beatles. The Golden Band from Tigerland is much like UL's band in its style and focus, only larger and better funded. The
GBFT is entirely funded by the athletic department and is related to, but seperate from, the School of Music. Their shows are no more creative than UL's, in the main. I suppose there are LSU fans who would prefer the bumping and grinding and the "blow the snot out of it" style of the tbc bands, also. But east is east....BTW, the numbers aren't that different...recent article on Southern said they march 176. UL seems to be around 150-160.... GBFT is 325.

[Cajun Monkee]

I think Brockmeaux said it best. UL isn't going to play songs you'll hum along with.

Being an old-school, band jock from a while back, I'd much rather hear a Drum Corps over anything else. As a matter of fact, Cajun Field hosted a Drum Corps International event just a few weeks. Different kind of music than what you'll here from Southern, or LSU or most other college marching bands.

Ever year, Acadiana used to close their show with "Bottle Dance" from Fiddler on the Roof. I went to Lafayette High (back when it was the REAL rivalry) and even I have to admit it was probably the most exciting thing I've ever seen/heard a marching band do. But the key is, who knows the score from Fiddler on the Roof? Who doesn't know Michael Jackson?

If you ever feel like it, go to Youtube and search for performances at a DCI competition and you'll see the difference. And unless things have changed, I really don't think you'll get kids from the local high schools to adopt the styles used by Southern or LSU.

Nerd hat off.

[RaisingCajun08]

_ I think the consensus is GET LOUDER! Football fans (for the most part) don't care about technical perfection and straight lines. They're drunk, rowdy, and at an entertainment event. Entertain them.

And of course they're going to compare the two bands! One band played right after another. That makes the comparison easier, in fact. _

Dont get me wrong. I agree with the consensus of GET LOUDER. If I had to choose a style, I would chose that of Southern. Entertainment factor last night was through the roof.

I was just trying to point out that it really is not fair to the UL band to compare them directly to Southern. Yes they played back to back last night and it is easy to start throwing darts. But we still have to remember that they really are a great group of musicians.

[raginsloth]

_ The tbc "show bands" come from a completely different tradition and sensibility, in the same way that James Brown was different than the Beatles. The Golden Band from Tigerland is much like UL's band in its style and focus, only larger and better funded. The
GBFT is entirely funded by the athletic department and is related to, but seperate from, the School of Music. Their shows are no more creative than UL's, in the main. I suppose there are LSU fans who would prefer the bumping and grinding and the "blow the snot out of it" style of the tbc bands, also. But east is east....BTW, the numbers aren't that different...recent article on Southern said they march 176. UL seems to be around 150-160.... GBFT is 325. _

But the numbers are different. My buddy works with the "Human Jukebox" and if you look at the instrumentation, Southern would have 40 trumpets to UL's 22, 30 trombones to UL's 12. Even the tubas are double what UL has. UL's band has more woodwinds, so they might have numbers, but not the exact same instrumentation . They put more brass on the field and that makes them louder...thats just the way it is.

BTW if you dont like the ESPN song the band plays...quit complaining about it and shoot an email to Brian Taylor, the director of bands. They arent going to stop playing it just because you complain about it on a forum. Convince him and they will stop playin it.

[AstroCajun]

_
BTW if you dont like the ESPN song the band plays...quit complaining about it and shoot an email to Brian Taylor, the director of bands. They arent going to stop playing it just because you complain about it on a forum. Convince him and they will stop playin it. _

Be careful what you wish for.

The ESPN theme is an abomination.

[UL_Cajuns]

_ Again, you can not compare the two bands. Southern is louder simply because of the instruments they have. 10 trumpets will be louder than 5 trumpets and 5 flutes anyday. _

Simply put.
Give out more schlorships, get more members, and get more brass. Problem solved.

[MetryCajun]

_ Simply put.
Give out more schlorships, get more members, and get more brass. Problem solved. _

When I was playing for a certain college band, we had similar problems to what UL was facing. Increasing members was not an option. The director canned the rifle section, decreased the number of flags and woodwinds, and put all the "new" positions in the brass section. Problem solved.

[AstroCajun]

_ When I was playing for a certain college band, we had similar problems to what UL was facing. Increasing members was not an option. The director canned the rifle section, decreased the number of flags and woodwinds, and put all the "new" positions in the brass section. Problem solved. _

Do flag twirlers get scholarships?

Serious question.

[HoustonCajun]

_ Again, you can not compare the two bands. Southern is louder simply because of the instruments they have. 10 trumpets will be louder than 5 trumpets and 5 flutes anyday. _

And why does a marching band at a football stadium have flutes anyway? I can understand for a concert, but why wouldn't the band want to have more trumpets like the Southern band does for a game?

[ManAboutTown]

_ Southern is a "show" band. They are entertainers. The "Pride of Acadiana" are awesome also. We have a bunch of very talented musicians. Its like trying to compare a rock band and an orchestra. You just cant do it. _

You can call it what ever you want. I don't think "awesome" is the correct superlative to describe the POA. Awesome is what you saw Saturday night. That band was electrifying. Goes to show you what a good band can do for the atmosphere of a college football game. There are certain places and times for all music. Comparing a rock band to an orchestra is a fair explanation; But classical music isn't getting anyone out of their seat during a war. Football is exciting, and so should the music be.
Maybe if we made the music fun and incorporated it into the football game, people would WANT to join the dang band. Comparing them to southern is not fair, but if they could be half as good, I'd take that. When SU did ANYTHING on the field, that band fired up! Our GD band played only a handful of times, were not in their seats when the team came out onto the field, and when they did play, I could barely hear them (not that I wanted to because all they play is "dunn a nuh, dunn a nuh" and "hey baby" once). Its extremely frustrating.

[HoustonCajun]

_ They're totally different styles, yes, and in that aspect can't really be compared.

However, Southern is simply put one of the best bands in the world at their brand of show band, whereas UL just isn't at that level of military style marching. And that's not a slight at UL...it's just incredibly difficult to capture the right amount of motion, sound, and energy needed to grab somebody's attention with the type of marching that UL does in comparison to Southern.

Drum Corps have shows that could be on par, but again, those guys are professional marching bands. I'd watch any Cavaliers show any day of the week and it would be as exciting and twice as skillful as a Southern show...but groups like the Cavaliers are few and far between. It's all in the director's vision for UL. If it were me there would be less emphasis on drill - or at least reduce the sheer number of sets while cleaning what they do have - and increasing emphasis on sound output big time. The excuse isn't that UL doesn't have numbers or instrumentation or talented individuals, they have all that. There just needs to be a big shift in what's played and the amount of time put into the sound of it all. I know from several member testimonies hat very little time was spent practicing stands tunes by the UL band thusfar this semester.

That'll get corrected and new songs will be added and things will get better. But between practices 3-5 days a week at 2+ hours a pop plus all day Saturday AND performances on game day, it's tough for the band to keep a solid level of energy, and that was the biggest difference between UL and Southern's bands last night: energy. And again, no fault of the POA's members, or even the director. That's just what's necessary to get ready for a home game. UL put on a good performance last night, the music they played just wasn't something that most people can hum along to. Depending on your view that could be a flaw. But keep in mind that they had been marching and playing all day in 95 degree sun, whereas Southern got on a charter bus and showed up at the game; likely, the first time Southern played yesterday was inside Cajun Field. There's going to be a difference in energy in those situations. _

With the complexity of the show that Southern put on and the music they play, don't you think they put in as much if not more into preparation than UL's band, yet their performance was exceptional. Last time I checked, the weather in Baton Rouge is the same as Lafayette. The simple fact is, our band has no clue how to operate in a game situation. A current band member said in another thread a week or so ago that the band doesn't care about what goes on in the game, they are only worried about the pre-game and half-time shows. That is why during a game, the band doesn't know when to play anything and music has to be piped in. That is pathetic for a college band and for game day atmosphere. As someone also pointed out, at LSU the band only has to play 4 simple notes to get the entire stadium in a frenzy. That is a great part of what makes their games among the best in the country. That is sorely lacking at UL's games and desperately needs to be addressed and corrected.

[ManAboutTown]

_ With the complexity of the show that Southern put on and the music they play, don't you think they put in as much if not more into preparation than UL's band, yet their performance was exceptional. Last time I checked, the weather in Baton Rouge is the same as Lafayette. The simple fact is, our band has no clue how to operate in a game situation. A current band member said in another thread a week or so ago that the band doesn't care about what goes on in the game, they are only worried about the pre-game and half-time shows. That is why during a game, the band doesn't know when to play anything and music has to be piped in. That is pathetic for a college band and for game day atmosphere. As someone also pointed out, at LSU the band only has to play 4 simple notes to get the entire stadium in a frenzy. That is a great part of what makes their games among the best in the country. That is sorely lacking at UL's games and desperately needs to be addressed and corrected. _

Yes! Thank You! Bravesio! 100% agree.