[76lsjumb]

As my nom de Board suggests, I was [long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away] also a LSJUMB member, and still have some alumni involvement, so this has been a very interesting thread to follow [and definitely less agitating than the 45 minute conversation with a number of incensed Iowans in the breakfast area of the Van Nuys Holiday Inn Express last Saturday (although the cinnamon rolls were very good)].

To succeed at Stanford, the Band has to achieve something that is not easy to do:  it has to integrate the right number of FarmBoys ["I was a terrible musician" who was very enthusiastic about Stanford sports] with the right number of CTCards ["As a one-time semi-serious musician"] so that it can simultaneously fulfill its aspirations of being the world's largest rock and roll band AND actually field enough people to do spell-outs that are longer than 2 or 3 letters.  And it has to do it with Stanford students.

The Band is part musical group and part fraternity/sorority.  When the balance is good, the Band is as well.  When the balance gets out of whack, not so much.  What concerns me the most -- trigger alert:  An OF is about to say "When I was in Band..." -- is what has been alluded to elsewhere:  The quality of the music/sound recently.  Fortunately, a number of steps are being taken in that regard that, I am hopeful, will improve the sound.  As for whether or not the Band continues to offend people, I think Robbie is spot on:  the halftime show could be a series of straight lines with no commentary whatsoever and people would still boo because, hey, it's the LSJUMB and getting booed is what they do!

Any attempt to emulate the good Big Ten marching bands would be a disaster.  See, e.g., the U.SC band.  The LSJUMB is Saturday Night Live; it's not The Ed Sullivan Show.

[76lsjumb]

As my nom de Board suggests, I was [long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away] also a LSJUMB member, and still have some alumni involvement, so this has been a very interesting thread to follow [and definitely less agitating than the 45 minute conversation with a number of incensed Iowans in the breakfast area of the Van Nuys Holiday Inn Express last Saturday (although the cinnamon rolls were very good)].

To succeed at Stanford, the Band has to achieve something that is not easy to do:  it has to integrate the right number of FarmBoys ["I was a terrible musician" who was very enthusiastic about Stanford sports] with the right number of CTCards ["As a one-time semi-serious musician"] so that it can simultaneously fulfill its aspirations of being the world's largest rock and roll band AND actually field enough people to do spell-outs that are longer than 2 or 3 letters.  And it has to do it with Stanford students.

The Band is part musical group and part fraternity/sorority.  When the balance is good, the Band is as well.  When the balance gets out of whack, not so much.  What concerns me the most -- trigger alert:  An OF is about to say "When I was in Band..." -- is what has been alluded to elsewhere:  The quality of the music/sound recently.  Fortunately, a number of steps are being taken in that regard that, I am hopeful, will improve the sound.  As for whether or not the Band continues to offend people, I think Robbie is spot on:  the halftime show could be a series of straight lines with no commentary whatsoever and people would still boo because, hey, it's the LSJUMB and getting booed is what they do!

Any attempt to emulate the good Big Ten marching bands would be a disaster.  See, e.g., the U.SC band.  The LSJUMB is Saturday Night Live; it's not The Ed Sullivan Show.