Michigan Band at Notre Dame
Something will be missing. Oh, the winged helmets and the golden helmets will be on the field. The leprechaun, too. But for the first time in the 40 years that Michigan and Notre Dame have been playing, the Michigan Band will not be allowed to march its traditional pre-game show. Notre Dame said there wasn't enough time to include the Michigan Band! And for the first time, the Michigan Band will not be seated on the sideline opposite the ND Band. They've been banished to the very top rows of ND Stadium. Do you know how long it will take to get 350+ band members with instruments to make their way down to the field for halftime? This is not right.
August 31st, 2018 at 12:27 AM ^
Oh is this absolute BS. Think next year maybe we'll have their band sit on folding chairs out in the parking lot.
August 31st, 2018 at 7:50 AM ^
Why even give them the chairs?
August 31st, 2018 at 11:23 AM ^
No, we simply tell them their band can stay in South Bend.
August 31st, 2018 at 5:50 PM ^
This probably is absolute BS, as in not true. If it turns out to be true, I'll complain as loudly as any of you. No excuse for disrespect.
August 31st, 2018 at 12:28 AM ^
Agreed! My daughter is in the MMB and was telling me about it tonight. They're playing the pregame show at halftime instead.
August 31st, 2018 at 1:45 AM ^
This is seriously a bush league maneuver by ND. I mean, if it were just moving the band to Bolivia that would be a minor annoyance -- although relocation is apparently just standard operating procedure these days.
But not planning ~5 minutes for them to do a basic Entry/M Fanfare/Victors/Varsity pregame is a total trash move.
I'm curious when the powers that be @ ND let them know this was the case? And whether MMB was already working on a halftime show that they now have to scrap?
August 31st, 2018 at 5:56 PM ^
I was very skeptical when I heard this, but if your daughter is in the MMB then you know more about it than I do. I'm sorry, and I don't like it any more than you do. Especially if it's true that they're putting the band up in the nosebleed seats as well. I guess we'll find out tomorrow.
August 31st, 2018 at 12:28 AM ^
Well if their near the Michigan section than that's great, we'll hear them better!
Regardless, a total Notre Dame douchey move...
August 31st, 2018 at 10:51 AM ^
"Notre Dame douchey" That's a bit redundant, isn't it?
August 31st, 2018 at 5:57 PM ^
A bit, maybe. :)
August 31st, 2018 at 12:29 AM ^
I’m surprised they are sacrificing 350 seats vs field
August 31st, 2018 at 7:10 AM ^
I’m sure they are charging Michigan Athletic Dept for the seats. Jerks.
August 31st, 2018 at 12:31 AM ^
Make Notre Dame band do the same next year. Its only fair.
August 31st, 2018 at 6:30 AM ^
Put them in the last rows behind the Michigan Student Section. Actually how about on the practice field with a big screen set up.
August 31st, 2018 at 7:42 AM ^
Can we banish that annoying ND mascot to the top row as well?
August 31st, 2018 at 11:15 AM ^
Better yet, disperse their band members in stranded-single seats throughout the stadium
August 31st, 2018 at 12:43 AM ^
The game must be too early in the day to fit our band in for the festivities. Oh wait..
August 31st, 2018 at 12:56 AM ^
Just like how in 2016 MSU wouldn't let us have Paul on their field but we didn't return the favor. Michigan will stay classy while the others will be bums
August 31st, 2018 at 9:06 AM ^
Interesting. What's the back story behind this? I remember the MSU players parading Paul around on our field and am curious to see how they deter our players celebrating with Paul on the field in EL.
August 31st, 2018 at 1:22 AM ^
They're doing a tribute to Leonard Bernstein a few weeks after his 100th birthday. Heard them playing "Tonight" and "Officer Krupke" from West Side Story while Brian was fielding questions at the MGoEvent.
August 31st, 2018 at 1:46 AM ^
Give 'em hell, Carl!
August 31st, 2018 at 2:50 AM ^
Poor planning or out of spite? Either way a total douche nozzle move!
August 31st, 2018 at 6:03 AM ^
They get home games twice, they announce the cancellation on the field just before the game, now this. Some one remind me of why we wanted these jerks on the schedule again?
August 31st, 2018 at 6:23 AM ^
Because it’s fun to beat them.
August 31st, 2018 at 6:20 AM ^
Should play the fight song the entire time they make their way down at halftime
August 31st, 2018 at 6:30 AM ^
A classless move, so it fits right into ND's identity. Seriously, why would we be surprised about ND, of all schools, pulling something like this. Face it - Michigan's rivals are all low class, POS institutions.
Of course, Gameday will chalk this up to 'rivalry hijinks' and laugh it off...
August 31st, 2018 at 9:16 AM ^
Elsewhere I'm seeing that they've also done this for USC and MSU. Just Notre Dame being Notre Dame.
August 31st, 2018 at 8:58 PM ^
Yes, I'll face it, because I won't shrink from the truth. The Michigan fanbase is the only perennially high-class fanbase in all of fandom. All the rest of us are low class, POS institutions, just as you say. But hey, someone has to be the paragon of excellence by which all others are measured and fall short, and it's to the Wolverines' credit that they take up that heavy mantle of responsibility.
I still hope we win tomorrow, though. :)
August 31st, 2018 at 6:48 AM ^
They want them up top for least noise interruption when ND has the ball. If ND isnt cheating they aren't trying, I guess.
August 31st, 2018 at 7:16 AM ^
40 years ago at ND - when the series was first restored - George Cavender had instruments up, playing after every single down. Must have played Victors Trio a hundred times. Schembechler commented how that fired up the team. A great game and great victory. Let’s do it again!
August 31st, 2018 at 7:25 AM ^
Cunts.
August 31st, 2018 at 7:43 AM ^
having a bad morning Hatter ? While there is no "line", if there was ... you just crossed it.
Go Blue!
August 31st, 2018 at 7:49 AM ^
What? Cunts in South Bend did something cunty.
August 31st, 2018 at 12:50 PM ^
I have to disagree. "Cunt" is such a common word used throughout the world. Us Americans are just behind the times.
August 31st, 2018 at 7:43 AM ^
Hope we beat them and Jim thanks the band at the end of the game throwing some shade on the domers
August 31st, 2018 at 7:56 AM ^
From the top of the stadium,
1. Cut the wires to the speakers
2. Hook up an amplifier
3. Blast The Victors the entire game
4. Win the game
August 31st, 2018 at 9:11 AM ^
Oh so predictable. It's always something with the Notre Dame band. I think they only gave us like 2 minutes for pregame when I went, then had their band do like 15 minutes of every patriotic song you could think of, almost like they were filling time. This was only a couple years after there was some back-and-forth kerfuffle on how many people ND was allowed to bring to A2. I seem to remember they insisted on bringing so many people they had to put some of them in Crisler during the game.
Silver lining for the seating, though--at least they'll be able to see the game. Field level there is brutal for seeing anything.
August 31st, 2018 at 9:20 AM ^
Neither thing makes any sense.
How can there be no time for a pregame show? At the big house, prior to the pregame show, they play music over the speakers and flash rosters on the scoreboards. I kind of figured it was like that everywhere. It's a dead period waiting for the flash and fanfare to start. And...there's no time?
And why exactly can't the band sit on the field like they always do? What's going to be in its place? Moving the band to the stands means 350 something less fans get to attend the game.
August 31st, 2018 at 9:31 AM ^
The pregame thing, Notre Dame never gave opposing bands that much time anyway. The MMB pregame show there was basically get on the field, play the M Fanfare, march down to the end zone, come back to midfield with one chorus of The Victors, then get off the field as fast as you can. 2-3 minutes, maybe. ND's pregame show is long. Like, epically long.
The seating thing makes zero sense, unless they're trying to invoke safety. There wasn't much room in that corner, you're right on field level, and players did crash into the band a lot. (Wasn't it Golden Tate that did a bellyflop into the MSU band?) The year I went, we had a band member slightly hurt from a player barreling through. That being said, putting them at the very top is the stupidest of stupid. You're going to have like 10-20 minutes on each end of the band going up and down stairs. Bet they'll miss good chunks of the 2nd and 3rd quarters...
August 31st, 2018 at 10:26 AM ^
While moving around, I seriously hope they mess up the Domer fans view of the proceedings on the field. It would be great to hear about home fans complaining that our band got in the way!
August 31st, 2018 at 10:56 AM ^
On their way down they should blast The Victors between every play. Do the same on the way back up.
August 31st, 2018 at 9:26 AM ^
While it's complete bullshit, I'm guessing the two screw jobs go together. By having the band sit in the top rows, it would cause too much trouble to get them up there right before kickoff. Can you imagine the drama with a bunch of drunken domers screaming at our band to "move, sit down, GTFO here"? Just a crappy combination of incompetence and zero class.
August 31st, 2018 at 10:16 AM ^
Nothing can get me down. Looking forward to see the MMB with my daughter take the field in SB! The best time of the year. Great time in SB so far, it’s such a beautiful campus.
Go Blue!
August 31st, 2018 at 10:32 AM ^
Of course Michigan won't retaliate, that's not our way, though I wish we would.
August 31st, 2018 at 12:52 PM ^
Perhaps the best retaliation is beating them on the field?! The UM band will have plenty of space to play all the songs they want once ND clears the stadium after a loss.
August 31st, 2018 at 6:15 PM ^
Bush move. To hell with them.