Marchout Mondays

Each Monday, following a home football game, I'll report on the Notre Dame Marching Band's halftime performance from the previous Saturday's game.

This Saturday the Irish played our archrival from Southern Cal. The Trojan band is known to take jabs at the Band of the Fighting Irish and Our Lady's university. Of course, the Notre Dame band outperforms the Spirit of Troy every time.

This past Saturday was no exception. The USC band performed "Karaoke at Notre Dame Stadium" and included many of the songs that our marching band is known for playing. You would think that the USC band would know by know that Jon Bon Jovi prefers the ND arrangements of his songs over the USC version. The USC band also tried to wow the crowd by attempting to dance which just led to moans from the Notre Dame student section.

After the USC band was finished with their "performance" to boos from the stadium, the Notre Dame Marching Band took the field to an erupting cheer. This week's performance honored NASA and a Notre Dame alum who just returned from space. It included the band forming the NASA logo, a globe with a rocket going to the moon, and a rocket bringing an astronaut (costume included) to the moon where he planted a flag and the band spelt "USA." The crowd was awed, including the USC marching band. I'm looking forward to out-performing them again in two years.

View the Notre Dame Marching Band's performance against USC.
View the Spirit of Troy's performance at Notre Dame Stadium.

Review: Notre Dame vs Washington Halftime Performance

The Notre Dame Marching Band performs a new halftime show each home football weekend. Last weekend, the marching band's Notre Dame vs. Washington halftime show was a student favorite.

The first song was "Come Sail Away" by Styx. The marching band sounded great and the marching was perfect. During the performance the marching band first formed the word "Styx." The lines were straight and exactly like the band's logo. Next the band formed a sailboat on water and waves. As the band played, the sailboat moved across the field and the waves flowed underneath.

Next the band played "Walk Like an Egyptian." During most of this song the band stayed in a pyramid shape. I thought that the band could have done a little more with this formation. However, they did take some time to actually dance which added to the interest.

Lastly, the band played "Fire Burning on the Dance Floor" by Sean Kingston. This brought the student section to life. The marching band didn't create any cool formations, but instead focused on dancing. The student section was singing and dancing right along.

Of course, the marching band closed with by forming the traditional monogram ND.

Crazed Eyes

I found this image while looking through pictures from a friend's trip to India. While this may look like just a pile full of fish, that isn't what first popped into my head. The first thing I noticed were the eyes of the fish. Take a look at them. They appear to be bugging out and have a crazed look.

All Irish fans should have this same crazed look. Think of 80,000 screaming fans all crammed into one stadium, packed in so tight that we look a little like the fish laying on this pile. But we all have the same crazed look, cheering on our team and encouraging them to another victory. The marching band leads the way for us, get us pumped up, and injects us with with energy. I encourage you to Get Your Irish Up for the next home game - the biggest of all games - USC. Come out in your full Irish garb, including your crazed eyes, and lets beat the boys from Troy.

About This Blog

Every fall I'm surround by the chill of autumn breeze, the crackling of the colored leaves, and the excitement surrounding Notre Dame football. Growing up, I spent most Saturdays at my grandparent's house just north of the Notre Dame campus. My grandpa and I would stand in the backyard watching the bumper-to-bumper traffic file down Juniper Road and into the parking lots. As gametime approached, we'd walk back into the house and smell the simmering chili on the stove that my grandma had made. We'd all sit down, eat, and cheer for the Irish. But something was always missing from these afternoons.

As I got older, my dad took me to my first game. Finally I was able to figure out what was missing. It was the Notre Dame Marching Band. The Notre Dame Marching Band is the oldest continuous university marching band in the country. The marching band brings much of the pageantry to Notre Dame football. The Irish Guard, Irish plaid, and the unique high-step make the marching band one of a kind. And of course, the marching band plays arguably the most recognized university fight song in the world.

This blog is dedicated to bringing you the insights of the 2009 Notre Dame Marching Band. Included are critiques of the halftime performances and interviews with band members. Through this blog, you'll get to experience the Notre Dame Marching Band in a way that NBC won't let you. I'll take you through the tunnerl and onto the field. As this year's marching band theme says, I'll help you "Get Your Irish Up!"

Three Bloggers Agree That the Notre Dame Marching Band is the Best

Notre Dame Band Outplays USC
Francine does a great job of explaining the ND/USC halftime show from November 29, 2008. Not only does she describe the show, but Francine also includes some great photos. You'll note that there are only photos of the Notre Dame Marching Band.

View ND Band perfom "Here it Goes Again"
This blogger posted a video of the Notre Dame Marching Band's performance of "Here it Goes Again" by OK GO. I like that you can actually see the entire performance and experience the treadmill dance.

Band of the Fighting Irish Welcomes Chicago
The Notre Dame Scene announces that Chicago is playing with the Notre Dame Marching Band during the Notre Dame/North Carolina halftime on November 4, 2006. This article describes the many connection between Chicago and the Notre Dame Band.