By: Randall Barnes
Practice makes perfect, and Fort Valley State University’s Blue Machine Marching Band definitely puts in work on their musical skills. Every night starting at six o’clock by the Henry A. Hunt Memorial Library on campus, you can hear our mighty Wildcat band rehearsing for their next event. And, leading up to the Battle of The Bands showcase, you could tell that they were preparing themselves for a proverbial war.
Albany State University, another Georgia based HBCU, also headlined the event. Our rivalry with the Rams spans years and is well known around the Middle Georgia area. An atmosphere of excitement surrounded Henderson Stadium as attendees knew that competition between our two bands was looming. Albany State took the field first, performing the “Star Spangled Banner” and a quick melody of songs before marching to the stands. Host of the event and iHeartMedia radio personality AJ The DJ then proceeded to announce the presence of the Blue Machine Marching Band.
After a few seconds of applause, an air of silence filled the stadium. Where was Fort Valley’s band? The Blue Machine Marching Band finally took the field in the middle of the “whip/nae nae” challenge at center field. They played all the way into the stands right beside Albany State to applause and cheers. Later on, there was a brief stand battle where Fort Valley and Albany State’s bands battled each other, playing two songs each.
However, the Blue Machine Marching Band stole the show when it was time for them to do their performance. They walked out onto the field with poise, even deciding to simultaneously face both sides of the stadium as they performed. Although we had the smaller band, Fort Valley showed that quality always wins over quantity.
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