U Band playing in bars?

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I was in Madison this weekend and several members of the WI band walked through the bar in full uniform & played for a while before the game. Of course the crowd loved it. Does the MN band ever do this or would that be considered taboo because the U and alcohol can't mix? I've never seen the U band play at a bar I've been pregaming at before and would like to see it.
 

There used to be what was known as the "bar band" -- usually a small group of un-uniformed upper classmen that would bar hop around campus and play the rouser for a free pitcher of beer on the Friday night before a gameday.

I'm not sure what happened to this tradition though or whether it was thwarted by the powers-that-be at the U.
 

Tubtastic said:
There used to be what was known as the "bar band" -- usually a small group of un-uniformed upper classmen that would bar hop around campus and play the rouser for a free pitcher of beer on the Friday night before a gameday.

I'm not sure what happened to this tradition though or whether it was twarted by the powers-that-be at the U.
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I don't see how the U could stop it even if they wanted to, the only difference between this band and any other group of students/fans is that they play an instrument, and there's nothing the U can do about that.

I like the idea, the Gopher Guerilla Band, a Paramusical organization. They could have "bandoliers". I lack the ability to play a musical instrument, but perhaps this is a tradition that needs to be revived. Get some former band members, or just Gopher fans who know how to play an instrument, and take the Gopher by the horns, and rebuild tradition on their own. The best traditions are grass roots.
 

RodentRampage said:
I don't see how the U could stop it even if they wanted to, the only difference between this band and any other group of students/fans is that they play an instrument, and there's nothing the U can do about that.
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I guess my point was that I'm really not sure why it doesn't happen anymore. Seems like a no-brainer to me, but then again, it must have sizzled for a reason. I'll ask some of the old band members I know who did this about why it sizzled and post something here.
 

It's doubtful that they could give you a concrete reason why it stopped. Traditions die when people stop doing them. Big traditions, with institutional support can last for ages. Small ones without institutional support tend to be short-lived. A couple people stop doing it, and the tradition withers. Students don't have as long an institutional memory as alumni, they are there for 4 or 5 years, what happened before they arrived might as well be ancient history.

So, rather then focus on why it stopped, why not get it going again? Get a handful of people to be the focus of a new tradition.
 


It would be nice to get some alumni playing but my question is why doesn't the U have its band members break out in small groups of 8 or so and go from bar to bar before the games to get the crowd pumped up?
 

Whether or not the U should have the band going out to the bars, is something that could be considered. But students, fans and alumni getting together and doing this is something that is within our own power. We don't need to ask anyone to do it for us. There are so many things that we can't do a thing about, so how about focusing on those that we can do something about?
 

Knowing how things work around the U, somebody like channel 9 would do a report saying how half the mini-band were underage and the bouncers didn't check their id's as they entered the bar. The bar would get sued, lose its liquor license, and the U would announce the band could no longer perform in any way outside of the stadium.

Of course I am joking but I am just a little miffed right now about how easy it is for these things to happen at that rival to the east, but so difficult to get 'fun' things going at the 'U', after viewing it first hand in Madison.
 

We showed up at TCF plaza as for the pregame show at 10am against NU as advertised. No band. No cheerleaders, etc. We were told they were playing in parking lots. Yet the email I received said the band was to play at the plaza at 10am.

Huh?
 



Bayfieldgopher said:
We showed up at TCF plaza as for the pregame show at 10am against NU as advertised. No band. No cheerleaders, etc. We were told they were playing in parking lots. Yet the email I received said the band was to play at the plaza at 10am.

Huh?
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The band plays immediately after the Victory Walk which happens 2 hours before the game (FYI, I'm not looking any of this up, just going on memory). I'm guess the 10am thing was a fantastic typo.
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
We showed up at TCF plaza as for the pregame show at 10am against NU as advertised. No band. No cheerleaders, etc. We were told they were playing in parking lots. Yet the email I received said the band was to play at the plaza at 10am.

Huh?
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The Band used to do its pregame pep fest show one hour before kick off. That changed this year. It now happens at the same time and right after the victory walk... which is TWO HOURS before kick off. You were in the right place at the wrong time. You would have had to be there at 9:00 to see the band and cheerleaders. It has run that way this whole season. If the email you received said "10 AM", it was a typo left over from last year.
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
We showed up at TCF plaza as for the pregame show at 10am against NU as advertised. No band. No cheerleaders, etc. We were told they were playing in parking lots. Yet the email I received said the band was to play at the plaza at 10am.

Huh?
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When we get a new AD, he needs to bring some organization to the athletic department. It seems that the different divisions aren't communicating. Goldy's Kids Club is "planning" on getting a web page. Right now, the link just takes you to a PDF to sign up. There is a lot of scattered information, it needs to be on one place. It's been months. It takes only a few minutes to create a web page. Just a sign of disorganiztion. Plans are changed, but there is no mechanism to get this information out to the various divisions, and no mechanism to keep the fans informed.
 

I was not at the game in Madison on Saturday. So I pose this question, related to the level of love/pride the crowd feels for the band.

The pre-game show in which the band plows through the school songs, and some patriotic stuff, and creates school focused symbols on the field seems to go over well here at Minnesota. However the half-time show seems to be the point where the band loses the crowd. Waiting in line for a hot dog must seem better to the majority of people than watching the band make large circles of various sizes while playing irrelevent music from 70's rock groups.

So my question is, besides the bar band things, at the stadium does the crowd support the Wisconsin band differently? Do you think it is because the Wisconsin band focuses more on showmanship and less on musicianship?
 



Here's what I found out - It seems that the bar band simply fizzled. It wasn't backed by the U in the first place. It was just a group of current and recently former band members that went out in plain clothes on a Friday night to play a few tunes for the bar crowds. Evidently, they weren't getting support from the bars anymore- that being, free drinks.
 

Schnauzer said:
The Band used to do its pregame pep fest show one hour before kick off. That changed this year. It now happens at the same time and right after the victory walk... which is TWO HOURS before kick off. You were in the right place at the wrong time. You would have had to be there at 9:00 to see the band and cheerleaders. It has run that way this whole season. If the email you received said "10 AM", it was a typo left over from last year.
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Yes the only way I was aware of when I could get in position to view the band was from the band's very own website. Maybe I should start looking for the Penn State game time on their website also.
 

Law_Abiding_Gopher said:
Yes the only way I was aware of when I could get in position to view the band was from the band's very own website. Maybe I should start looking for the Penn State game time on their website also.
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It's pretty clearly spelled out on the Stadium Website too FWIW.
 


at the bar said:
It would be nice to get some alumni playing but my question is why doesn't the U have its band members break out in small groups of 8 or so and go from bar to bar before the games to get the crowd pumped up?
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I was at a tailgate lot @ 27/University before the N. Illinois game and about 20 members of the band came and played for awhile. Very cool. The crowd was getting revved up.
 

Law_Abiding_Gopher said:
However the half-time show seems to be the point where the band loses the crowd. Waiting in line for a hot dog must seem better to the majority of people than watching the band make large circles of various sizes while playing irrelevent music from 70's rock groups.

So my question is, besides the bar band things, at the stadium does the crowd support the Wisconsin band differently? Do you think it is because the Wisconsin band focuses more on showmanship and less on musicianship?
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People generally didn't seem too interested in WI's halftime show either.

They stick around for WI's postgame show because it's fun to watch and interesting. I give mad props to Wisconsin's band for it. Minnesota's is a sorry imitation of it, and they play the same effed out song they played for the plaza show and at halftime, so there's no real incentive to stick around and watch kids in a concert set just playing a song we've already heard at least once.
 

awag777 said:
They stick around for WI's postgame show because it's fun to watch and interesting. I give mad props to Wisconsin's band for it. Minnesota's is a sorry imitation of it, and they play the same effed out song they played for the plaza show and at halftime, so there's no real incentive to stick around and watch kids in a concert set just playing a song we've already heard at least once.
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I think another thing that helps the UW Band keeping folks around is that they don't waste time after the game getting setup to play again. I like that our band plays Hail! Minnesota with the team, but right after that song they need to get moving. It seems to take them 5 minutes to stroll out to midfield and line-up in their sections.

I don't see why after the game ends the drum line can't have their drums hooked up to the carrying harnesses and take a few steps into the endzone to play Hail! Minnesota, and have the first few rows of instruments do the same. Then when they are done they can start walking, rather than play, then take 2 mins to get the drums off the stands, and then start moving while everyone else waits.

I thought it was very classy of the UW Band to play the Rouser as the second tune of the post game show. I can't remember if our band does that or not for the visiting Big Ten teams. I know for sure a few years back they played the visiting team's song, but can't remember if they have done it recently. If not I hope they do again. It is just a classy Big Ten thing to me.
 

awag777 said:
People generally didn't seem too interested in WI's halftime show either.

They stick around for WI's postgame show because it's fun to watch and interesting. I give mad props to Wisconsin's band for it. Minnesota's is a sorry imitation of it, and they play the same effed out song they played for the plaza show and at halftime, so there's no real incentive to stick around and watch kids in a concert set just playing a song we've already heard at least once.
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Agree, minus the sorry imitation statement. Our band does what they have done for over 100 years and I don't think they give a crud what the Wisconsin band does. This might be why our band is not as exciting and not as beloved as the Wisconsin band. The thing that gets me is our band is clearly bigger and better than the Iowa band, but every time I go to Kinnick their band fills the entire field house to the gills for a less than thrilling pregame show. I feel the same way about the Michigan band. They are not better than the Minnesota band in any way. I believe the big difference as with all other posts on here is the tradition of the football program. Why does every college football fan know "Hail to the Victors?" It is not because it is a markedly better fight song than any other schools, it is because they have heard it every Saturday on national tv for their entire lives. I digress and am rambling, sorry.
 

I love our band's pregame show - give me the rotating M over any other band any day - but the halftime show often leaves me thinking "you chose this music to play with a marching band?"
 

RodentRampage said:
I love our band's pregame show - give me the rotating M over any other band any day - but the halftime show often leaves me thinking "you chose this music to play with a marching band?"
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100% full agreement. The pregame show is exciting and gets the crowd involved and plows forward all the way up to game time. The half time show is mostly uneventful and forgetable. I love Blood Sweat and Tears as much as the next guy but as a halftime show that should appeal to 49,256 people I don't get it. Is there a marching band manual somewhere that says the band needs to play a thrilling pregame show and a mostly forgetable halftime show filled with various body part shaped circles?
 

Band Playing Lady Gaga

The band loses pretty much any credibility playing Lady Gaga "Poker Face" week after week. What a horrible song and artist. Like there aren't a 1000 better songs a band could play. C'mon man!
 

Law_Abiding_Gopher said:
100% full agreement. The pregame show is exciting and gets the crowd involved and plows forward all the way up to game time. The half time show is mostly uneventful and forgetable. I love Blood Sweat and Tears as much as the next guy but as a halftime show that should appeal to 49,256 people I don't get it. Is there a marching band manual somewhere that says the band needs to play a thrilling pregame show and a mostly forgetable halftime show filled with various body part shaped circles?
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The pregame show, in my admittedly arrogant opinion, is one of the best around. But the halftime show gives people little to stick around from. We have lots of music students, how about a contest to create some new marching band music, and play that at halftime? It's been a long time since we have had some new marching band music.
 

LesBolstad said:
The band loses pretty much any credibility playing Lady Gaga "Poker Face" week after week. What a horrible song and artist. Like there aren't a 1000 better songs a band could play. C'mon man!
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How do the students like it?
 

Triple D said:
I was at a tailgate lot @ 27/University before the N. Illinois game and about 20 members of the band came and played for awhile. Very cool. The crowd was getting revved up.
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I was at that lot, too, tailgating with some friends. That was cool. My daughter and all the other kids in our group loved it. Seemed to me there was a lot more than 20 bandmembers there, but I wasn't counting. That's the M Club lot, so my guess is that this was pre-arranged. I doubt this subsection of the band was hitting all the lots.
 

RodentRampage said:
How do the students like it?
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I still enjoy the privilege of a student ticket even as a non-traditional student. The younger kids love the Gaga, Neil Diamond, Bon Jovi, Kansas, and Journey tunes that the band rolls out at each game.
 

Law_Abiding_Gopher said:
I still enjoy the privilege of a student ticket even as a non-traditional student. The younger kids love the Gaga, Neil Diamond, Bon Jovi, Kansas, and Journey tunes that the band rolls out at each game.
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You know, in another generation, those who are now students will say "Why does the band play crappy music? Back in my day, they played the classics like Lady Gaga!"
 

Remember, we're all hockey fans. Halftime is like intermission. you go out on the concourse and chat with people, take a leak, eat, drink, etc... The halftime show is just filler for the people who don't get out of their seats. The thriller show last year was pretty cool though.

they should play Hail Minnesota in between the 3rd and 4th quarter and after the game, then the pumped in music. That would be cool.

I was also having the understanding last year that the band was going to visit tailgate lots and bars, etc but it looks like that hasn't happened. I happens at the other campuses I've been to.
 

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