FOXBOROUGH — The anxiety and excitement pulsed through members of the Power and Class of New England — the nickname for the UMass Minuteman Marching Band — as the clock wound down in the first half of Sunday’s season-opener for the New England Patriots.
After standing around for what many said felt like an eternity, and as the rain began to pick up, the game clock finally hit 0:00.
“Go, go, go, run!”
The marching band’s 350 members rush out of the tunnel, with the front ensemble tearing off the tarps that were protecting the electric equipment, the color guard setting down their flags, and the horns and woodwinds assuming position on the expansive football field at Gillette Stadium.
After a brief introduction, Drum Major Rebekah Doucette stands at attention on a ladder that sits at the 50-yard line. Doucette raises her hands and begins to count off … “5, 6, 7, 8 …”
Over the next eight minutes, the band entertained a sold-out crowd nestled in the largest stadium in the Northeast with a medley of famous songs by popular artist Rihanna, including “Diamonds,” “We Found Love” and “Stay.”
Unexpected plan changes
Based on how smooth the halftime performance went, the audience would never have known that the marching band’s day started much differently than planned before the weekend began.
That’s because a weather delay at the UMass home football game in Amherst — one prompted by tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms — on Saturday forced the band to perform late into the night. This prompted Director Timothy Todd Anderson to cancel a Sunday morning practice in favor of a few hours of sleep.
As members arrive at the George N. Parks Minuteman Marching Band Building on Sunday morning, they gather their equipment: uniform pieces, instruments, and flags. They lined up for “bandwiches,” also known as a sandwich, and other food items before the buses arrived. Through the knowledge and experience of older members and communication, each section knew which bus to board, and soon enough, the band is on the road.
“When the bus starts to roll, it’s time to get swole,” members of bus one said as they pretended to do pull-ups on the compartments overhead.
Most of the ride consisted of students engaging in small side conversations, scrolling on their phones and doing homework, all while the film “High School Musical” played on the video system.
Once the bus got closer to Foxborough, hair starts to be gelled and braided, uniforms zip up, and, for those who can, instruments are pieced together.
As ponchos are adorned, due to the light rain, the buses are placed into park. The band has arrived at Gillette Stadium. Some members slowly file out of their buses, while others rush over to unlock the bay doors beneath the bus to unload and piece together equipment. The crowd from the ongoing football game can be heard as the clock starts to wind down midway through the second quarter.
A member of the Patriots staff walks over to give instructions and tells the band to hurry.
“Being in a different venue, we’re going to have to adapt to their timelines and their rules,” Director Anderson said. “It’s always a great unknown.”
Band members slowly filed through the stadium gates and are scanned by metal detectors. The drum majors direct the members to keep their instruments warm by blowing air through them and dry by keeping them covered under the ponchos. As the rest of the band enters, Smith College junior and Drum Major Nicole Ramirez walks up a ladder, corrals the mob, and tells the members to form an arc. Ramirez then leads the band in a warm-up.
Countdown begins
After a short scale-based exercise, the band is rushed over to the tunnel, passing the newly installed Tom Brady statue. Members are then brought to a halt where the field and crowd are in sight.
Three minutes left.
Some members stay quiet and think about the show, while others talk within their own section.
“Remember that the hash marks are different here than back home,” a band member says to another.
Two minutes left.
The two-minute timeout on the field brings music over the speakers, prompting some front ensemble members to dance along while others try to keep the timpani drums dry.
One minute left.
Members of the Patriots staff remind the band members to bolt out onto the field and start as soon as possible.
Triple zero. The race begins.
The band’s 350 members rush out of the tunnel and onto the field. Instruments are set, flags are placed, and Drum Major Doucette raises her hands to count off the band. It’s time for Rihanna’s greatest hits to begin.
Brooke Stelmokas, a sophomore front ensemble member and 2024 Belchertown graduate, thought it was one of the most enjoyable performances she has been a part of.
“[The performance] was absolutely electric,” Stelmokas said. “The crowd was absolutely incredible, and the rain just made it more memorable.”
Just as fast as it began, the roughly 8-minute show ends with an eruption of applause from the crowd of Patriots and Raiders fans, and the band is rushed off the field for special team players to begin warming up ahead of the third quarter.
Director Anderson thought the best part was performing for a brand-new audience.
“Maybe you’ve seen our band before, maybe you haven’t,” Anderson said. “But being able to show this little bit of our university to people who maybe never have had a firsthand encounter with UMass, I think, was a big deal.”
Then, the mass migration happens all over. Instruments are packed away, lunches are handed out, and the sweaty band members start to degown inside a hot and humid bus. Once everything is loaded, the buses hit the road before the end of the game to beat the horrid Foxborough game-day traffic.
“We’ll get back in time for me to go to Big Y to do some shopping,” Anderson said to students filing through the meal line. “In case you were curious about my life.”
The ride back is much quieter. Most members decide to catch up on their missing hours of sleep or put on headphones, while others tune in to “Cheetah Girls” on the bus video system.
Finally, the band is back on campus after leaving just six hours prior. All in a day’s work.
However, the job is not yet done.
Sousaphones, percussion instruments and other equipment begin to roll off the buses and out of box trucks to be stored back where they belong.
Leadership team members set up a system for the rest of the band to manage their semi-damp uniforms. Rows of chairs and stands are placed in a block formation, allowing each member to hang out their uniform to be sprayed with a solution and to dry off before the next performance.
As the final uniforms are sprayed, band members start to file out of the marching band building, talking among each other about upcoming homework assignments.
“[The performance] goes so quickly,” Director Anderson said. “We’re very proud to represent UMass on any stage possible.”