[BJWilliams]

I wanted to clarify my earlier statement. The band is light years better than when I first saw them Homecoming of 2005. The flags have even gotten better. The show for this year is frankly boring. The band needs to do better shows to show more life.

I think a lot of that comes from the fact that when dr Kerr seeks input on the show it comes almost exclusively from the band community (within LU). I think I've said before that people are more than welcome to submit themes via email. personally I would love to see a Pharrell themed show (come Get it Bae, Happy etc) or even an iShuffle version 2.0 theme

[Hold My Own]

Don't get your hopes up...worst halftime show I have seen in quite awhile...

I totally agree.

Went to VT's game on Saturday and saw how a band can really add to the game experience. Love LU, but wish the game day experience was better.

My wife's uncle is VT's band director

I too was entertained by them when I got to see them live. I asked him how he stayed relevant to what was current since he's pretty much a fan of classic rock and classical. He said he learned a long time ago to listen to his younger members and what they wanted.

Speaking of great bands...anyone remember back in the day when Norfolk St (I think?) brought their band? Now that was a serious show! I still remember that to this day.

[bluejacket]

Speaking of great bands...anyone remember back in the day when Norfolk St (I think?) brought their band? Now that was a serious show! I still remember that to this day.

I remember NCCU bringing their band in 2009 and they smoked our band. When JMU brought the Marching Royal Dukes, they blasted ours out of the water.

[BJWilliams]

I was there for the JMU game in 09 and I think they had a bigger sound (being about 3 times our size), but I really wasn't super impressed with the drill. NCCU was a good performance but they are a different style of band. They black college bands are show style, with a lot of dancing and high stepping and what not, so in comparison to a more corps style of course the difference will be apparent

[Hold My Own]

Speaking of great bands...anyone remember back in the day when Norfolk St (I think?) brought their band? Now that was a serious show! I still remember that to this day.

I remember NCCU bringing their band in 2009 and they smoked our band. When JMU brought the Marching Royal Dukes, they blasted ours out of the water.

Hmm...I feel like this would be in the 90's when a team brought the one that I remember. I remember NCCU too though...always a good time.

Need some old heads to help here...

[flameshaw]

I remember the game as well, it was not recent. For some odd reason, I am wanting to say it might have been NC A&T. But my memory has gone the way of other parts of my body that don't work very well any more.

[bluejacket]

I was there for the JMU game in 09 and I think they had a bigger sound (being about 3 times our size), but I really wasn't super impressed with the drill. NCCU was a good performance but they are a different style of band. They black college bands are show style, with a lot of dancing and high stepping and what not, so in comparison to a more corps style of course the difference will be apparent

Regardless of what style band each was, the Marching Royal Dukes and The Marching Sound Machine were both better than ours that year.

[bluejacket]

The Sudler Trophy should be the ultimate goal for the Spirit of the Mountain. We aren't even close to winning one and it shouldn't be considered the measuring stick for the band. Right now, the band just needs to concentrate on being the best in Virginia. Winning one would take an incredible amount of time, work, and resources, but it isn't an unreasonable goal to set and begin working toward.

Coastal's band shouldn't be the measuring stick for the Spirit of the Mountain. They do very well. However, we can and should aim much, much higher than them.

[BJWilliams]

I'll agree to disagree on who the better band was on that night in the rain, but I do agree that the band does need to aim high. The band is growing and I think this year was the first year where kids were being legitimately cut, but I think given a few years of that plus updating the music youll see a significantly upgraded product on Saturdays in Williams Stadium

[Sly Fox]

Did it occur to anyone beside me that the CCU band may have just been bought a slew of new instruments as enticement to add to the football experience by a local donor?

[BJWilliams]

That's certainly possible Sly...new band director, new instruments, probably stands to reason that both of those are factoring into the changes in repertoire

[Yacht Rock]

From what I read, at Coastal, Professor Harold Hill just got them all new band instruments. He seems like a shiest though.

Seriously though, I echo the comments above. The halftime music and show is boring this year.

My family and I are big music buffs and love seeing live music in every form. When you play a stadium, you need to ensure that you are filling that void that disappears when the opposing teams leave the field. In my opinion, the band didn't live up to that.

Most of the songs performed as part of the show were way too soft, meaning I could barely hear them. What I could hear, sounded nice, but that's not the point.

It seems that someone in the band needs to understand how to entertain a stadium full of people. The show I saw seemed like a major miscue to me.

Resigning yourself to the fact that "people are getting nachos and colas during that time anyways" shouldn't be the way the band should look at it.

I hope that when planning the show, the band aims to keep people in their seats. Believe me, if they put on a good enough show, some people might wait a bit to go get their hot dog.

[BJWilliams]

I think a lot of that comes from, as I said, the fact that the music is pretty much all suggested by the members themselves, and a lot of these kids are band kids and dci fans. I mentioned above that an iShuffle version 2.0 would be an excellent theme. I will do some research this weekend and maybe come up with a couple others once I come back from my trip

[SuperJon]

Suggestions won't matter unless there is a change in vision and purpose. If our goal is to be a great corps style band, we will never get to the level or style that entertains at a football game.

[Purple Haize]

From what I read, at Coastal, Professor Harold Hill just got them all new band instruments. He seems like a shiest though.

Seriously though, I echo the comments above. The halftime music and show is boring this year.

My family and I are big music buffs and love seeing live music in every form. When you play a stadium, you need to ensure that you are filling that void that disappears when the opposing teams leave the field. In my opinion, the band didn't live up to that.

Most of the songs performed as part of the show were way too soft, meaning I could barely hear them. What I could hear, sounded nice, but that's not the point.

It seems that someone in the band needs to understand how to entertain a stadium full of people. The show I saw seemed like a major miscue to me.

Resigning yourself to the fact that "people are getting nachos and colas during that time anyways" shouldn't be the way the band should look at it.

I hope that when planning the show, the band aims to keep people in their seats. Believe me, if they put on a good enough show, some people might wait a bit to go get their hot dog.

It's pretty much always been that way. So much so I think it is IN the Liberty Way! This has never been the mentality of the band. It's usually about them, what they want and what fits in 'The Band World'. They are the show and the game is just something to take up time.

[TDDance234]

Let's not pretend that Liberty's game atmosphere hasn't improved a hundred fold over the past 10 years. It was pretty grim back in the late 90's and early 00's.

The band is nice but the product on the field has to improve for the atmosphere to really explode.

[bluejacket]

Let's not pretend that Liberty's game atmosphere hasn't improved a hundred fold over the past 10 years. It was pretty grim back in the late 90's and early 00's.

The band is nice but the product on the field has to improve for the atmosphere to really explode.

Definitely. Now its time to build on that foundation and keep moving forward.

[ALUmnus]

Let's not pretend that Liberty's game atmosphere hasn't improved a hundred fold over the past 10 years. It was pretty grim back in the late 90's and early 00's.

What are you talking about? I loved the games in the late 90's! The marshmellow fights were epic.

[Flamesfanva]

My wife nick named this year's show the 'lullaby half time show" as it is slow and not very exciting. I have no doubt that those band members work very hard, just need different music.

[jbock13]

The whole "ain't no mountain high enough" schitck is a bit tiring. We get it. Liberty "mountain". How clever.

It's just boring.

[Purple Haize]

The whole "ain't no mountain high enough" schitck is a bit tiring. We get it. Liberty "mountain". How clever.

It's just boring.

These would be better

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[BJWilliams]

I got a chance to watch a bit of practice today and im looking forward to seeing the show tomorrow...and watching Lindsay Keith doing a feature with the band during the game

[SuperJon]

The band is going to App next week. I hope they take notes.

[Purple Haize]

The band is going to App next week. I hope they take notes.

By putting the fans to sleep, we can take the crowd out of the game! Brilliant!

[BJWilliams]

Announced today that they are heading to the Georgia Dome at the end of the month and playing for about 40 higgh school bands