The Marching 110 brought laughter, tears and funky dance moves to its end-of-season concert at MemAud on Saturday.
While the Marching 110 may not typically play indoors, the change in venue did not stop the band from bringing its popular choreography of “Uptown Funk” and “Hey Mama.”
The 110 packed the auditorium Saturday for its annual Varsity Show to showcase the season’s repertoire, and to honor graduating seniors at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.
The drumline started off while the band marched down the aisles and onto the stage. Wind players sat on both sides, as the silver flash of tubas could be seen over the heads of the drumline in the back row.
The band opened with “Stand Up and Cheer,” while the audience clapped to the beat.
Although wind players sat in chairs, they still found ways to dance in their seats during Andy Grammer’s “Honey, I’m Good.” One Direction’s “Kiss You” was the first song of the night to feature the infamous dance numbers from the band. Other dance numbers included Cher’s “Train of Thought,” Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” and Nicki Minaj’s “Hey Mama.”
The crowd was especially pleased by the “Hey Mama” dance sequence, during which the band members whipped, nae nae-d and hit the Quan.
“My favorite chart was definitely ‘Uptown Funk,’ ” senior saxophonist Josh Martin said. “It’s so much fun.”
“Sweet Victory,” made popular from the Spongebob Squarepants episode, “Band Geeks,” was met with extra cheers and applause from the delighted crowd. The song was the winning piece from the 2015 Student Arrangement Competition.
The 110’s performances of Panic! at the Disco’s “Victorious” and Sia’s “Alive” were well received during the season, and it was no different in MemAud.
The audience was bn on the rich history of the 110’s performances in parades, NFL games and famed locations before band members sang a harmonized “Alma Mater, Ohio.”
Afterward, each senior was recognized on stage. They then watched tearfully from the audience as the underclass band members played “Stand Up and Cheer” once more.
Martin said it was this moment that he truly realized this was his last 110 performance.
“It’s really an emotional experience,” Martin said. “You don’t really realize … you’re not going to be up there in that uniform with this band again until you’re standing there and you hear them playing “Stand Up and Cheer” for the seniors.”
The performance closed with traditional Marching 110 songs including the longest running song played by the band, “Long Train Runnin’ ” by the Doobie Brothers. These songs were especially well received by audience members, who gave the band a standing ovation.
Senior band member Allison Morgan said she thought her final performance with the 110 went well.
“It was cool to have a good sum up of our whole season,” Morgan said.
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Cara Lawless, an alumnus of the Marching 110, has attended the Varsity Show every year since her childhood. She said she still connects with the band today through this concert.
“I love the sense that it’s a family,” Lawless said. “Even after you’re out of the band, you’re still one big family when you can all come back together. You can find someone from across the United States, and there’s something to connect you.”
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