Bayou Classic
NOVEMBER 25, 2006 Listen to this Story
- Battle of the Bands
- View the Slideshow
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This weekend Southern University and Grambling State University are playing in the 33rd Annual Bayou Classic football game in New Orleans, La. Alumni and fans from Louisiana and across the country are in New Orleans to watch the two football teams, but they are also there to watch the two marching bands duke it out. We talk with band directors from each school about the preparation and excitement surrounding this big event.
Notes from Producer Millie Jefferson:
My family and friends used to meet in New Orleans for Thanksgiving. This was of course pre-Katrina at a time when you could really say, "Laissez les bon temps roule," or let the good times roll. Every year during Thanksgiving week I got on a plane and flew from California to New Orleans. Seeing my family was great. There was always a bounty of food and goodies. Walking along the river was cold, but nice and so was visiting Emeril's, Pat O'Brien's and of course Café Du Monde. But all of that was never my focus. I wanted to get down to Bourbon Street and mingle with the thousands of people in town for the Bayou Classic.
The Bayou Classic started in 1974. The game is always played by the Southern University Jaguars and the Grambling State University Tigers. And it's always these two schools' bands that duke it out. The game and other events used to be held at Tulane Stadium but organizers saw that with crowds averaging up to 70,000 they needed a bigger facility. So, in 1978 they moved to the Superdome. Some say it is the best known game and rivalry in historically black college football and it is the only one to get shown on national TV.
During the Classic everyone wears clothing that signals their school and alma mater. Alumni from Southern and Grambling fly in from all over to attend the festivities, but so do student and alumni from many other schools in the nation. I was often asked which side I was on. I usually said, "I'm just here." To which I got, "Which side are you on Grambling or Southern?" It's a serious question and you better have an answer.
But the partying doesn't yet start when the sun goes down of Friday night because everyone is packed into the Superdome to hear the Battle of the Bands. And these aren't just any bands. The Human Jukebox of Southern University plays at Saints games and special events year round in New Orleans. The Grambling State World Famous Marching Tigers have, as their name suggests, played around the world. So when the two get together it is indeed a chess match to seize the crowd both on Friday night and Saturday during halftime.
On this week's show we talk to the band director for Grambling, Dr. Larry Pannell, and Lawrence Jackson, band director for Southern University. This year's routine will include a special tribute to those who had to leave because of Hurricane Katrina and those who have returned. Maybe you will be reminded of your time in New Orleans or somewhere else that holds special memories for you and your family.
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