Last updated October 1 at 12:00 p.m.
The Northwestern University Marching Band will not perform on the field before the opening game at NU’s new Ryan Field against Penn State on Friday, multiple sources familiar with the plans told the Daily.
The Ryan Field Foundation confirmed the decision in a statement to The Daily on Wednesday: the group will instead participate in the festivities on the 200,000 square feet. Great Chicago Food Festival courts instead of “playing in an empty bowl”.
“The NU Marching Band’s performance is always the focus of the pregame festivities,” the release said, “but with the Great Chicago Food Festival happening from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., they play where the fans will be.”
NUMB will continue to play its halftime routine inside the stadium, but a permanent return to pre-match performances on the field for future games is still up in the air. Two sources said no commitments had yet been made regarding the group’s upcoming on-field performances ahead of the match.
The decision to move the group’s pre-match performance to the field breaks a long-standing tradition. In the past, NUMB has performed “Rise, Northwestern!” ” commonly known as the “Push On Song”, and formed a tunnel for the football team to wear out in the middle of a larger routine.
Bands from the Power Four conference perform pregame shows, some iconic, like Ohio State’s “Script Ohio.”
Earlier Wednesday, Ryan Sports Development announced a special pregame show for Friday’s contest produced by Emmy-winning Jesse Collins Entertainment.
Before the game, the Indiana Air National Guard’s 122nd Fighter Wing will conduct an F-16 flyover and 100 community members will present an American flag covering the entire field.
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center alumnus Ian Rucker will perform the national anthem.
“The first game also features a unique pregame program,” the Ryan Field Foundation statement said, “tied to honoring the history of the old stadium and opening the new stadium.”
NU Athletics echoed a similar sentiment in a statement Thursday to The Daily. He wrote that the “pre-game experience” at the stadium “is different than what fans have experienced.”
NU Athletics did not directly respond to a question about the current lack of commitment to bringing the show back to the field in the future.
“The band’s presence at Northwestern football games means a lot to our fans and the people who have been a part of it,” the release said. “Although their role in the pregame show will be different for Friday’s game, the marching band will add energy to the field at halftime and at the festival, where a lot of time and effort has been devoted to the fan experience.”
Bienen School of Music Dean Jonathan Bailey Holland shared a statement with the Daily on Thursday, expressing excitement for the group’s “next era” under NU’s new director of athletic groups.
Michael Parker has held this position since July, after former director Dan Farris retired in June after 26 years at NU.
“The marching band is a vital part of the game day experience at Northwestern,” the release said, “and we look forward to continuing the important traditions that have defined our program for decades while taking advantage of the new opportunities the stadium will provide.”
The new Ryan Field, primarily funded by the Pat and Shirley Ryan family, took a unique approach to building a college sports venue. It builds on professional stadium-style features by eliminating bleachers, increasing premium spaces and moving seats to the field much closer than the bowls.
Pat Ryan Jr., who oversaw construction and activation of the new stadium, pushed back against comparisons to the NFL in a statement. exclusive interview with Le Quotidien Tuesday.
“We didn’t build this to look like an NFL (stadium),” Ryan Jr. said. “The reason people compare it to an NFL stadium is because colleges don’t build pretty new stadiums. They remodel.”
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