NORTHAMPTON – The Blue Devils played their football home-opener at David Wright Stadium on Friday against the Bombers of Westfield and, thanks to the pandemic, it was the marching bands’ first chance to take the gridiron since the fall of 2019.
About 20 minutes before the match, the band gathered behind the east goal posts where senior drum majors Krista Jordan and Madelyn Freedman worked the area like a “green room”, ribbing the musicians and raising the spirits of the 40 or so members, many of whom had never played before a football audience. After forming a gauntlet for the entrance of the football team, the band played “Grand Old Flag” then led the gradually filling grandstands in the ‘Hamp High Cheer.
Following the “Star Spangled Banner” the band reassembled in the stands in a section dividing the home and visiting student fans and, during pauses in action on the field, filled the air with snippets of such classics as “Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult and “The Pink Panther Theme” by Henry Mancini.
Kevin Gutting can be reached at kgutting@gazettenet.com. Follow the Gazette on Twitter @DailyHampGaz.