Marching On…To The Home Opener

By Lake The Posts on September 7, 2011

NUMB arrives on campus and new uniform update

NUMB reported for band camp this past Sunday, already warm with the glow of aWildcat win. No reports yet except that contrary to early statements, the new uniforms will NOT be ready to be unveiled at the home opener this week. The uniforms will instead debut under the lights at the Michigan game on October 8th. Until then, the biggest Northwestern marching band in a decade — 182 students at last count, a 20 percent increase over last year — will parade the 1995 Rose Bowl uniforms for one final
swan song performance before retirement.

I’m all for delayed gratification, and since I spent four years wearing the “old” uniform, I’m not too bummed about getting a few more cape flips before abandoning them for good. We’ll keep you posted on what plans are for the old uniforms once the new ones
arrive; some ideas include repurposing the jackets and capes into other products,selling them wholesale, etc. I can see it now: “And from Evanston, a new fashion trend is emerging in the form of repurposed, shapeless black wool suspender pants. Those kids really know how to party.”

Staph, Drums and Twitters

Once those new uniforms do arrive, it’ll be up to the undergraduate band staff to scramble to get them ready for gameday. As band staff manager Jason Hutcheson (WCAS 2013) said, “Thank goodness for snap hems!” (A blessedly convenient feature on the new uniform design.)

For now, the band staff is preparing for a busy season. Hutcheson said it’s been a laid back process, even ahead of schedule. In between copying music and organizing field materials, the staff even had time to start a dedicated (and slightly demented) Twitter feed (@numbstaph).

In fact, if you’ve been a Twitter holdout, now may be the time to jump on the bandwagon! The staff joins NUMB (@nubands), the SpiriTeam (@TheSpiriTeam), and the NUMBALUMS (@NUMBALUMS), as well as dozens of other dedicated Northwestern feeds in the social media frenzy. A few of my other favorites include @hailtopurple, @nuwildside, @theBoneheads, and of course both @laketheposts and @riseNU.

Meanwhile the drumline has been rocking out with a robust 23 members, including 3 tenors, 8 cymbals, 7 snares, and 5 basses. The campus reverberated with echoes of cadences and cheers new and old all last week. The drumline even saw off the Boston-bound football team as they loaded buses to O’Hare last Friday.

High School Band Day

In their first performance of the 2011 season, NUMB will host the annual High School Band Day at the home opener this Saturday. A slew of local high school bands will join the Wildcats on the field for a halftime show featuring two modern tunes, “Dynamite” and “Forget You,” as well as a Patriotic Salute in honor of September 11th.

And be sure to get to your seats 20 minutes before kickoff in order to see a newly revamped pregame entrance!

And of course there’s Wildcat Alley (free beer) before that, and Walk with Us when the team arrives. I’m excited to see how the role of the band evolves now that the Athletic Department is calling the shots; will we see the return of tailgate bands? A proudcontinuation of traditions? Something completely new and innovative? No matter what, this will be a red letter season and a whole new ballgame for The Finest Band in the
Land.

Once in NUMB, always a NUMBALUM

The NUMBALUMS — the official Northwestern Alumni Association group for the marching band — has been extremely busy getting ready for the 2011 season. As always, Homecoming is the premiere event of the fall. As of last week, registration is open here and you can RSVP to the Facebook event here. If you can’t join us in person this October, you can also order just merchandise or membership renewal here.

The NUMBALUMS are also planning tailgates at various home and away games, as well as unofficial NUMBALUM ticket blocks at the B1G away games (Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska), and reserved tables at the NAA tailgates for Iowa and Nebraska. Get more information on Homecoming and all other upcoming events on the NUMBALUM website.

Finally, check out the first-ever NUMBALUMS video message! President Samir Mayekar gives a season preview here:

NUMB’s centennial, a history of the uniform, and more!

The NUMBALUMS produce two newsletters a year, and the fall 2011 issue is set to drop this week! Features include a look back at 100 years of NUMB, a visual history of the NUMB uniform, interviews with drum majors from the 1940’s to now, an update on the NUMBALUM archive project, and plenty of other news and useful info. A digital version will be mailed to our entire mailing list, and paid NUMBALUM members should keep an eye on the mailbox for their full-color commemorative copy.

One of the organization’s goals this year is to be sure we’re communicating with as many of our NUMBALUMS as possible. To make sure you receive all communications, make sure your NAA profile is up to date affiliated with the NUMBALUMS. If you have any questions, contact numbalums-membership@alumni.northwestern.edu . 

And Finally…

Be sure to turn out to the Evanston Day Pep Rally Thursday night at 6pm at Independence Park as NUMB will be there to support the cause. You can find the info here.