MMB Location Within Big House
I’ve been scratching my Michigan football itch by rewatching games & highlights from the 1990s and early 2000s from when I wasn’t born yet or too young to have watched or remembered. One thing I’ve noticed is that during some time from the 90s to the early 2000s, the Michigan Marching Band was seated on the east sideline (visitors sideline) near the 20 yard line towards the south end zone instead of their current & traditional (at least to me) home within the student section on the west home sideline near the south end zone. Does anyone have any context about why the band was moved there for a short period before being moved back?
2003 Michigan OSU: you see the MMB filing into their seats in the stands and bleachers on the field level at the beginning of the game on OSU’s east sideline near the 20 yard line:
https://youtu.be/j21Odw501cY?si=lM8KRJmWccjnk6nh&t=442
1997 Michigan Colorado: you see the MMB on the east sideline over Bob Griese’s right shoulder.
I meant north end zone not south end zone. Haven’t had any coffee today and here I am mixing up simple cardinal directions.
The bowl concrete was redone around the stadium in the mid/late aughts. Moved the drumline off the field into an area that could fit them properly. The band has been in the student section ever since.
I attended in the late 90's, and thus I believe everything from that era was perfect. The band was set up across the field from the student section, like Section 42-ish. With the band over there, they blast directly toward the student section, so you could see and hear them clearly. They were also out of the way physically, so the band did not impede the general crush down to the lower seats. I consider all of that better than when the band is inside the student section. The student section was also more of its own entity, which was fun in the Superfan era.
I attended the Nebraska game in 2022, the Blake Corum goes for eight yards every single carry game that was as cold as the devil's asshole. We sat right down near the front and to the right of the student section/band. We couldn't really hear or experience the band.
So chalk me up as preferring the 90's era setup.
I lost some digits to frostbite at that Nebraska game. A relative from Texas was up, came to the game. I don't know if I'll be able to convince him to come back.
That's when I was there. I was in the band freshman year and that's exactly where we were located. I had front row seats to every home game as a trumpet player. Lots of great memories.
FWIW I'm less concerned about where they sit as I am the amount they're allowed to play. Growing up with the MMB being the sole source of musical entertainment I miss the days when the Victors or Let's go Blue ditty were played more frequently than the intro to Enter Sandman, Sweet Caroline, Don't stop believing, Mr Brightside (ok that one's fun even if I dont know the lyrics) and the always present Lose Yourself.
Also FWIW, I couldnt help but notice at the NCG that piped in music was the order of the night for the pre-game and most of the 1st half but in the 2nd half they let both bands play a LOT more frequently. For my old ears that was much better.
I'll join the 'get off of my lawn' club and say that the frequency I want to hear piped in music at the game is 0%. I used to like to chat with people next to me sometimes as well as hear the band.
Just about everyone I know ... correction ... everyone I know wants more band and less piped in. Yet we get the opposite. Where is the evidence that the paying customers actually want blasting loud rock/rap "music" at every dead spot in the game?
For some reason my mind went to "White House". I enjoyed the visual image of them marching through the west wing at full volume.
When I was a student, the band played from the northeast corner, directly across from the student section. This made perfect sense because they played toward the students who sang back to the band. Classic call and response, among the deepest roots of humanity.
At some point they stuck the band amid the student section, I would guess because the tickets were cheaper to give up. Alas!
The band moved across the stadium to the student section in 2006. There were a number of reasons for it, part of which was the concrete repour that made it possible to create a permanent section for the band that could also better facilitate the drumline and tubas.
The arrangement immediately preceding that in section 41-42ish (which I want to say happened in after the field was sunk for '91, I can't remember for sure) was a really tight and awkward squeeze. It required a separate section of bleachers in front of the band section and a lot of awkward moving in and out, especially since the band usually went on for halftime from the opposite sideline.
There were also the "priority seating" games (usually MSU, ND, OSU, parents' weekend, too, IIRC) where the MMB would be moved to field level and their section of seats sold. The annoying part being you pretty much couldn't see the game if you weren't in the corner.
Is that why the drum major is the first guy to get to Braylon after one of the late touchdowns in Braylonfest?
March 19th, 2024 at 10:46 PM ^
Pretty much!
March 19th, 2024 at 11:37 PM ^
Yep, IIRC the DM (Dennis Lee) was standing right there. Because that was exactly where you'd want to stand for a Priority Seating game to actually see anything.
Also, if you look closely after one of the sideline/corner throws (can't remember when, I think it was right before one of the 4th quarter TDs), Jason Avant goes flying out of bounds almost into the band and stays down for a second. Per a band member who was standing there, that's because Avant was popping his own dislocated finger back into place.
There have been different strategies at different times.
When the band was on the East sideline, it was so that the students and "50-yard-home-side-wealthy-donor" fans could hear them better as they played across the stadium.
Like Bando said above, their home has been where it is now since they reset that area specifically for the band.
About that same time, the B1G changed their rules to allow the band to be mic'd and amplified, theoretically allowing more people to hear. It took some work, but it is somewhat functional and allows more people to hear the band when they play. However, if you are in a section that is near the band, it can be very frustrating as you hear the band directly and then, after a short delay, through the amplification system.
When I was in the MMB ('89-'92 seasons), we were on the West side and had decent sight lines. As also stated above, some of the subsequent solutions were pretty terrible for being in the band and actually seeing the game.
i was in the band in the Brady years when it was on the visitor's side. i only recall *seeing* a game when we travelled to Penn State and had a better vantage point. i do remember getting a chuckle wandering around behind the opposing team's bench. the turf was natural grass at the time and my indelible memory is a weird mushiness marching up and down the field <end memory>
downvote for Colorado ref