The primary reason for the move seems to be to allow the fans on the west side of the stadium to hear the music better.
bingo! and to what someone else said about there's still going to be empty seats, they'll just be where the band sat. the empty seats up in the NEZ were generally paid tickets, not student tickets. either way, let's just say they were student tickets. that doesn't guarantee the new section will be empty and if it does stay empty it will still look better than dead center of our north endzone. i think this is a good move acoustically and marketing wise. usc has to coax the networks into not panning across certain sections of their empty stadium while we don't have that luxury. so anyway to hide empty seats is good.
Well, since I used to sit right in front of the band as a student (about 20 years ago....), I have to wonder if the student's will be a bit miffed at being away from the band. A lot of the energy in the student section is initiated and maintained by the band. Wonder if this is an attempt to quell some of the "vulgarity" that the students come up with on occassion? Current students - speak up! Sucks or not?
It will be better acoustically for the entire stadium, no doubt about that. Will the poorer seats (for viewing) affect the band? They spend so much of their time working during the game. I just wish someone for the paper had contacted some of the band's student leaders to see how they felt. I also agree that they should have the entire band travel, especially to big games like Auburn, Alabama and Florida [and Georgia and Tenn in year we play them]. I remember when I was in school (1980-88) the entire Alabama band would come in -- it was enjoyable to see them, but they did take some of the home field advantage away. Does the SEC have some kind of rule the "allots' a certain number of seats for the band -- any additional is at the good graces of the host school -- and is the reason for the fewer band members going to the premier away games. If so, we should cut our allotment to other schools to whatever the bare minimums are until our full band gets to go.
Well, that just sucks. The band plays mostly to the west stands at halftime and that's not enough? The east side at least got to hear the band during the game. Now they will be playing into the long end of the field and they will sound softer to everyone but the holy West Sideline ticket holders.
Seems like they are going to be above my seats in the NEZ. Not sure if I'm glad or not. I'll be able to hear them a lot better. But I will have to look back to see them. :bncry:
As far as I know they are just trading places with other Student section seats. As for the full band trips things. There is no limit on the band for oppossing schools in your own stadium. But you do have to pay for the seats you take up and those seats usually come out of your allotment of tickets. The school ends up paying for those seats, but its not just the 325 members. With all the instruments and what not the band actually takes up around 450 seats in the stands at places like Bryant-Denny Stadium. So it costs a lot of money just for the seats, but then the members get housed in a hotel room, and they also have to pay for the transportation of the members and their equipment. Then you have to throw in the perdiem (meal money). The expenses do add up. Just for you to get an idea, and I know this was going to be a flying trip but it still helps to put things in reference. When they passed on the trip to Arizona in 2003, they saved $50,000 plus by not sending just a 45 member pep band.
