The Marching 110 will conduct its final performance of the year with its annual Varsity Show concert.
The show will be held in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium Saturday, Nov. 20 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are available for sale online and at the door for $10 or $8 per person in groups of 10 or more.
The performance will be a culmination of every piece the band has performed so far this year, Greg Sheets II, a senior studying electrical engineering and the field commander of the Marching 110, said. The music for the Varsity Show will come from both the band’s football game sets as well as the music from the five concerts it has held the past semester.
“It’s kind of like a Spotify Wrapped,” Sheets said. “It’s just nice to be able to look back and see everything you’ve accomplished.”
Some of the music on the Varsity Show set includes “Permission to Dance” by BTS, “Lonely” by Justin Bieber, “Beggin’” by Maneskin and many more, Sheets said.
The show also honors the seniors of the Marching 110, as it will likely be their final performance with the band. Each senior will be individually recognized before the final song, “Cheer,” is played to acknowledge the work they have put in during their time with the band.
The upcoming performance will be the return of the Marching 110 Varsity Show to campus, as it was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. Although the band was granted the opportunity to play the concert this year, the students are expected to wear masks on stage and the auditorium will only be filled to 80% capacity.
Even though the event will be held in an auditorium, some juniors and seniors in the band are selected to perform the dances that accompany many of the songs. Sheets said it captures the essence of the original half-time and post-game performances at the football games.
Sheets said the event also caters to many high school bands that will travel to see the 110 perform. High school directors will bring their bands to the concert to show their students what they should strive to be, he said.
Typically, the band travels to Columbus and performs the show in either the Palace Theatre or the Ohio Theatre, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, it will not make the trip this year, Sheets said. However, he and the rest of the seniors feel lucky to be able to perform the concert at all since it was uncertain at the beginning of the semester if the Varsity Show would return.
“We saw how hard it was for the class above us last year with some of them not even getting a marching season,” Sheets said. “We are very thankful that we are given the opportunity to be able to perform this show that is so special to so many people.”
Evan Schalon, a senior studying history, political science and global studies war and peace, is a marching section leader for the trumpet section in the Marching 110. He said the Varsity Show is always incredibly moving, especially for the seniors.
“It’s their last experience to be really a member of the band until they come back for Homecoming the next year,” Schalon said.
Sheets said the concert will be emotional, as it is the last time the 2021 Marching 110 will perform together. He said this adds to the importance of the Varsity Show because it is the final opportunity to appreciate the group around them and all they have been through.
“I feel that this performance is everyone’s last chance to truly relive the year,” Sheets said.
In addition to the event’s nostalgia, Schalon said the energy of the auditorium is always electric during the Varsity Show. The energy of the crowd gets the whole band excited to show off everything they have been working so hard on all semester, he added.
“It’s a happy occasion, and I’m glad that the last experience that the seniors have is one of the best concerts that we put on,” Schalon said.
Ethan Meyer, a freshman studying pre-nursing and a first-year member of the Marching 110, said he is excited to be a part of the Varsity Show and perform for such a large crowd.
Meyer said the event is a great example of how the 110 values tradition. He said the culmination of the year’s work in the Varsity Show honors the band’s motto: “Be better than the best ever.” This motto represents the band’s goal of improving each and every year, and the concert will reflect the band’s tireless endeavor for greatness, Meyer said.
Though he does not want his first semester with the 110 to end, Meyer said he cannot wait to go out on stage, honor the seniors and participate in his first Varsity Show. He sees the concert as the perfect way to close out the season.
“It’s really been just a whole season of preparation,” Meyer said. “It’ll be cool to play through everything and really just show how much we’ve grown as a group.”
