Cornhusker Marching Band exhibition is Aug. 23

The Cornhusker Marching Band will hold its annual exhibition concert at 7 p.m. Aug. 23 in Memorial Stadium. The event is free and open to the public.

Fans attending the exhibition should enter the stadium through Gate 3 (southwest entrance) and Gate 11 (northwest entrance). The gates will open at 6 p.m.

“It’s a great jump-start to the season,” said Tony Falcone, senior lecturer, associate director of bands and director of the Cornhusker Marching Band. “You get to see the band’s pregame show and a breakdown of what they have been working on to prepare for the season.”

Annie von Kampen, a senior music education major and drum major from North Platte, said there is a special energy at the exhibition concert.

“The concert is an incredibly exciting performance for both the band and the spectators,” she said. “There’s a special energy in the stadium that evening as many band members make their CMB performance debut and show off their hard work from camp week. Additionally, people who attend can see special color guard, frontline percussion and drumline showcase performances they don’t have the opportunity to see during the main season. There really is no better way to kick off a new school year and football season.”

The exhibition also includes the popular “drill down.”

“The drill down is a bit like Simon Says if it were on the ‘Squid Games,’” Falcone said. “Drum majors call out extemporaneous commands, and the band members must execute them without mistakes. Some of the commands are simple and straightforward, but some are meant to deceive. When a student makes a discernable error, and they’re caught at it, they’re tapped out. This continues until one student remains.”

Drum major Jason Manzitto, a senior music education major from Lincoln, said the drill down puts the band members to the test.

“The drill down is, by far, one of the most exciting portions of the exhibition,” he said. “It’s cool to see the amount of focus it takes to stay into the later rounds, especially as the tempo increases each time.”

Manzitto and the other drum majors will call instructions during the drill down.

“Being able to call the drill down is a blast,” Manzitto said. “I’ve spent some time coming up with a few tricks to make it challenging for band members.”

Manzitto said he appreciates being a part of “The Pride of All Nebraska.”

“Being in the Cornhusker Marching Band means being a part of something larger than ourselves, something that has not only existed for decades, but also means so much to the whole culture around NU athletics,” he said.

He has advice for incoming freshman and new members.

“My advice is to never take the experience for granted,” he said. “Give it your all on the field.”

The Husker football team kicks off its season Aug. 31 at home against the University of Texas at El Paso. The band will again perform at all seven home football games. Due to the Westbrook Music Building construction, the band will perform its pregame concerts in front of Sheldon Museum of Art and march to the stadium via the 12th Street mall and T Street.

Halftime performances this season will include celebrations of the Olympic Games, the Band Alumni Association’s 50th anniversary, the 400th consecutive sellout of Memorial Stadium and the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

The Cornhusker Marching Band resides in the Glenn Korff School of Music.