Dear Band Alumni,
We hope that this newsletter finds you well! What a thrilling year it has been for us. Band 179 experienced several “firsts” as the Fighting Irish football team plowed their way through the expanded College Football Playoff. But even before that, we had several other notable experiences.
In September, the Band participated in the inauguration ceremonies for Fr. Robert Dowd, C.S.C., leading the academic procession to Purcell Pavilion and performing with the campus choirs to celebrate his installation. In November, the Band performed an all Bon Jovi halftime show with the legend himself present to conduct the Victory March! The following week, the Band teamed up with the rock band Chicago to perform with them at halftime. And one week later, we traveled to New York City for the Shamrock game versus Army in Yankee Stadium. This New York trip featured the drumline performing in Central Park and the Band performing a concert in Times Square. For our students these were once in a lifetime experiences. However, the real fun was just about to begin.
The Band of the Fighting Irish was on hand for the first College Football Playoff game in the newly expanded format. It was a cold but exciting weekend as ESPN Gameday was present and much of the Band’s pregame show was televised. Following the great win over Indiana, the Band went home for Christmas, then hopped onto planes bound for New Orleans on December 29.
We were all shocked and saddened by the attack on Bourbon Street during the New Year’s Celebration. The Band Staff and Student Affairs should be commended for how they handled the situation and Band members commended for their resiliency. Students were given the option to go home or stay for the game based on their personal and family needs. Two hundred and forty students remained and overnight we rewrote both the pregame and halftime shows to account for the smaller number. The remaining Band members learned the revised shows at 8:30am on game day during an hour and a half rehearsal in the Superdome. And the Band never missed a beat!
After the great win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, we flew back to our homes on January 3, and then flew to Miami on January 7. The Orange Bowl game versus Penn State was a nailbiter, but the Band stayed positive and kept supporting the team. When the final kick went through, the tears of joy on the faces of Senior Band members were unforgettable. As the Band walked out of Hard Rock Stadium, they chanted and sang with great happiness, relishing the victory. The realization started to set in: we are going to the ship!
The Band left Miami and flew back to their homes on January 10. Due to a winter storm, some band members were stranded in airports on the way home. However, they were all back on campus for the Spring semester on January 13. As far as we can remember, this was the first time we have had marching band rehearsal during the Spring semester as we prepared for the National Championship game. While we all know the results of the game, the experience was absolutely outstanding. What a joy it was to win two major bowl games in one season and to support a resilient Fighting Irish Football Team.
At our annual Band Banquet, Dr. Katie Conboy, the President of Saint Mary’s College, spoke about her time as a student in the 1980s and how the Band’s role in campus life has grown since that time. It is true. Throughout all of this, the Band continued to be present at Women’s Basketball, Men’s Basketball, Hockey, Fr. Bob’s Inauguration, all of these football games, and they continued to do concert band and jazz band. Our band members from Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s, and Holy Cross are all volunteers and give so much of their time and talent in service to Our Lady’s University. We owe them our love and our gratitude for their dedication to continuing the outstanding legacy of the Band of the Fighting Irish.
Dr. Sam Sanchez, ‘98 & ‘05
Associate Band Director
University of Notre Dame