Notes and thoughts from the final stop of the Mean Green caravan

[FirefightnRick]

I'm with Silver on this but then I remember that we can't even coordinate the football team to arrive at the Mean Green March at a specific time or enter the stadium on game day without 2 or 3 spastic stop-and-starts across the field.

..."AND HERE COMES THE MEAN GR.....oh wait,....ok....AND HERE COMES THE......no........not that time either......oh...here we go,....AND HERE COMES THE MEAN GREEN!!!!!!!!".....

Rick

[forevereagle]

[SilverEagle]

I (thankfully) never did that kind of marching when I was in high school (93-97). The latest trend is to modify show tunes into marching tunes and make complex shapes on the field. I think you can count the number of FBS schools on one or at best 2 hands that use the high step style of marching. I have never seen a TX HS use that style of marching.

The thing about high step marching is that you end up bouncing all over the place and so you might end up sacrificing looks for quality of sounds while moving. It also requires quite a bit of endurance from what I understand.

I agree it would be cool if our band played the opposing school's alma mater. It would be a great display of showmanship.

All I ask is that they make an entrance with only half the energy demonstrated by the Wisconsin and Ohio State bands. Wandering out on the field, for pre-game, finding your spot, and then playing the fight song in (IMHO) a halfhearted manner is just.......pathetic.

[KRAM1]

Old Denton nesters and alums in Club Section who spend more time getting drunk than watching the game certainly take away from the game experience. It is especially annoying to true fans who come to see the games when they are constantly passing in front of you on their way to the bar or the head. Meanwhile they camp out in front of you to yuk it up with the other drunks in their party who are there strictly to socialize and could care less about the game. Leave the drunken game day in the parking lot or better yet just stay at the bar and let those who came to see the game enjoy seeing it.

Your experience is certainly 180 degrees different than mine. Where are your tickets? I do not recall ever seeing anyone passed out in the Club Section nor have I noticed any drunken folks camped out in my section nor Yucking it up" with other drunks. I suggest you consider moving your seat location if that is happening to you. The folks in my section spend the vast majority of time in their outside seats watching the game and cheering on the Mean Green. Come on over, we would love to have another intently interested in the games. Where the heck do you sit?

[DeepGreen]

Here's something to think about....a niece of mine is in the Arkansas Razorback Marching Band. She is PAID $2,000 to be in the marching band. I assume that is $2,000 per year, not for each semester. But I'm really not sure.

Not in books, not a payment towards her tuition. Not sure how it is taxed.

Kids probably line up to be in that band.

[Stan R]

Here's something to think about....a niece of mine is in the Arkansas Razorback Marching Band. She is PAID $2,000 to be in the marching band. I assume that is $2,000 per year, not for each semester. But I'm really not sure.

Not in books, not a payment towards her tuition. Not sure how it is taxed.

Kids probably line up to be in that band.

Whoa. That's absurd.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Agree with Silver 197%. If you go to a big school, you get a ton of pageantry - a real show - before kickoff. It's usually 10-15 minutes of band, videos, National Anthem, and Alma Mater to the hilt. It really gets the crowd into the game.

It's they type of thing that had 0-12 South Carolina selling out games. You're talking about hosting and throwing an event as opposed to just saying, "Hey, there's a football game here at 3:00 p.m. on Staurday, please, please, please take pity on us and come out."

I know coaches visit each other over the summer and pick each other's brains for ideas. Our band directors need to do the same. Drive down to UT. A&M, and LSU, drive up to OU, Nebraska, Arkansas...see and learn how it is done.

What is baffling is how, after playing many of these schools on the road from time to time, our band directors and athletic department personnel don't see it themselves and want to act on it. I mean, the light bulb doesn't come on for anyone while the other team's band is marching around and tens of thousands of fans and going nutso in unison?

At those schools, the beginning of the game is not the kickoff; the beginning of the game is the band entering and firing up the crowd.

[SilverEagle]

Here's something to think about....a niece of mine is in the Arkansas Razorback Marching Band. She is PAID $2,000 to be in the marching band. I assume that is $2,000 per year, not for each semester. But I'm really not sure.

Not in books, not a payment towards her tuition. Not sure how it is taxed.

Kids probably line up to be in that band.

Since the GB has swollen in size in the last few years to somewhere around 350 to 400 members, there doesn't seem to be any lack of students who want to volunteer to be in the band. My issue is not quantity, but QUALITY. During the McAdow days (when you attended NT), the band was 125 members. They not only could make just as big a sound as the current GB, they could play circles around the current GB.

addendum: If we are thinking about paying some students, we ought to pay students in the spirit squads. We should pay the cheerleaders and Talons to actually get up into the stands and "work the crowd" during cheer events. They should be going up and down the aisles, and steps, on both sides (but especially the alumni side) exhorting the crowd to get into the cheer and demonstrating what the cheer is. They would be graded on every game, and their paid position would be renewed on a yearly basis based on that grade/assessment.

Edited May 14, 2013 by SilverEagle

[buff64]

Agree with Silver 197%. If you go to a big school, you get a ton of pageantry - a real show - before kickoff. It's usually 10-15 minutes of band, videos, National Anthem, and Alma Mater to the hilt. It really gets the crowd into the game.

It's they type of thing that had 0-12 South Carolina selling out games. You're talking about hosting and throwing an event as opposed to just saying, "Hey, there's a football game here at 3:00 p.m. on Staurday, please, please, please take pity on us and come out."

I know coaches visit each other over the summer and pick each other's brains for ideas. Our band directors need to do the same. Drive down to UT. A&M, and LSU, drive up to OU, Nebraska, Arkansas...see and learn how it is done.

What is baffling is how, after playing many of these schools on the road from time to time, our band directors and athletic department personnel don't see it themselves and want to act on it. I mean, the light bulb doesn't come on for anyone while the other team's band is marching around and tens of thousands of fans and going nutso in unison?

At those schools, the beginning of the game is not the kickoff; the beginning of the game is the band entering and firing up the crowd.

A marching band , wow, what a concept .

[KRAM1]

Maybe Kram is too drunk to notice all the drunks?

Not a chance. Been there...done that...in my much younger days!

[KRAM1]

Here's something to think about....a niece of mine is in the Arkansas Razorback Marching Band. She is PAID $2,000 to be in the marching band. I assume that is $2,000 per year, not for each semester. But I'm really not sure.

Not in books, not a payment towards her tuition. Not sure how it is taxed.

Kids probably line up to be in that band.

UNT's Basketball Pep Band gets paid I believe.

And, I don't think it is the number of marching band members that has Silver's attention.

Edited May 14, 2013 by KRAM1

[meangreener]

Student section is generally pretty rowdy. Chants, Yells, etc. Should move over to the student section if you wish to enhance your fan experience.

Exactly. I just read this thread and vomited a little bit in my mouth. I've never understood the complaining about our band, the "pageantry", the presentation and all that crap. It looks pretty damn good to me from where I'm sitting. Add in a rowdy student section and, maybe you guys are just drunk.

We should start an "Alumni...You Let The Whole Team Down!" chant for you whiners.

Edited May 14, 2013 by meangreener

[MeanGreenDan]

Exactly. I just read this thread and vomited a little bit in my mouth. I've never understood the complaining about our band, the "pageantry", the presentation and all that crap. It looks pretty damn good to me from where I'm sitting. Add in a rowdy student section and, maybe you guys are just drunk.

We should start an "Alumni...You Let The Whole Team Down!" chant for you whiners.

I think Silver beats this dead horse a little much, but people who say things like this have obviously not been to any real football programs' games that have any real pageantry. In all honesty, there are high school football teams in the metroplex that have more pageantry than we do :-(

[RAGEMASTER5000]

Who actually says "pageantry" out loud?

[UNT Five&Dime]

I hate myself for coming back into this thread after 4 days.

[UNT90]

We wouldn't give 2 craps about "pageantry" if we were winning some MF'n football games.

[UNTcrazy727]

You know what REALLY helps having "pageantry" on game day? A full stadium. Without it everything else seems kinda lame.

[DeepGreen]

You know what REALLY helps having "pageantry" on game day? A full stadium. Without it everything else seems kinda lame.

And sometimes pageantry fills a stadium. It's an event.

[RAGEMASTER5000]

[meangreener]

I think Silver beats this dead horse a little much, but people who say things like this have obviously not been to any real football programs' games that have any real pageantry. In all honesty, there are high school football teams in the metroplex that have more pageantry than we do :-(

I've been to games at Ohio State, Penn State, UT, A&M...to name a few. Pageantry comes from a winning history. Which we DO NOT have. What CUSA schools have "pageantry"? None. Such a freaking joke and don't make assumptions. We have one of the best bands in the NCAA and our """"""pageantry"""""" is on pace with every other Group of 5 school. God, did anyone even go to the UH game? What a snooze fest. I was so grateful for our band after that cluster, not to mention the dead atmosphere. We were louder and had more chants going than the entire stadium.

The reason that our pregame sucks is because everyone knows we suck, so they show up late because they don't want to leave their beer and they don't know the players so they have no idea who to cheer for. This thread and topic is the worst, filled by ignorant complainers who aren't very acute observers.

Edited May 15, 2013 by meangreener

[MeanGreenDan]

God, did anyone even go to the UH game? What a snooze fest. I was so grateful for our band after that cluster, not to mention the dead atmosphere. We were louder and had more chants going than the entire stadium.

Yes, I was there. And that should be exhibit a in the argument that this idea of ""pageantry"" comes with winning.

[UNTLifer]

We were louder and had more chants going than the entire stadium.

Please define who "we" are.

[Cerebus]

Maybe Kram is too drunk to notice all the drunks?

This man is a straight shooter with upper management written all over him.

[All About UNT]

This man is a straight shooter with upper management written all over him.

[RAGEMASTER5000]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhLoEdqnAso

I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be too hard to get some Pageantry at the games this season. They are a Denton band after all.