Some of the biggest highlights of the Super Bowl tend to be the entertainment. Whether viewers enjoy football or not, they always crowd around the couch at the announcement for halftime or they sit down to watch bands perform before the game commences. This year, ASU’s very own marching band had the honor of being part of the Super Bowl experience and performed on the football field before the kickoff.
“I thought it was one of the best experiences in my life, especially since it was a once in a lifetime opportunity," animal physiology freshman Pamela Castillo says. "It was something extraordinary. As soon as we stepped on the field it was unlike any other experience.”
The band certainly had to go through intensive practicing before they could go live on the football field and perform.
“We had rehearsals that were more than 3 hours long. They were really intense rehearsals and we worked really hard to put on a good show," Castillo says. "We had some choreography arranged by the dance team as well and we practiced all of that repeatedly before the big day."
“It was incredible. I have performed at so many different venues before, but this [was] unlike anything else," economics sophomore Austin Maul says. "There were definitely a lot of highlights from the trip, but one of the best things was as soon as we entered into the stage, there was an energy unlike anything ever before. To perform for that many people was truly amazing."
A few members of the marching band got the fantastic opportunity to be part of the halftime show. They danced as part of the set during Katy Perry’s songs and dressed up in costumes for some of the songs.
“There were about eight of us onstage performing and around 45 total band members as part of the halftime show," Maul says. "Personally, I was a palm tree during 'California Gurls' and I know some of the other band members were beach balls or sharks. It was something I will definitely remember, the emotion was overwhelming.”
Besides playing for the Super Bowl, part of the fun for the band members was also the time they got to spend with one another and getting to experience such a big event together.
“The entire band got screened at a security checkpoint and afterwards had to wait quite a while before performing," music education freshman Jacob Anderson says. "Waiting to play was just as fun because it made the anticipation build up before going onstage. It was definitely one of the biggest crowds I’ve ever played in front of, but the experience overall was phenomenal. It was a great year to be in the SDMB.”
Members of the Sun Devil Marching Band say they take pride in the fact that the band was chosen to perform.
“It was such an honor to perform, they could have chosen anyone but they chose us, and we gave them a good show," Castillo says.
Reach the columnist at tnunez1@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @TayNunz.
