I moved to Atlanta last year and didn't make it up to Blacksburg last season. It was great to be back in town and go to a game.
- Great atmosphere for the game. Not a sellout but there was a solid crowd.
- It was HOT in the east stands.
- I liked the paint scheme on the field. I think a maroon background in one end zone and an orange in the other would look awesome. I was really surprised that there was not a Lane Stadium 50 year logo on the field.
- Why does the marching band run onto the field? It looks awful and chaotic. My wife was in an SEC marching band and she points it out every time. It'd look nicer if they MARCHED onto the field. There was also a point where members of the band (guys with the cymbals for sure) were running through the band like they were birds.
- Something needs to be done about concessions. I was on the lower east side and stood in line for over half of a quarter to get a couple bottles of water. I ended up leaving before getting them because it was taking too long. People working the register were also going back to put together and pick up orders and it also looked like there was one machine to run cards. It was ridiculous. Is there an email or website where you can send comments to VT? On hot days they should have ice buckets with drinks scattered around the concourses.
- I didn't mind the music that they were playing to get the students going, but there was one song that was pretty bad. It'd be nice if they mixed in some rock also.
Game thoughts:
- I thought Brewer looked great. He always had his eyes down field (the I. Ford TD), showed some quickness when he needed to scramble, and threw some really nice balls.
- I was happy to see that the two freshman RBs are the co-starters this week. They were awesome and had much better games than JC Coleman. I like JC, but he he doesn't fit in the VT style.
- How nice was it to have TEs all over the place? It makes a huge difference.
- Defense was solid. I think W&M had some success when we had the DL backups in the game. Fuller's play in the end zone was insane.
- I hope kick returns improve. I think we'll need it this Saturday.
Comments
The band running onto the field is a contemporary (for lack of a better phrase) approach, as compared to the traditional marching. Many bands do that instead of just marching. Think of it as new school vs old school. Since the Highty Tighties are extremely old school, the Marching Virginians are a LITTLE bit new school. There's plenty of room to appreciate both approaches, especially since we have two marching bands.
It's also to save time. They could slowly march all 330 out and take an extra minute or two, or they can run out and spend more time playing music.
I also noticed that the MV's played to the East Stands for most, if not all, of the halftime - I can rarely remember that being the case in the past.
So while I wasn't at the game, I did watch a recording of Halftime and here's my $0.02. The direction they face depends on the show, but some things are rather consistent. Often times, dance blocks and the Hokie Pokie block will face the East Stands to face hit more students and fans. The Hokie Pokie, as far as I remember, has almost always faced the East Stands. The final song moved straight from the Hokie Pokie block so that becomes the front of the band and the rest of the show faces East Stands.
Also, some shows face both ways, switching as it goes. The MV pregame show, for instance, shows the VT logo, HOKIES, and TECH to both sidelines.
Eh, it looks sloppy and unprofessional to me but most of their formations including the approach look that way to me. I used to be in the marching band and orderly always seemed a nicer and cleaner approach.
FWIW I agree with you (as a former MV). But I understand why they do it (time).
EDIT: I agree with you about the run on. I have no issues with the formations or marching style.
Other than the complete lack of ability to form a straight line.
The time they formed the Olympic rings, I thought, "Hey, if they can't do lines, then circles should be perfect for them!"
And it was more like the Olympic ovals.
A HT criticizing the MVs for not being able to form a straight line?
Of course. Because frankly, you can't, and that's okay because it seems like there are more and more arcs, and they look relatively good (especially this week, I was pleasantly surprised). You guys are good at the music, and marching is your weak spot. We are the opposite. Except for last year, we sound anemic on our good days, and "like a shitty high school band" on our bad days. But we can march our asses off. Know your strengths, know your weaknesses, accept them, correct as well as you can. But lose the condescension. Y'all aren't nearly as good as you seem to think you are. Deeds not words.
And from someone who used to watch the HTs do their straight line block formations from the perfect angle (looking directly down the line) I can assure you with 100% confidence that your lines are not straight either. So to use a quote I recently read:
I don't have anything against the HTs, but I will support my time, friends, and effort that is put into the MVs to put the best performance they can on field. It's not perfect, nor did I see anyone ever claim for it to be perfect, so let's just stop calling out each other's flaws right now.
I respect the marching bands and the work that they do. However, I will say that the marching virginians aren't that great.
I've been to numerous Tennessee games and their band would march circles around the Marching Virginians. It hurts to say it, but it is true.
Doubt it.
They better be considering they can receive scholarships/stipends. Remember, this is a volunteer group who is only there to entertain, not a competition group.
Also, everyone needs to understand that our music department is not a top dog in comparison to many other schools. That's not a slight to them at all as much as the fact that we are not a liberal and fine arts institution. Building the Center for the Arts shows a commitment from the University to move towards improving our standing, but we aren't there right now. So we aren't going to attract top musicians to the school. We're going to get people who want to study and teach music, a few that want to perform, and the rest in the marching band are a group of people who used to play in high school and want to keep up with a passion of their's while getting free tickets to football games.
Don't sell your program short. I think the symphony orchestra is rather reputable. It may not be Shenandoah Conservatory but it's still an excellent ensemble. Not to mention the music program should consider some sort of partnership with the Roanoke Symphony (another excellent pro ensemble, and IMOP the 4th best in the state).
I'm not trying to sell it short. I've just found that there are few musicians that want to go to VT for the Music program. Most want to go to Tech and want to study music rather than going to Tech TO study music. Also, the Wind Ensemble is a markedly better group than the MVs only because of the quality of musicians it attracts. Many of the music performance majors don't join the MVs and do the Wind Ensemble instead.
That's true.
I'm not sure why it should hurt to say? The MVs are most definitely an "entertainment" band, not a "precision" band. My freshman year was when we played Tennessee in the Chik-Fil-A bowl, and I remember watching their band and going, "WOW these guys can march". Nothing against what the MVs did and do, but it's apples to oranges for someone who's in these bands.
Maybe it's because of what the actual name implies.
So you're suggesting we rename them the "Marching Entertainment Virginians" and the "'Pride of the Southland' Precision Marching Band"(Tennessee)?
That should clear up your apparent confusion.
Much like different types of music, the different approaches both have merit. What looks sloppy to some looks interesting to others as they watch what appears to be disorganized come together. As I said above, we have two bands, and thankfully they present varying approaches. Both bands do a great job and represent the university very well.
Here is my question to you then. The Aggie Band sprints off the field when they finish their fight song at the end of shows, some guys end up going 30 or 40 yards what are your thoughts on that? Not trying to be a dick, just wondering where you draw the line. Arguably the most precise band out there just books it off the field to end shows.
Aesthetically sprinting off the field when done looks cleaner than sprinting on at least to me. Also are they straight line sprinting off or wandering around while getting off the field?
The way they do it seems to be that after the last note of the fight song the band stops marching. Then everyone left on the field (usually about 200 of the 300 people) just make a break for the end zone they were marching towards.
I understand what you're trying to say, but if my 40 time is faster than the Tuba in front of me, I'm not going to slow down so I can keep spacing and it is aesthetically pleasing.
Is your 40 faster than the Auburn Ball Boy's 40?
Get that kid a uniform and put him at KR.
Worked for Alabama:
I would rather our marching band run on to the field than look like a bunch of fools like Michigan's band did at the Sugar Bowl
not that i try to remember any of the OB against stanford but their band was pretty wild and all over the place and crazy but i found the change of pace comical and enjoyable but not something i would want at VT.
I'm in the band. I don't really like the way we run onto the field. That said, it's the way the director likes to do it, and he's been here longer than Frank Beamer, so I don't see it changing any time soon. It definitely isn't the most precise looking thing ever, but that's not really the goal of the MV's. He has pride in the uniqueness of the group compared to other bands, and his goal is really to entertain the masses of drunken football fans (whose attention could easily be lost in the few minutes it'd take for 330 kids to march out in unison). That, and, he's kept his job for over 30 years doing things a certain way, so he doesn't change them. I agree with you, it'd look cooler if the band marched out. I'm not trying to tell you you're wrong, but it is the way it is for some reasons I guess.
The MV band director leaves a lot to be desired.
As an HT, the worst part of Homecoming every year was that god forsaken joint band practice with the MVs. The most offensive case was the one homecoming game where he wouldn't let us line up properly on the sideline for the halftime bit, and started yelling at us that we needed to be on the field two second ago.
Thank god they don't make the alumni suffer through that horseshit anymore.
Just remember fellow Hokie, you are talking about somebody's father/husband/uncle/family friend/etc.
They're also talking about a Hokie that's been a Hokie longer than many people here have been alive. This lack of respect for the MV's and Dave is uncalled for and does not belong on this site, if you ask me.
While I think it could certainly be phrased in a better way, it would be just as wrong to pretend the tension does not exist. His opinions accurately reflect those of a large percentage of HT's from the past decade plus.
I really don't care. You don't talk that way about a fellow Hokie.
Then there are plenty of Hokies who also owe Bryan Stinespring, and Shane Beamer some apologies...
Yes there are.
Just wanted to be sure we were on the same page.
Marcus Vick was a Hokie. Marcus Vick was an asshat. Being a Hokie doesn't mean people can't truthfully state their opinions about you, specifically when those positions can be defended objectively. I'm not advocating blatant slander, but we should be allowed to call a spade a spade.
Well for one thing, this guy also criticized the MVs marching, fair or unfair, but there's plenty of MVs on this site who do/have put in plenty of hard work trying to put a good product on the field. There are also plenty of MVs who may like or respect the things Dave does both for the MVs and the community. Personally, I take a HUGE exception to someone comparing Dave McKee to Marcus Vick.
Some opinions are best kept to yourself, unless you want to cause trouble.
First off, whoever downvoted Mike here, shame on you. Next, I wasn't making a direct comparison of the two. Just picking the best possible example of why merely being a Hokie doesn't give you a free pass from negative opinion, assuming that those opinions have some backing and are not just shameless flaming.
Agreed- but I still don't like the implied comparison. Dave is rough around the edges, sure. But he does a lot just not for the MVs and the students under him (who I genuinely believe he cares about), but also to help Blacksburg and to ensure that the MVs do what we can to uphold the principle of Ut Protism, and I respect that. So I will defend him from what I feel is an unfair and incomplete assessment of Dave.
I can respect that position.
Probably the better less extreme example would be that guy that cuts you off on the interstate...and then you see the VT license plate holder.
The best example to illustrate my point was the one I chose, because it's pretty much universally accepted that Marcus Vick was, objectively speaking, a shithead. That's not a contentious point. And it highlights that simply being a Hokie doesn't exempt you from justifiable negative remarks. A guy cutting you off is far less black and white.
I think you mean Ut Prosim...
So, only people on one side are allowed to express an opinion?
That's just like saying that I can't express my opinion that Sean Glennon had the pocket presence of a cinder block because he won us some games.
We can say the same about the football team itself (players and staff) during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. And I know things weren't all hugs and puppies around here.
No.
True, everyone wants to improve, including the MVs who do the shows.
If the opinions expressed on this thread truly do reflect a large percentage of HT's from the last decade plus then I've just lost a lot of respect for the HT's. As someone who has seen what Dave does just about everyday for going on 4 years now, I fully believe Virginia Tech is lucky to have him. Much of what he does for this university is "behind the scenes", but he does a lot for not just the members of the MVs but also the Blacksburg community. Someone being disrespectful to Dave from my perspective can most accurately be compared to someone disrespecting Frank Beamer on this site, and to be honest most of the disrespect on here seems to come from a place of ignorance. Now can we please get off of this subject and focus on BEATING AN OSU!
Thats just the way it is going to be. At the end of the day, while we can always say "O look how neat we are with 2 bands!" at the end of the day it is a Zero Sum Game. Every dollar, performance opportunity, student, and staff member which goes to one band, is one the other will not receive. While there are plenty who choose one over the other for specific reason, Texas A&M shows what the state would be in the HT's were the only choice.
Thus we have that in the back of the mind of HT's through the decades when they struggle with university leadership who does not care, a director checked out for the past 10 years, and having to make do more times then not. We make disparaging comments about opposing coaches all the time because they have an adversarial relationship with us. The same mindset is what is at work here.
To clarify, HTs do not believe that Dave is a bad guy. It would be idiocy to suggest that Dave hasn't been good for the MVs, or that he isn't a positive contributor to the Blacksburg community. BUT Dave is also extremely inflexible. It is really hard to get any sort of compromise out of the guy if you're not in an MV uniform. He's all about making the MVs look good, and gives the impression that he only acknowledges the existence of one marching band on campus. The reason that HTs dislike Dave has nothing to do with him as a person, and everything to do with how he treats a band with a much longer, more storied history like it's the JV group. I can assure you that at least two of the three HTs here have attempted to work with Dave. We are in no way coming from a place of ignorance. Kinda the opposite. Dave is a good guy and does good things for the MVs, but he's not gonna be on any HT Christmas card lists.
Then let's refrain from calling him an ass in the future, shall we?
To be clear, the way you've presented your points has been well received. There just seems to be some juvenile hate towards the MVs coming from elsewhere. I've come to the conclusion that it's not even worth responding to it anymore though.
While my opinion regarding the director has not changed, I understand that my original unedited post was taking it too far for this forum. That's why I edited it, to take out the a-word, which you have now used twice in this thread, which sort of defeats the purpose of the editing.
Nobody is disrespecting anybody. Someone stated anecdotally a specific reason for not liking Dave. As someone who has had to try to work with Dave to try and get stuff done, I kinda have to concur with the guy. Dave puts off this friendly demeanor, but get him in private and ask for something and he's pretty damn hard to deal with. Sure, he's done good things for the MVs, but that doesn't mean he can't be kind of a dick.
He called him an "ass" before editing it. Seems pretty disrespectful to me. But believe what you want.
Sure, everyone can be a dick. Doesn't mean that comment was necessary.
See, context helps. But if he can justify calling him an ass, that's acceptable. And from reading this thread, every one of my comments has been necessary, if only to offer an opposing view. That's kind of the point of this website, or even free speech in general: it offers a means for those with differing insights and opinions to discuss and debate them, for the betterment of all involved.
All the HT-MV stuff is passed down from the higher-ups, and Dave has to follow orders just like anyone else. If they're in his ear about timing or placement, he has to get everyone's asses in gear. Ideally we would have all the time and space in the world, but these are big time, D1-A football games: not a band parents' day at Christopher Newport. I'm sorry it isn't always the easiest gig trying to choreograph 400 people, but trust me: Dave doesn't have a personal agenda against the HT's.
Apparently it's WVU's fault that we run onto the field. The MVs originally marched onto the field, but during a WVU game where they brought their band and played at halftime, they went 2 minutes too long so the MVs were waived to run onto the field to save time and the crowd went wild creating a tradition that we still do today.
As to playing to the east stands, Aranjuez, our opener on Saturday, was played to the West stands, and then we played to the East stands for the rest of halftime. We do our best to makeup for the fact that a marching band has directional sound and our audience is 360 degrees around us, but there is only so much we can do.
In appreciation of the MV's (and the HT's for that matter), a remembrance of wahoos past. For many years LOLUVA did not have a real band, but a "pep band". This poorly assembled group was an affront to man and music (and was eventually disbanded in favor of a "proper" band after a particularly embarrassing performance, I believe in front of then Gov. Warner). During a VT/LOLUVA game, one of my hallmates noted that their performance highlighted the "amoeba formation". The MV's and HT's have always been and continue to be top notch.
You're correct. After they disbanded the Student-Run "Pep Band" in favor of an actual marching band, they had top HS marching bands come and perform for their halftime shows for a couple years during home games (as long as they were class 5A bands). My sr year of HS we performed a halftime show for their home game vs Dook. I mentioned in another thread that our director frequently mentioned that the pep band screwed around (like at an away game against the Vols, their marching band just finished a really good show when the pep band came on and one of the members pretended to urinate on Elvis. Presley's grave). My director said "you don't make fun of Elvis down in dixie" and said they got booed off the field while the actual team got the living shit kicked out of them.
The first year of UVA's "real" band, we played them in Lane. Someone had the great idea to get all three bands on the field together. And to make it worse, the drumlines were all intertwined.
I'm sorry, that's like mixing oil, water, and turds.
I think one of the best parts of doing the halftime shows was running onto the field. I know, and have heard many times, there are some people who think it looks sloppy and unorganized, but we were crunched for time and so if we could save 15-30 seconds of playing time by running to our spots then great! Also, consider this... LOLUVA marches their "band" onto the field for their performances, so I will gladly continue to watch the MVs run onto the field if it means we won't look like them. It is unfortunate the instruments (minus percussion) are one directional instruments, so different parts of the stadium get muffled sounds, so I know the director tries to change up directions often.
One thing I saw they changed this year throughout the stadium was miking the bands. I understood the need for the HTs, seeing as they are a much smaller band, but I had mixed feelings about the MVs. The MVs sounded good (for a first game), but there were times different sections of the MVs would stick out in a bad way, and my fiancee and I (both MV alum) would look at each other and both say "I wish they didn't mic that." Another (personal) issue I have with it is LOLUVA mics their band. No explanation needed there. It's going to be one of those things that will definitely have pros and cons, so if it makes more people happy and enjoy the music then I'm all for it... minus the fact LOLUVA has always done it.
Buckeye Band of 1000 does movie themed halftime shows, "oh joy, rapture..."
Gimme a break...hey, did they sext that?
Normally, concessions are chaotic the first game (that has happened at several professional games I've been to, as well. Looking at you, Nationals). But I heard a lot of people complaining about the long lines. Everyone was just hot and thirsty.
I actually sent an email to VT regarding concessions at the game. I got a nice email back thanking me for my comments.
Apparently the card readers were not working or were running slow for much of the day, which didn't help.
My thoughts on Saturday: I always like it better than Sunday