Marching Blazers perform at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium for the Hoover Invitational Marching Band Festival. Photo by Ian KeelTamara Imam - Managing Editormanaging@insideuab.com
The Marching Blazers performed an exhibition at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 15 as part of the Hoover Invitational Marching Band Festival.
“The Sound of the Magic City,” as the 200 member band is often referred to, is composed of four main components: brass, woodwinds and percussion, and also includes the Blazerettes, the Majorettes, the colorguard and drum majors who perform alongside the band, according to the UAB Bands’ website.
Saturday night’s performance was Hollywood themed, with the Marching Blazers performing songs from famous movies such as “Back to the Future,” “Quantum of Solace,” “The Avengers” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
The Marching Blazers received a standing ovation following their performance in front of the packed audience at the Hoover Met, which included not only UAB fans, but members of local high school bands who also performed in the festival and their families.
“Last week we performed to an audience of about the same size, but performing last night felt different,” piccolo player Yulianna Jimenez said of Saturday’s performance. “I haven’t been nervous for a performance this year, but I was nervous last night because the audience we were performing for was so close to home (although I’m from Mississippi, I consider UAB my home). I wanted our performance to impress them, so they would choose UAB and choose to be a part of the band. I’m so grateful that I did.”
Since the loss of the football program in December 2014, the Marching Blazers have spent the nearly two years performing at exhibitions and band festivals in lieu of football games.
Jimenez, who is a sophomore, is one of the Marching Blazers who joined the band after the football program was cancelled.
“I love performing for an audience that is there for the love of band and music. You can tell in their applause and their faces that they enjoy and appreciate what we’re doing,” Jimenez said.
“One of the biggest differences that comes to mind for me is that we do not have a major limit on how long the show can be and we can make the drill and music a lot more challenging with the limit on performance time constraints,” Logan Harbin, who plays the tuba and is in his fifth year as a Marching Blazer, said. “For me, it is a lot harder to stay focused and driven to always push myself to make the show as good as I can with only a 10-15 minute performance once every couple weeks versus. having the football game to play at and do the show along with the couple of exhibitions.”
While Harbin believes that performing at exhibitions “hasn’t been as rewarding” as the traditional half-time performance at football games, Blazerette Stephanie Schodorf, a sophomore from Elmore, said that she came to UAB knowing that she would not be performing at football games for a couple years and that it did not impact her decision to join the Marching Blazers.
“I wasn’t hesitant; UAB was my first choice, this is where I truly wanted to enjoy my college experience, football or not,” Schodorf said.
Regardless, she is eager to join the football team on the gridiron for half-time performances in 2017.
“We have been working extra hard to get in shape and football-performance ready for next year,” Schodorf said. “I’m excited to get back into the ‘Friday night lights,’ but on Saturday’s, of course...there is no greater feeling than to cheer on your own team and getting the win.”
The Marching Blazers are set to perform at the homecoming Green and Gold scrimmage on Thursday, Oct. 20.
