It's halftime all the time with the Michigan Marching Band
Today the family unit went to University of Michigan's campus to visit Crisler Arena (nickname: The House That A Lot of Money Just Renovated). We were there to see the annual Michigan Marching Band indoor concert. It’s largely a rehash of the previous football season’s halftime shows, without the enjoyment of watching football before and after.
An Auspicious Start
The band members looked a little confused at the beginning of the show. They overcame their confusion as the first song was played, and fell into their formation eventually. We learned later that the band didn’t know they were going to play a concert - they had been told they were leaving for the bowl game three weeks early, and to bring their instrument and uniform with them to Crisler to “catch the bus to the airport”. Kids these days will believe anything that anybody texts them.
Musical Selections
The band played a wide variety of songs, from timeless classics like the theme from “Rocky”, to more modern pieces, like the theme from “Rocky III”. They also played 45-second arrangements of songs such as “I Got Rhythm” and “Stars and Stripes Forever”.
It’s apparent that the marching band world is running out of ideas for halftime shows, because one of them was dedicated to the music of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, and another was dedicated to the Mayan calendar’s ending in 2012. Next year’s halftime shows are said to include an homage to the Olympic women’s kayaking team, and long-dead U.S. Vice President John Nance Garner.
The band has a version of the fight song they like to play that has an interlude, bridges, turnarounds, fugues, and, I think, the “Happy Birthday” song. The crowds love it. It lasts approximately 22 minutes, during which time the M Faithful stand, occasionally thrusting their fists high into the air, yelling “Hail!” Typically, someone leads them in the fist-raising in case they forget when to do it. They also played the UM Alma Mater song, to which no one knows the words, least of all alumni. (Fun fact: The UM Alma Mater has a part where you raise your fist and sing, not yell, “Hail.” It's true. They're not a very creative bunch.)
Crisler’s Renovations and Concessions
Crisler Arena underwent some renovations recently, which expanded the concourses, added a new main entrance with escalators and a waterfall, and new bathrooms with waterless urinals and those jet engine hand dryers you stick your hands in. We’ve been enjoying those hand dryers at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry for years, and that enjoyment has finally come to Ann Arbor.
The Cracker Jack from the food stand was pretty good as was the popcorn. It’s not saying much to compliment the Cracker Jack, since it wasn’t made onsite, but the student gave me the correct change, so there’s that.
The waterfall in the new entry has a large maize “M” at the top, and water runs down the wall, and is, presumably, pumped back up to the top so it can fall again. Michigan fans are programmed from birth to take pictures of one another wherever a giant “M” is found, and the Waterfall “M” was no exception. Visitor after visitor told their children, friends, parents, ex-wives, pet monkeys, and complete strangers to “go stand in front of the M so I can get a picture!” and they all did.
The rest of the place looked really nice. My only real complaint about it was the cold air that blew on me the entire time I was there. If I wanted to sit in a chair in the middle of December with cold air blowing on me, I would go to work and sit at my desk.
You knew this picture was coming
Other Goings-On at the Concert
A few hundred high-school band members joined the UM band on some songs. They came from all over Michigan, with all their colorful uniforms, to stay at UM’s campus, learn some new music, and play with the band at Crisler for approximately 4 minutes.
After the band ended the first part of the concert with a twelve-minute tribute to the horse who played “Mr. Ed”, there was an intermission, during which several other groups, and band sub-groups, performed.
One of the groups was the Michigan Dance Team, who nominally lived up to their name by wearing “M” shirts and dancing. It was hard for them to dance with people continually walking onto the floor, telling their children to “stand in front of the M so I can get a picture!” but they did a good job. The Dance Team is certainly an attractive bunch, but they are not very professional - instead of bowing during the applause following their routine, they waved. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to keep clapping or wave back. What’s the etiquette? (Fun fact: There is a dance team at MSU called “MSU Motion”, which I tried out for as a sophomore. I didn’t get in, and my gender discrimination suit was thrown out by the judge.)
The drum line from the band played, which was pretty good, and all the flags (Color Guard) from both the UM band and the high schools did a routine together, which was possibly the best part of the whole show. They really can swing those flags around.
In Summary
Was it worth it? Sure, I guess so. After we took the kids’ pictures in front of all the Ms we could find (including both Ms in "Men's Room"), we called it a day and drove home. It only took a few hours for the trombone ringing in my ears to quiet down enough to hear others speak, so I’ll be ready to see and hear the Lions-Packers game tonight. I hope they’ll have a band at halftime.
