For the football team, it’s customary to go into a season with lots of unknowns. New players, new schemes, new coaches, and a host of other issues make it less clear how a team will perform. As for The Marching Wildcats, that’s hardly ever the issue. More than anything, band-heads are often curious about the size of their respective programs.
How many snares do we have? How many trumpets? How many Tubas? These are common talking points among band lovers during the quiet off-season. Normally, those questions get answered at the first performance and that was the case this weekend.
The Marching Wildcats traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina this weekend to participate in 2023 HBCU Labor Day Classic: Battle of the Bands. The Pride showed up and showed out per usual but the day was not without controversy. Due to issues related to the extreme heat, mic issues, and several other supposed mishaps, the event was delayed several hours. The Pride took the field in its usual show-stopping manner near midnight.
The drum majors, also known as The Five Horsemen, commanded the attention of the entire stadium with an exhilarating, smoke-filled, acrobatic entrance that only they could pull off. The intro set the tone for a great first performance of the year. The Marching Wildcats have yet again started the season in mid-season form. Sound, look, excitement, precision, they proved why they are still the standard.
It’s a Tuba Thang Shawty
One of the big rumors outside of the band this year was that Bethune Cookman had significantly smaller Tuba sections this year. Remember I said band-heads care about size? Well, the rumor was true. 14 Tubas to accurate. By my count, this is the smallest Tuba section 20+ years by my count. Interestingly enough, it didn’t matter. You couldn’t tell because they sounded like solid 28. Whatever Mr. Wells or the section leaders told to them beforehand, it worked. Shout out to the Tuba section!
Needless to say, the newest edition of The Pride came out of the gate strong. It should be noted that they are one of the very few programs that usually start the season a little ahead of most. We expect Mr. Wells and the program to continue it’s upward trajectory for the remaining of the season. Let’s Go Wildcats!
All Hail to Thee.
Tubas and the PRIDE as a whole did not disappoint. 💪🏾 # hailwildcats
Dr. Wells….Jack!