Million Dollar Band at Duke?

MDB11

New Member
Dec 12, 2009
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We are not traveling to this game. As far as I know, we are taking 50 to Arkansas, 100 to South Carolina, and the full band to LSU and for the Vols.
 

Saban14

All-SEC
Apr 24, 2009
1,661
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Alpine, Al
We are not traveling to this game. As far as I know, we are taking 50 to Arkansas, 100 to South Carolina, and the full band to LSU and for the Vols.
What is the thought process behind that? Weird that we won't have a band for the game.
 

saraelizabethua

1st Team
Feb 3, 2008
664
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Oxford, Mississippi
What is the thought process behind that? Weird that we won't have a band for the game.
There isn't enough room to take a band of an decent size, and this way more Alabama fans could get tickets to the game. It stinks, but last year we missed an SEC game... at least this year we're only missing Duke. See you at Arkansas!
 

mswiggins

BamaNation Citizen
Oct 29, 2005
53
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What is the thought process behind that? Weird that we won't have a band for the game.
It is about money..

It takes about 8-9 charter busses to drive the band to a game.
Then you have about 100 hotel rooms.

And it takes a lot of tickets...if there are 350 people in the band, then you need about 700 tickets to get them and their instruments into the stands.
The band takes up a lot more space than average fans.

It is much better than when I was in the band in the late 80's and early 90's.
We got to go to 1 away game a year.
 

Saban14

All-SEC
Apr 24, 2009
1,661
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Alpine, Al
There isn't enough room to take a band of an decent size, and this way more Alabama fans could get tickets to the game. It stinks, but last year we missed an SEC game... at least this year we're only missing Duke. See you at Arkansas!
Makes a lot of sense! See ya'll at Arkansas, I'll be there too

RTR
 

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
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Tuscaloosa
Yep, it probably costs more for the band to travel to some games than the football team. You can get a travel roster football team on a large charter flight. The only way the band can really travel is by bus.
 

mswiggins

BamaNation Citizen
Oct 29, 2005
53
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Yep, it probably costs more for the band to travel to some games than the football team. You can get a travel roster football team on a large charter flight. The only way the band can really travel is by bus.
When I was in the band, we flew to Miami and Tempe for bowl games.
The band took up the whole airplane.. .yes the whole plane...
 

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
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Tuscaloosa
We took a bus for the 05 Cotton Bowl. That was one terribly long ride.

I don't know if the whole band flew or bused to Pasadena. I hope for their sanity they flew.
 

mswiggins

BamaNation Citizen
Oct 29, 2005
53
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We took a bus for the 05 Cotton Bowl. That was one terribly long ride.

I don't know if the whole band flew or bused to Pasadena. I hope for their sanity they flew.
It is bad enough bussing to Knoxville... I can't imagine Dallas, TX or Pasadena... wow...
I am sure the band flew to Pasadena...
 

CapitalCrimson

1st Team
Sep 28, 2005
454
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Montgomery, AL
What would be the point? It's not like you could hear a MDB pep band anyways. If the crowd can barely hear the entire Million Dollar Band (by far the quietest 425 musicians to ever take the field) in Bryant-Denny, what makes you think the crowd could hear a 50+ pep band? Precise marching, matching horn levels, and perfectly tuned instruments only go so far if the crowd can't at least hear the music selections. However, the overall blandness of the MDB is not the fault of the hard-working musicians. The fault lies with the MDB leadership as it has since 2003.
 

theBIGyowski

All-American
Aug 4, 2005
3,645
35
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Cumming, GA
saraelizabeth...

I don't want to hijack the thread...but I was wondering if you and the rest of the band got to hang out with the PSU band at all. I saw them on TV when the camera panned around to them. I was glad they sent a band down. Just wondering if you all got to hang out before or after the game.

RTR!
 

Hokiebama

BamaNation Citizen
Dec 3, 2008
33
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Atlanta
What would be the point? It's not like you could hear a MDB pep band anyways. If the crowd can barely hear the entire Million Dollar Band (by far the quietest 425 musicians to ever take the field) in Bryant-Denny, what makes you think the crowd could hear a 50+ pep band? Precise marching, matching horn levels, and perfectly tuned instruments only go so far if the crowd can't at least hear the music selections. However, the overall blandness of the MDB is not the fault of the hard-working musicians. The fault lies with the MDB leadership as it has since 2003.
Sorry I have been attending football games for 35 years the ACC SEC Big East and many others, the MDB is the best in the land! :BigA:
 

Vinny

Hall of Fame
Sep 27, 2001
8,244
213
187
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Rockaway, NJ
What was up with the Penn State Band? It looked like a few were in the lower level and the rest were up in the upper corner of the north endzone? Will that be the norm for all visiting bands to BDS?
 

ColumbusTide

1st Team
Jan 10, 2007
519
0
0
What would be the point? It's not like you could hear a MDB pep band anyways. If the crowd can barely hear the entire Million Dollar Band (by far the quietest 425 musicians to ever take the field) in Bryant-Denny, what makes you think the crowd could hear a 50+ pep band? Precise marching, matching horn levels, and perfectly tuned instruments only go so far if the crowd can't at least hear the music selections. However, the overall blandness of the MDB is not the fault of the hard-working musicians. The fault lies with the MDB leadership as it has since 2003.
Being able to hear is all about where you are sitting. When the MDB is in the stands I used to not be able to hear at all. Now my seats are in Section B in the lower bowl and the sound is awesome. During halftime I can hear just fine and always have been able to hear. Don't be so negative. Read some of the Penn State comments about how loud our band was.
 

ColumbusTide

1st Team
Jan 10, 2007
519
0
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Yep, it probably costs more for the band to travel to some games than the football team. You can get a travel roster football team on a large charter flight. The only way the band can really travel is by bus.

I can almost see the argument about tickets (though I don't buy it because these band members who give blood sweat and tears to support the program should get the tickets), but I do not get the cost issue. We make enough money off the home game efforts of these students to send them en masse to every away game. No questions asked. They are part of the program. We send the cheerleaders, we send Big Al, we send the trainers and support staff, we should send the Million Dollar Band. Case closed. And I mean the whole marching band. They should MARCH at every game. They deserve the opportunity for all the work they do.
 
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lowend

All-SEC
Feb 20, 2005
1,494
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I can almost see the argument about tickets (though I don't buy it because these band members who give blood sweat and tears to support the program should get the tickets), but I do not get the cost issue. We make enough money off the home game efforts of these students to send them en masse to every away game. No questions asked. They are part of the program. We send the cheerleaders, we send Big Al, we send the trainers and support staff, we should send the Million Dollar Band. Case closed. And I mean the whole marching band. They should MARCH at every game. They deserve the opportunity for all the work they do.
When I was in the MDB, most of us were glad when a weekend came up that we didn't have a game or have to travel. That was our chance to go home and see families, see our old high school bands on Friday night, get caught up on assignments, blow off some steam, etc. Of course, I marched during the Shula years, so maybe it's different now.
 

BamaDude06

1st Team
Sep 15, 2006
928
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You also have to consider time missed from class. When the band travels on a longer trip (Florida, Florida State in Jax, LSU, Tennessee, etc.) they have to leave Friday mornings, causing us to miss classes. If the full band went like this to all 5 away games and we had to miss five days of class like that, plus throw in the SEC championship game.....


That being said, yeah it can be a little disappointing not getting to go to the game. Heck, as a 5th year MDB member this week will only be the 3rd game I have missed (Arkansas 06 and Kentucky last year the other two). Also I do agree about sometimes just enjoying the "free" weekend. We already spend 1.5 hours Monday-Friday in rehearsal, plus throw in a 2 hour rehearsal on gameday, basically losing all day Saturday, and losing entire weekends on some away trips, it can be very difficult to just keep up with everything.

And to the question about getting to Pasadena, we actually took 3 737s. Two were full of MDB, the other had I think 50 or so from the MDB, the cheerleaders, and some athletic dept staff.
 
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