All Things Pride of Minnesota 2017 thread

Taji34

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Well everyone, it's that time of year again! I welcome you to the 2017 edition of the All Things Pride of Minnesota thread. To get it all started:

20819704_10155615901654819_8405692461702468168_o.jpg


As a reminder to everyone old and new, here are the Marching Band's social media pages:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umnmarch/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UMNmarch
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/umnMarchingBand/videos
 

I remember reading last year before the Iowa game last year, that not only would the Iowa Band be at TCF for the first time last year, the full Minnesota Band would be in Iowa City next year.

As I sit in section 101 this year at Kinnick I better see our much larger, much better band to my right reminding the Iowa fans of that reality.

This much smaller group did a nice job down there last year and apparently added a lot to the general environment for the visiting team.

1:55 is especially nice how great would it be to have a similar scene down there this year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14NrXHnYqvU
 

I remember reading last year before the Iowa game last year, that not only would the Iowa Band be at TCF for the first time last year, the full Minnesota Band would be in Iowa City next year.

As I sit in section 101 this year at Kinnick I better see our much larger, much better band to my right reminding the Iowa fans of that reality.

This much smaller group did a nice job down there last year and apparently added a lot to the general environment for the visiting team.

1:55 is especially nice how great would it be to have a similar scene down there this year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14NrXHnYqvU

As far as I am aware the plan was to have the band go down there this year, but there was still the issue of the money and at the time athletics was not wanting to give enough money. Transporting 320 band members + staff + instruments is very expensive. Maybe with Fleck as coach athletics will be a bit more willing to help foot the bill.
 

Spoiler alert … Our first halftime of the year is entitled "row the boat"
 



Spoiler alert … Our first halftime of the year is entitled "row the boat"

I may not be in band anymore, but this is indeed correct! The halftime committee thought it would be a fun idea!
 


Is the band going to form a canoe and row it down the field?
 




Is the band going to form a canoe and row it down the field?

While that would be funny, sadly the rookies have just over a week to go from just arriving to the U as students for the first time to game performance ready. Some have never marched before and will be marching their first performance ever two weeks from Thursday, so a moving picture show is a bit much for the first game.
 


love the band!

Attended my first ever Gopher Football game as a youngster at Memorial Stadium back in 1973. Watched the marching band make their pre-game entrance onto the field. I was hooked before the first snap!
 

Taji34, given this is Betsy's first real full year as director, can we expect anything new or different this season?
 



Taji34, given this is Betsy's first real full year as director, can we expect anything new or different this season?

Ummm, you're a bit off there, as last year was Professor McCann's first full season as director (she was named about a week after Dr. Diem stepped down mid-summer). As far as I am aware, she hopes to get the Band and the Football team interacting more, and wants to continue to push our social media more as well. Past that, I don't have much insight anymore since I am no longer a student.
 

Attended my first ever Gopher Football game as a youngster at Memorial Stadium back in 1973. Watched the marching band make their pre-game entrance onto the field. I was hooked before the first snap!

While my first game ever was back in I believe 1962, I agree that watching the entire band double-time onto the field through the tunnel for pregame at old Memorial Stadium to the drumline's cadences was always thrilling indeed!! I sure do miss that place.
 

As far as I am aware the plan was to have the band go down there this year, but there was still the issue of the money and at the time athletics was not wanting to give enough money. Transporting 320 band members + staff + instruments is very expensive. Maybe with Fleck as coach athletics will be a bit more willing to help foot the bill.

Too bad. Other bands in the Big Ten would not have this problem.
 


First day of Spat Camp for our new leadership team and new Drum Major!

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fumnmarch%2Fphotos%2Fa.434730954818.218115.31467674818%2F10155627039404819%2F%3Ftype%3D3&width=2000" width="750" height="603" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true"></iframe>
 

What time will the pregame band concert on the street start, next Thursday. I am talking about the pregame concert on the street between TCF and Marriucci (NOT the pregame in the stadium, which I know starts about 25 minutes prior to kickoff). How long before kickoff is the street performance?
 

What time will the pregame band concert on the street start, next Thursday. I am talking about the pregame concert on the street between TCF and Marriucci (NOT the pregame in the stadium, which I know starts about 25 minutes prior to kickoff). How long before kickoff is the street performance?

I don't know an exact timing but based off of last year usually the plaza show is around 1hr 10min before kickoff, with pregame starting about 20min before kickoff. With the changes to the game experience that could get moved a bit, but I would say its probably going to start around 4:50ish.
 

per Facebook:

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fumnmarch%2Fphotos%2Fa.434730954818.218115.31467674818%2F10155629796439819%2F%3Ftype%3D3&width=2000" width="750" height="603" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true"></iframe>
 

Spat Camp begins today! Don't know the exact number, but somewhere around 100-150 rookies start learning to be members of the Pride of Minnesota:

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fumnmarch%2Fphotos%2Fa.434730954818.218115.31467674818%2F10155635030684819%2F%3Ftype%3D3&width=2000" width="752" height="461" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true">.</iframe>
 

I'm sure everything will be locked and loaded for the opener. Hat's off to all who help pull off this gigantic task in such a short time! It's a beautiful day to get things started...maybe Fleck will hear them and wander over for a pep talk or two.
 

I don't know an exact timing but based off of last year usually the plaza show is around 1hr 10min before kickoff, with pregame starting about 20min before kickoff. With the changes to the game experience that could get moved a bit, but I would say its probably going to start around 4:50ish.

some poor U communication here. A web search reveals there are some OLD bits of information regarding pregame events and timing currently on the official website. One entry suggest the pregame plaza show is 60 minutes prior to game. Another location says it is 80 minutes before the game. Both of those web links mention the victory walk entering on the plaza end of the stadium but a third web link touting new game day traditions starting this year says it will now be on the closed end of the stadium and in that writing the plaza band show isn't mentioned at all. Does that mean it was discontinued? It seems they want people to really, really, really have to work at it to plan for their pregame events without getting something wrong. Perhaps I didn't look long enough but I still don't feel confident I would know where and what time to see the band perform prior to their entry into the stadium.
 

some poor U communication here. A web search reveals there are some OLD bits of information regarding pregame events and timing currently on the official website. One entry suggest the pregame plaza show is 60 minutes prior to game. Another location says it is 80 minutes before the game. Both of those web links mention the victory walk entering on the plaza end of the stadium but a third web link touting new game day traditions starting this year says it will now be on the closed end of the stadium and in that writing the plaza band show isn't mentioned at all. Does that mean it was discontinued? It seems they want people to really, really, really have to work at it to plan for their pregame events without getting something wrong. Perhaps I didn't look long enough but I still don't feel confident I would know where and what time to see the band perform prior to their entry into the stadium.

That's a bummer, but I know what you mean on the website...several other examples like this one. I always use that 80 minutes as a guide for the plaza show.
 

That's a bummer, but I know what you mean on the website...several other examples like this one. I always use that 80 minutes as a guide for the plaza show.

Is it on the plaza, or on the street near the plaza? I used to go to the pregame mini-show quite a bit, dating all the way back to the Metrodome. But, haven't gone in recent years since procuring a tailgate spot. The last time I went it was on the street between the stadium and Mariucci. I won't be able to tailgate next thursday so I thought maybe I'd take a couple guests (their first ever Gopher game) to see the band. Didn't realize it would be this tough to plan it out.
 

Is it on the plaza, or on the street near the plaza? I used to go to the pregame mini-show quite a bit, dating all the way back to the Metrodome. But, haven't gone in recent years since procuring a tailgate spot. The last time I went it was on the street between the stadium and Mariucci. I won't be able to tailgate next thursday so I thought maybe I'd take a couple guests (their first ever Gopher game) to see the band. Didn't realize it would be this tough to plan it out.

On Oak Street between TCF and Mooch.
 

some poor U communication here. A web search reveals there are some OLD bits of information regarding pregame events and timing currently on the official website. One entry suggest the pregame plaza show is 60 minutes prior to game. Another location says it is 80 minutes before the game. Both of those web links mention the victory walk entering on the plaza end of the stadium but a third web link touting new game day traditions starting this year says it will now be on the closed end of the stadium and in that writing the plaza band show isn't mentioned at all. Does that mean it was discontinued? It seems they want people to really, really, really have to work at it to plan for their pregame events without getting something wrong. Perhaps I didn't look long enough but I still don't feel confident I would know where and what time to see the band perform prior to their entry into the stadium.

Is it on the plaza, or on the street near the plaza? I used to go to the pregame mini-show quite a bit, dating all the way back to the Metrodome. But, haven't gone in recent years since procuring a tailgate spot. The last time I went it was on the street between the stadium and Mariucci. I won't be able to tailgate next thursday so I thought maybe I'd take a couple guests (their first ever Gopher game) to see the band. Didn't realize it would be this tough to plan it out.

I can reach out to the Band and ask if anything has changed in terms of the plaza show and if they have a gameday timeline yet (usually they figure it out with athletics about a week before). As of last year the show was still on Oak Street between TCF and Mariucci, as PMWinSTP said, I think we call it the plaza show as a holdover from the Metrodome era when it actually was on a Plaza area. There's not really a better name for it anyway, and I don't think renaming it was ever on the table in the first place.

As always, during the Season sometime in the week before the list of Halftime songs and the Gameday Schedule is put out in image form on social media, last year it was usually somewhere like Wednesday or Thursday when the images were posted, but I'm gonna ask if they can release them earlier so there is more time for people to share them and for people to plan around the band if they want.
 






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