Save Cody (Recap for those not at UM-Wisky)
Lost in the agony and the ecstacy that was the Michigan-Wisconsin game was one of the better half-time shows I've seen in my years going to the game. Here's a recap because it really was pretty freakin awesome.The students in my section loved it as much as someone could love anything while being traumatized although I was aghast that a number of them were lost because they had never seen the movie. What sort of kids are we admitting these days? Oh yeah.
The show was mostly a skit played out on the big screens with Cody the drum major playing Ferris Bueller and the band playing songs from the movie. The skit was composewd of three scenes:
- The dropping the Ferrari at the valet parking scen:
Takes place on the parking struture next to MLB I think. Cody drops the car off and throws the keys off to the valet.
Cody: "take good care of it"
Valet: "don't worry. I'm a professional."
Cody: "Thanks little brother!!!"
*Car gets driven off at full gas*
Yeah, Sparty was the valet. In full costume and everything.
-The Abe Froman, Sausage King of Chiacago scene-
Took place in I think the Ghandi Dancer. We were tipped off early when we saw the maitre'd had a Buckstache (props to the Band for the Mzone tribute).
Maitre'd: "You ARE Jim Tressel, the Winecooler King of Columbus Ohio?"
Cody: "Yeah:.
Maitre'd: No you're not. He's standing right behind you.
*Cue a gay Tressel doing the O-H-I-O signs*
*The background voice does the OHHH NOOOO instead of OHHH YEAHH*
-Museum scene:
Takes place at the Natural History museum. My favorite for simplicity. Camera pans with Cody looking at the dinosaurs in the museum. He stops to stare at an unseen exhibit then keeps walking. The camera pans out...yeah that's right. Joe Pa with a sign around his neck.
That's really it. Oh yeah, the beggin to be photo shopped Rich Rod Save Cody picture was there as was one with Lloyd holding the saem sign. I was really happy that the Lloyd picture got a pretty good ovation.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:17 AM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 10:36 AM ^
I will wait to opine until after Shock FX does. His opinion is far more important than mine on all matters involving crowd reactions.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:42 AM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 11:19 AM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 7:12 PM ^
"I will wait to opine until after ShockFX does. His opinion is far more logical, coherent, and supported than mine on all matters."
Fixed.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:38 AM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 10:42 AM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 11:02 AM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 11:15 AM ^
it's 'gandy dancer'. and i wish i could have their sunday brunch right now. i miss a2.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:23 AM ^
It's nice to hear that people enjoyed our show. It seems like too often people are quiet and content when they like the show, and very vocal when they're upset (see the last letter to the Michigan Daily: http://www.michigandaily.com/content/letters-editor-844 ).
Also, the Save Cody signs weren't photoshopped, except for the one mounted on the big house. The ones the coaches and mayor were holding were all real.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:27 AM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 1:21 PM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 12:23 PM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 1:50 PM ^
Anyplace I can see a video of the videos and the band's performance? This is one I regret missing. Can't say the same for the boy band tribute in south bend.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:36 AM ^
Yeah, but you have to realize that it was a show geared towards the students. I'm a senior, and the boy band era was big while we were growing up. I can understand why some people didn't like it, but it was pretty fun for everybody in the student section.
Also, it was the show for Miami (NTM) and carried over to ND.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:44 PM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 4:23 PM ^
but I am still a little 'meh' about the MMB right now.
I love them. One of my favorite bands of all times, somewhere between the Grateful Dead and the Allman Bros.
But, I can not hear them!!! This has been going on for 2+ seasons now, but we can not hear you guys up high in section 14. I heard Wisco's band clear as day during their half time performance.....so, I was a bit miffed during the Cody skit because I cant hear them anyway, they weren't really playing and, yeah, the Boy Band tribute was just ridiculous, so that still irks me even a few weeks later.....why give tribute to bad music.
But, the jokes totally won me over. The Sparty valet and the Joe Pa Exhibit were genius.
But, why go only to the student section. Our section would have loved to dance to Twist and Shout.....but we can not hear it!!!!
And, the band has enough members in it where it could have dispersed and played to the whole stadium, not to one corner to the Twist and Shout segment.
Also, the Blues Brothers song. Man, when I was growing up, the whole stadium would boogie to that tune when the MMB played it. I did not even know they were playing it during the TO between the INT score and the PAT attempt. I was a little disappointed when watching the game on DVR to hear the band playing the song then......as usual, we did not hear it in our section.
Love the MMB, but I am beginning to question the Director.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:10 PM ^
Might I suggest [email protected], the email for Director of Bands Michael Haithcock. You're not the only one to voice these concerns. It is absolutely true the volume of the band has gone down, and in pretty large swaths of the stadium the MMB is completely inaudible.
I thought the video was hilarious. But. Was it a video presentation or a marching band show? I appreciate the creativity, and as a former member of the MMB, appreciate the effort students made to make this show great. God knows it's hard enough to get the administration to buy into what the students want to do sometimes. That being said, you could pretty much forget the band was even there for 99% of that show.
October 1st, 2008 at 1:13 AM ^
The reason you can hear them is probably because of your crappy seats. The band is using instruments that project directly forward, so if you are not directly in front of them you are not going to hear them well. The reason why Wisconsin's band was easier to hear is because they have a larger proportion of Brass instruments and they sacrifice sound quality for volume. Sure, you could hear them, but you could also hear individuals sticking out of the ensemble and poor tone. So you can have the blaring of the Wisconsin brass, or the warm tones of Michigan.
Why is everyone so bent out of shape about the boy band show? Boy bands were the most popular thing in the world when most of the current students were growing up, so it's a nice visit down memory lane for them. Their tunes are undeniably catchy and upbeat, and the student section loved it. It was far more entertaining than the endless classic rock tributes that most bands do. Besides, it was a sort of tongue-in-cheek tribute and was meant to be ridiculous and over the top.
Did you seriously just ask why the band would only go to the student section? If the band spread its members throughout the stadium like you so brilliantly suggested, I doubt anyone would be able to hear them properly because there would not be a full wall of sound, only a few voices.
Question the director? Please. Professor Boerma is doing a wonderful job. The shows under his tenure have been entertaining and the band is continuing the tradition of being the elite of college marching bands. I doubt you should be questioning him when you seem to know so little about the subject matter and you just happened to get crappy seats.
October 1st, 2008 at 9:01 AM ^
"The reason you can hear them is probably because of your crappy seats. The band is using instruments that project directly forward, so if you are not directly in front of them you are not going to hear them well."
well that is really stupid. and Boerma is a hack. but please, continue to do your rediculous dances in the stands with a big smile while the team is getting their asses kicked.
October 1st, 2008 at 10:35 AM ^
October 1st, 2008 at 11:52 PM ^
October 1st, 2008 at 8:51 AM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 6:19 PM ^
Bando -- the skit was funny, but it clearly minimized the band's presence during the half time show. It was fine for a one off deal. But if every week the show was like this, it would be an issue.
The two biggest issues with the Band have been the location buried behind the students making them inaudible to anyone on the west sideline and the encroachment of the piped in music and segments from the Jumbotron. Less Doug Karsch, more Band (assuming we can hear the band).
October 1st, 2008 at 3:28 AM ^
October 1st, 2008 at 8:52 AM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 7:34 PM ^
October 1st, 2008 at 11:24 AM ^
Yeah, well, I have been sitting in the same seats in Section 14 since 1979. Only in the last couple of years have I not been able to hear the band as well during their on field performances and during their playing during the course of the game. How do you explain the prior 25 seasons or so when I could hear the MMB clear as day from my crappy seats?
Dont bring that 'crappy seats' argument up to me. It does not fly.
Something is not firing right with the MMB....and, frankly, during a football game, I vote for volume over pinpoint quality each and every day of the week.
I've brought these complaints up several times before within these forums, dating back to last season. And, a number of current and former MMB members have mentioned it is a philosophy change with the new director.
When it comes the the Victors at a football game, I prefer loud and blaring to the warm tones. This is not Tennis, few gawd's sake.
October 1st, 2008 at 11:34 AM ^
.....I just want to reiterate how much I love the MMB........and, I feel the kids who are in the band put so way time and effort into it and they do not get enough credit. You guys are part of the true best band in the land.
Just play louder at the games, please.
And, ok, I will you the give you the boy band thing. I had not put it into perspective as being the music the current students grew up with. I just think its such lame music, but I am sure it has never sounded better than when the MMB played it.
Of course, I can only assume that since we could barely hear your performances.
October 1st, 2008 at 11:36 AM ^
October 1st, 2008 at 12:09 PM ^
The location of the band sucks. While i've heard that there has been a shift away from loud towards more accurate, the real issue with our silent marching band is the location. If you sit on thw West sideline, the Band is buried behind the standing students (this is not a dig at the students who stand, just fact). Thus, no one on the west side line has an unobstructed line at the band.
The Band should be in the back of the endzone. That would maximize the number of people effectively in front of the Band. And those are the least desireable seats for viewing the game.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:19 PM ^
October 1st, 2008 at 12:43 PM ^
October 1st, 2008 at 1:32 PM ^
At the end of the day, the band exists as it does to entertain people at the football game. I've sat in three different spots this year and the only time I could hear the band was sitting directly across the field at the Miami game.
Granted, I wouldn't care if the band stopped showing up next week and never came back. But honestly, why not just play louder? You realize 90% of the stadium had no idea Wisconsin sounded "bad"?
October 1st, 2008 at 1:41 PM ^
The band exists to play The Victors. They have to show up every week for that reason alone.
October 1st, 2008 at 1:35 PM ^
October 1st, 2008 at 1:45 PM ^
October 1st, 2008 at 1:55 PM ^
Shoulda seen it coming
...aw crap.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:22 PM ^
October 1st, 2008 at 1:49 PM ^
October 1st, 2008 at 3:34 PM ^
If our band did something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2UaVcZPsYU&feature=related
It's Cal's famous videogame routine.
October 1st, 2008 at 10:40 PM ^