It’s 11:28 p.m. when the Ocean of Soul, Marching Storm and the remaining fans begin to exit Shell Energy Stadium following the conclusion of the fifth quarter. The fifth quarter is unlike anything you’ve likely experienced at a college football game, and it marks the end of nearly five and a half hours of nonstop action.
Every movement from when the band enters the stadium until their exit is choreographed. But the most impressive part is that every move and action is by memory. That’s right. Every movement of every band member over their five-and-a-half-hour performance is from memory.
I head down to the field to take in the sound of both bands during zero quarter, which some might call the ‘warm-up.’ But it’s not like any warm-up I’ve witnessed at any other football game at every level. Each song brings an energy that the players feel as they prepare for the game.
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