Gray Eagle, Silver Eagle, FFR & Harry: This Is A Real Band Day!

PlummMeanGreen · September 14, 2016

It was a 1966 Band Day in the Houston Astrodome.

There were 13,000 bandsmen from mostly the Greater Houston area.

Doc Severinsen of the Tonight Show was the guest conductor.

I believe the Coogs were hosting Lou Holtz's NC State Wolfpack that evening.

My HS alma mater (Danbury HS) was among the 13,000 plus bandsmen. I travelled with the band as a student band gear handler since I played on our varsity football team & that got me inside for the football game--free gratis.

I showed this pic to late Green Brigade Director Robert A.Winslow in 1982 as something UNT should consider doing albeit it on a lesser scale or number of bandsmen.

Silver Eagle told me they used to have Band Days at North Texas under Maurice McAdo but when he retired it seems Band Day retired with him.

A fellow alum on GMG.com who is a retired Texas public school administrator said it would be difficult to pull off one of these in this era, but I still wish we'd give it the good ol' college try. (Not holding my breath).

The Wing Zone would sure nuff' look good filled with bandsmen from all over northern Texas and southern Oklahoma.

To quote a former AD in the Metroplex several years ago: "An empty seat cannot buy a hot dog, a coke or a T-shirt with the school logo or mascot on it."

Edited September 14, 2016 by PlummMeanGreen

FirefightnRick · September 14, 2016

Damn that's a lot of kids.

Rick

PlummMeanGreen · September 14, 2016

Same pic in living color (of NBC peacock fame! :)

Anyone remember when North Texas played UH in the Astrodome? (Like probably about 90% of you on this forum)? LOL!

Edited September 14, 2016 by PlummMeanGreen

Huff · September 14, 2016

Quote

Jim, it was nice to see you four guys after the game on Saturday. We have missed you. I hope you get to come back again soon.

SilverEagle · September 14, 2016

11 hours ago, PlummMeanGreen said:

It was a 1966 Band Day in the Houston Astrodome.

There were 13,000 bandsmen from mostly the Greater Houston area.

Doc Severinsen of the Tonight Show was the guest conductor.

I believe the Coogs were hosting Lou Holtz's NC State Wolfpack that evening.

My HS alma mater (Danbury HS) was among the 13,000 plus bandsmen. I travelled with the band as a student band gear handler since I played on our varsity football team & that got me inside for the football game--free gratis.

I showed this pic to late Green Brigade Director Robert A.Winslow in 1982 as something UNT should consider doing albeit it on a lesser scale or number of bandsmen.

Silver Eagle told me they used to have Band Days at North Texas under Maurice McAdo but when he retired it seems Band Day retired with him.

A fellow alum on GMG.com who is a retired Texas public school administrator said it would be difficult to pull off one of these in this era, but I still wish we'd give it the good ol' college try. (Not holding my breath).

The Wing Zone would sure nuff' look good filled with bandsmen from all over northern Texas and southern Oklahoma.

To quote a former AD in the Metroplex several years ago: "An empty seat cannot buy a hot dog, a coke or a T-shirt with the school logo or mascot on it."

North Texas didn't call it "Band Day", they called it their homecoming show. All of the invited High School bands marched in the homecoming parade and then went and practiced the mass entrance onto the field with the North Texas Marching band.

Most of the bands were from the Denton area. But one year the Waco Carver Band came and participated. And boy did they participate!

letsgiveacheer · September 14, 2016

Yes, Band Day was a great NTSU tradition. As Silver said, it was always on Homecoming. Mr McAdow would invite bands from around the North Texas region as far south as Waco. He would also invite some service bands and three or four or those would also participate. As the parade was early in the morning, there was a distance limitation but at least 30 bands participated.

The bands would arrive about 8am and immediately come to Fouts for a rehearsal. The parade began around 10am and would be organized at the Fouts parking lot. The North Texas band would always lead the parade, followed by the Denton HS band. After the parade, the bands were bused back to Fouts and provided a sack lunch. As game time neared, each band would march around the track, playing away. It was aways nice to see the little 1a bands trying their hardest to keep up with the 4A schools with their 200 member bands.

At pre-game, we had our show, then the alma mater as was the custom in those days, and then fall into formation for the National Anthem. The service bands were then invited to join us on the field for the anthem as well.

At half time, we would do our show and at the end, all the massed bands would join us for one or two tunes. Most, if not all, of the bands would stay to the end of the game. It was a great experience for them as well as their parents. It was also about the only time in the season that Fouts was almost full.

I can say from experience that most of the HS band directors really despised Band Day. Most of them had Friday night games which ended past 10pm and then faced a 4am wake-up to get their bands to Denton. But, they were all loyal to Mr. McAdow and did this out of respect to him.

Edited September 14, 2016 by letsgiveacheer

LongJim · September 14, 2016

Our HS band performed at a couple of "band days". It was probably 1980 or so, and I guess it was SMU, because it was at Texas Stadium.

UNT 90 Grad · September 14, 2016

12 hours ago, PlummMeanGreen said:

Same pic in living color (of NBC peacock fame! :)

Anyone remember when North Texas played UH in the Astrodome? (Like probably about 90% of you on this forum)? LOL!

Dang. Looks like the Allen marching band.

PlummMeanGreen · September 14, 2016

On ‎9‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 6:43 AM, Huff said:

Jim, it was nice to see you four guys after the game on Saturday. We have missed you. I hope you get to come back again soon.

LIke-wise, Don. We've seen a lot up there, now haven't we buddy, or as our late, great Coach Bill Blakely used to say: "Up here I've seen everything except child birth."

Been extremely busy with my business of which Fall Saturdays are a prime work day. Actually, I am going to try to come to the MT game on Oct. 1 because my event that week is a non-Saturday event.

I've missed all of you--even the ones who I rarely agree with or they with me. (I learned long ago GMG.com can be a contact sport so if you're going to dish it out you better by golly be ready to get a few pies back in the face, too).

GMG!

Edited September 16, 2016 by PlummMeanGreen

SilverEagle · September 14, 2016

3 hours ago, letsgiveacheer said:

Yes, Band Day was a great NTSU tradition. As Silver said, it was always on Homecoming. Mr McAdow would invite bands from around the North Texas region as far south as Waco. He would also invite some service bands and three or four or those would also participate. As the parade was early in the morning, there was a distance limitation but at least 30 bands participated.

The bands would arrive about 8am and immediately come to Fouts for a rehearsal. The parade began around 10am and would be organized at the Fouts parking lot. The North Texas band would always lead the parade, followed by the Denton HS band. After the parade, the bands were bused back to Fouts and provided a sack lunch. As game time neared, each band would march around the track, playing away. It was aways nice to see the little 1a bands trying their hardest to keep up with the 4A schools with their 200 member bands.

At pre-game, we had our show, then the alma mater as was the custom in those days, and then fall into formation for the National Anthem. The service bands were then invited to join us on the field for the anthem as well.

At half time, we would do our show and at the end, all the massed bands would join us for one or two tunes. Most, if not all, of the bands would stay to the end of the game. It was a great experience for them as well as their parents. It was also about the only time in the season that Fouts was almost full.

I can say from experience that most of the HS band directors really despised Band Day. Most of them had Friday night games which ended past 10pm and then faced a 4am wake-up to get their bands to Denton. But, they were all loyal to Mr. McAdow and did this out of respect to him.

Yep, two of my HS Band directors were graduates of the North Texas school of music, and the one that wasn't was getting his masters there. They all had a great amount of respect for Mr. McAdow. The logistics that you mention hit the Decatur band especially hard in 1965 and 1967. During that stretch (65-67) we always played our hated (and I mean really hated) rival Jacksboro. When the game was @ J'boro (65 & 67) we had to drive back from Jacksboro (38 miles), get up Saturday morning and drive the 30 miles to Denton. Fortunately for us, North Texas was on the extreme west side of Denton....and very close to hwy 24 (now 380). And once just to make it a little more trouble for us, our majorettes made a sign to carry on the parade route in 67 to answer everyone on the parade route that called out "who won?". The sign just said "we did....and then the score".

PlummMeanGreen · September 16, 2016

Indiana U is the U of North Texas main competitor for largest College of Music in America. Last I read IU was still #1 and UNT follows at #2.

Band Days happen annually at Indiana U. This will still most likely never happen at North Texas because......IT'S JUST NOT PART OF OUR CULTURE, RIGHT, SILVER EAGLE?

* If we ever had one at Apogee way out there in the sweet by and by & probably when most of us are dead--where would they put all those HS bands for heaven's sake)? Hmmm? Let's think about that one. :) > (See picture below)

____________________________________________--

To quote a former AD in the Metroplex several years ago: "An empty seat cannot buy a hot dog, a coke or a T-shirt with the school logo or mascot on it."

Edited September 16, 2016 by PlummMeanGreen