Ole Miss marching band appears for the first time on the field this season
Playing on field is the dream of many marching band musicians. The crowd, the music, the spirit, the energy – it’s all part of the experience.
Like many beloved public experiences, unfortunately, the on-field halftime show was a casualty of 2020, but the University of Mississippi marching band has made other plans, and everyone is invited to a free show.
The Pride of the South will take the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at 7 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 5) to perform its halftime shows, pre-game Grove show and a surprise or two. Band members and spectators will abide by normal game day protocols for masks and distancing.
Although the Pride of the South has been performing from the stands at home games, it’s been a different sort of experience, says Randy Dale, director of athletics bands for the Department of Music.
“The students were very disappointed about the news this year that restricted marching bands to smaller numbers with no on-field performances at football games,” Dale said.
“Our students work very hard, and public performances serve as a reward for all of that time and effort. For our senior members, it was extremely important to at least try to get them on the field in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium one last time.”
The process was not simple, but all partners were fully behind the idea.
“The UM athletics administration and band staff worked very closely and intently to try to get this done for our students,” Dale said. “Once we came up with a good plan, we submitted it to the University of Mississippi’s COVID-19 Task Force for approval.”
One fan who intends to be in the stands for the performance is Keith Carter, vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics.
“We are really excited for the Pride of the South Night,” Carter said. “It is so unfortunate that they can’t perform at the games, but I think it was the best decision. We just felt like we needed to give them the opportunity to perform on the field because they work so hard and are a huge part of our game day experience.
