The Queen City Battle Of The Bands 2016: A VFTS Perspective.

Yeah, your friendly neighborhood HBCU blogger (and champion of all things band-head related) was front-and-center for what’s arguably becoming one of the biggest events in all of the culture, the McDonald’s Queen City Battle of the Bands (aka The Charlotte Battle of the Bands). Over the past few seasons, the event has attracted some of the most visible and high profile band programs associated with the craft. This year’s line up was no different:

Southern University
Tennessee State University
Bethune Cookman University
North Carolina A&T State University
Talladega College
North Carolina Central University
Winston Salem State University
Benedict College



2)  Tennessee State is LEGIT this year:

    I’m going to say this again, for posterity sake; the A.O.B.(Aristocrat Of Bands) is back with a vengeance. As impressive as SU was in Memorial Saturday Night, The AOB arguably turned just as many heads and raised collective eyebrows. SUPERIOR arrangements and a renewed brass line has REALLY set the A.O.B. apart from almost everybody else so far this season. It’s going to be really interesting seeing this edition of the band face off against the likes of UAPB (John Merritt Classic), Bethune Cookman, and, of course, Jackson State’s ‘Sonic Boom of The South’. There’s also the chance of increased visibility for the program with ESPN3 practically covering half of their football slate. will we see the AOB @ Honda at the end of the year? I sure hope so.

3) Talladega’s going to have to put their Big Boy pants on sooner or later:

     Smh…At some point, being the band that oozes potential, but doesn’t do anything with it, gets old. Talladega is starting to approach that threshold for a lot of band heads. NUANCE and ATTENTION TO DETAIL are things that every good looking (and sounding) band program has to do their best to perfect. The programs that do are the programs that GET noticed by audiences in the RIGHT way; the programs that don’t, stay comfortable in their ‘non-growth’. it’s time for the powers that be over the Talladega program to challenge those musicians to grow. Otherwise, that decent back down those ladder rungs is going to happen

4) BCU looks great, but stays inside the box….AGAIN:

The day that BCU adds something different to that already outstanding on-field formula, will be the day the program will truly reach a new level of exposure and notoriety. Unfortunately, that day wasn’t Saturday in Charlotte. Don’t get me wrong; BCU was their usual, symmetrical, finely tuned selves this past weekend on the field. if I’m seeing ‘Da Butt’ STILL being played in the stands in 2016, odds are that the Mission college Alma Mater won’t be that far behind…smh.

5) NCA&T remains the NEW master of the themed Halftime Show:

Outside of running into the buzzsaw that was TNSU in the stands, the BGMM had one of their typical, creative, theatrical on-field presentations. sound quality? check… Golden Delight setting the standard for other dance/hybrid/auxiliary groups to follow? check…The MEAC may indeed be a LOT more competitive this season, but A&T is still part of that small group of class at the top of the conference. those match-ups with Bethune and Norfolk (who already sound like a million bucks early in the season) are going be fun to watch.

6) NCCU and WSSU are going to make the Carolinas a LOT more interesting:

   Both are programs that are trying to grow their respective brands and pedigree. Both are making EXTRAORDINARY strides in refining their on-field product. Both CAN’T stand the Technical School down the road in Greensboro. Sounds like the recipe for a LOT of great rivalries and moments. Benedict is also a program trying to find it’s place. If their performance in Charlotte is any indication, South Carolina’s going to have another viable program for the folks in Orangeburg to worry about before long.

  All in all, it was a GREAT way to officially kick off the 2016 HBCU Show Band Season. Lots fun, lots of music, and lots of HBCU love to go around. Whether you’re a diehard band head, or a casual fan, get out and SUPPORT those kids that spat up and wear that uniform on Saturdays. They represent some of the very best of HBCU culture, and the HBCU experience in general. Expose a friend that HASN’T been exposed to it; Take your kids, your wives, etc. Shout out to the folks running the Queen City BOTB event for hooking a brotha up with media access. A special thanks goes out to my colleague Edward Evans (who was the proverbial boots on the ground for getting the media credentials squared away), Christy Walker, and the rest of the 5th Quarter All-Stars that were in attendance. Until next time, here are some sights and sounds from Charlotte!

Thanks to:
the 5th Quarter
BandTubeHD
HBCUBands.com
ShowtimeWeb