Football season is upon us, with NC State’s regular season opener against Troy now just days away. Most acknowledge how the team has worked hard to prepare for the season, but the amount of time and effort the marching band puts in to providing entertainment throughout the game is often overlooked.
Also referred to as “The Power Sound of the South,” the NC State marching band plans out a pregame show, a halftime show and plays stands tunes while the opposing offense is on the field. Band Director Paul Garcia believes the band lives up to its nickname.
“I like to think our sound is always very powerful,” Garcia said. “Whenever somebody comes into our place, they will know that they’re in our place. Even if there’s another band here, we make sure they know that they’re in our house.”
During pregame, the band plays school songs such as the fight song and “The Red & White Song.” It also plays national-themed songs such as “The Star Spangled Banner” and John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Last year, the band stole the show with halftime themes such as the “Daft Punk Medley” and a “Cartoon Medley” that featured fan favorites such as the “Pokémon” and “Family Guy” theme songs. This year, some of its shows include “The Sound of Music,” which will act as a tribute to the movie celebrating its 50-year anniversary, as well as a “Jurassic Park”/”Star Wars” show, a Halloween show and an Armed Forces show.
“It’s great music, whether you’re 5 or 75 years old, you probably know some of the songs,” Garcia said. “We thought it would be good to relate to the entire crowd. This year has been a reboot year for two major movie franchises, ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Star Wars,’ and we are going to try and work out a few surprise things within the show.”
In addition to performing, the band also has an impact when it is in the stands. During timeouts and between quarters, it will play songs such as “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark,” “Wake Me Up,” “Timber” and “Hey Baby” to pump up the crowd while the game is on hold. Additionally, it plays short tunes while the opposing team is on offense to create as much noise as possible, making it hard for them to communicate on the field.
“I think we have a huge impact on the overall game experience,” Garcia said. “There are high and low points in the game. We help the team get to the high points and keep them up. We stay quiet on offense so Brissett and the offense can call audibles and do what they need to do. On defense, it is the total opposite. We want to be in the opposing team’s head the whole game. When they are in play, we want to bear down on them, and they’ll know we’re there.”
Michael Scanlan, one of the drum majors and a fifth-year senior studying meteorology, also believes that the band has a big impact both on the fans and the team.
“In addition to trying to get the fans involved, we are trying to get the team involved,” Scanlan said. “We are essentially the 12th man that leads the 12th man.”
Pretty much the only time the band is not playing at a football game is when the offense is on the field and when it is taking a break after the halftime show. Members of the marching band practice at least six hours a week, plus whatever they do on their own time, then anywhere from four to six hours before kickoff.
“I want the NC State community to know that the students in the marching band work very hard to represent them, fire them up and support our teams,” Garcia said. “When we perform around campus, these are students in class right next to you, and I hope that we can give them a product they can really be proud of.”
The Power Sound of the South will perform at all home games this season and will also be present at some of the away games as well. This dominated group of students looks to entertain the audience in all new ways once the season kicks off.
