Band Not Going To Dallas
Dave Brandon creates the future: the tag: the picture
The Michigan Marching Band has been informed that they won't be going to Dallas, presumably because it puts a dent in the pile of money Michigan will get by selling a home game. Sorry, people who bought tickets. Yes, seats for the band are in the contract. Yes, you've been duped. No, you can't get a refund unless you pay $500 to get on the refund waiting list.
Think about that as you look at a home schedule on which Michigan State is the featured attraction. Dave Brandon couldn't even get the Nebraska game to not be on the road in the same year OSU and ND are. He sold a home game to Jerry Jones because it sounded like a lot of money, then we found out that because the minimum ticket price was $125 he could have scheduled a home and home instead. Jerry Jones is probably laughing his ass off somewhere.
Anyway. I think we should start a Dave Brandon for Governor fund. I'd vote for him! With no ulterior motives whatsoever! #DB4MGov!
That is bullsh*t.
It is cheap and it is bush league and U-M is better than that. It is worth making it happen. Given everything the MMB does for athletics and UM fans, they deserve to be a part of this deal. And putting it another way, why would you want to send our team down into hostile territory without our band there to play for them and the fans?
I suspect this short-sighted decision will be reversed, and I will be bent if it doesn't.
Watching Team 133 rush the field and touching the banner at Cowboys Stadium to a "canned" version of The Victors before this game is just wrong.
There's going to be a banner?
there's going to be a press release about it soon, but DB sold the banner for 1.3 million. But it's OK, he's going to replace with a new, spiffy banner, featuring #HASHTAGS!!!!!
You're joking right?
It's actually being replaced with a dancing Arby's Curley Fry.
Detroit City government has Emergency Manager.....since 2010.
Bravo David Brandon, or should we call you Ebenezer from now on?
Sucks that there will be no musical retort to the incessantly played "Go, Bama, Go" diddy.
God damn! Listening to that football tune for an entire afternoon is not quite living hell, but it's a close second best.
April 20th, 2012 at 11:09 AM ^
Probably diverting those funds to fly the mascot down there.
You can see the MSU marching band in the background. This is MSU's mascot for Michigan, not Michigan's mascot for Michigan.
Ya think?
Let's wait to see if he can respond to all the strongly worded letters we're going to write to him, but if nothing changes, I propose that we do something similar to the "kickstarter" campaign to get the band there. If Brian doesn't want to deal with it, I volunteer to undertake this. Not sure how about the exact logistics of fundraising, but I'll figure out a way. Which, strangely enough, should've been Brandon's response to this issue.
As long as we can get the announcer to say "Presenting the Michigan Marching Band! ... brought to you by those fine ladies and gents over at MGoBlog!"
/jkbutnotreally.
I'd be whole-heartedly in support of a kickstarter campaign... but NOT YET. This is something the athletic department SHOULD be paying for, and right now the focus should be on maximizing our pressure on it to do so. Only if, several weeks from now, it proves that no amount of backlash will result in the university paying for the band to attend, only then should we launch a kickstarter campaign. Otherwise such a campaign actually benefits the AD for making what we view as a poor decision.
...but have the band's seats already been sold? Since tickets have been sold out for a while?
Its ok Jerry is great at putting up temporary seating for big games.
The goal of college football is not to maximize profits. Hope that clears things up.
Yrs Truly,
AAB
Nothing says "college football" like a game in an NFL stadium, nowhere near either school (though much closer to one), no student section and no band! I love this Dave Brandon guy and his Pop Evilry.
You hire a corporate guy, you get corporate stuff.
All hail Dave BRANDon.
I find this absolutely shocking. We all know DB plays fast and loose with what we consider tradition -- RAWK, Arby's, Pop Evil, jerseys -- but the MMB is an integral part of both Michigan tradition and game day. The idea that they won't be at this game, which let's face it, is in a large part about building Michigan's "brand" in the SEC and drawing national attention, is ridiculous. I will tweet my anger immediately.
April 19th, 2012 at 11:16 PM ^
Shocking? When was the last time the band travelled outside the midwest for a non-conference game? Does anyone remember for sure if they went when we played at Oregon or UCLA? I don't think they did.
April 19th, 2012 at 11:34 PM ^
They didn't go to any of the games out west. Those were actually away games, though. Difference here is this is a neutral-site game and the plan all along was for the band to go until whatever happened to make that change.
It's a neutral-site game with logistics that are much more like a west coast trip than a bus ride to Michiana or Columbus. The band doesn't even go to our home games in Evanston. DB isn't creating the future here, he's maintaining the status quo.
April 20th, 2012 at 10:18 AM ^
Do tickets to away games in Evanston cost $125?
April 20th, 2012 at 10:58 AM ^
Did it cost Don Canham $2 to make a hot dog in 1982? If tickets were overpriced, they wouldn't be sold out.
NO BAND?!? ARE YOU KIDDING??
I was on the fence about coming down for this game. Now there's no way in hell I'm going. So much of the college football experience comes from hearing the band.
Brandon, why could you not have scheduled a home-and-home?
I have to say, I love Michigan even more now (if that's possible). As someone who was in a marching band in high school , it makes me happy that we are appreciated to this extent at Michigan. I'm smiling (even though I should be disappointed, considering the circumstances) reading all these comments of support. Thank you.
This costs a lot of money.
Ohio sent their band to Austin thanks to a massive private donation. So it's not feasible for the Athletic Department.
So we are you so mad at Dave Brandon? The band will be at Notre Dame and Columbus. Get back on the meds.
and the band was in the contract.
Yes, if brining the band was out of the question why not make it clear right away? Why an ambush in April? I smell something fishy going on . . . save costs on the band and sell their seats for extra revenue.
I got an idea . . . let's save even more costs by not bringing anyone from the Michigan Administration. We can also make extra revenue by selling the expensive suites they would have used.
Sounds fair.
However, it is not the athletic department that funds the MMB's travels to Columbus and South Bend. The band is separate and has its own funding organization.
April 19th, 2012 at 11:19 PM ^
Difference is Ohio State's game at Texas was an away game. This is a neutral-site game. If it was at Alabama I could understand. But the freaking contract has seats reserved for the band. They should be there and this should've been in the budget from day one.
#MMBtoDALLAS #BringTheBand ....Because we all know DB loves #HASHTAGS
Dave Brandon would sell his soul for 4 farthings and a signed Craig James photo.
I dropped a penny and Dave said "Mine that is mine I need that."
This much backlash just hours after the annoucement, I don't see how the band won't be able to go now. There's plenty of time to raise money. I'll be sending Brandon an email right away.
Bama fans have a much shorter distance to travel so I've feared from day one that our fans will be badly outnumbered at this game. The least Brandon and the athletic department can do is send the band.
We sold out our ticket alotment before Alabama even put theirs on sale. I'm sure there will be a few more Alabama fans there, but the majority will probably be Cowboys season ticket holders who want to see a good college football game.
Apparently I'm in the extreme minority, but I really don't give a fuck if the band is allowed to go on this trip or not. It's a game in a massive NFL stadium, and won't have any of the pageantry of a typical college football weekend.
Basically what is happening here is Dave Brandon is saving the AD many dollars by denying a group of people(who will not be properly appreciated there) a free trip to Dallas(which is a shitty vacation place).
In the end, I think even band members will be happy with this decision.
Key words, "In the end".
Of course people are pissy right now, because their emotions have been carefully manipulated in order to convince some donor to step up and fund the trip. If nobody steps up though, I think the band members will eventually realize that they didn't actually miss out on much.
thats all that can be said
By whom? You?
Who else should rally the team by playing "The Victors"? Suggestions?
The band is a great part of a football Saturday, but certainly not a necessary part. It's not like this would be the first time the band wasn't included on a football road trip.
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