N.C. A&T’s Blue and Gold Marching Machine took on seven other historically black college and university bands at the HBCU Labor Day Classic on September 1st.
Thousands of attendees were prepared for the show in American Legion Stadium to start at 6:00pm and to be greeted by hosts CDKontheMic, Terrence J, No Limit Larry, Dolla Watson, and B Daht.
However, the cumulus clouds weighing over the event had other plans. The rain caused a 2-hour delay and left bands like N.C. A&T, sitting on buses,desperate to find ways to keep each other entertained.
Senior journalism student and drum major, Garvin Collins, weighed in on how he showed leadership during the unforeseen weather delay.
“Keeping the band morale high was probably the biggest thing.It was one of those things where the Drum Majors came together and understood that in order to put on a good show, we’d have to make sure we kept a positive environment,” Collins said.
Originally from the Gastonia and Charlotte area, Collins found solace in his local community by showing up and staying after the delay was over to support the band as well.
Junior trombone player, Sabrina Garcia, spoke more on the importance of having strong community support as a band student during unfortunate circumstances.
“Being a member of the BGMM is basically a full-time job. We practice for about 4.5 hours a day, 7 days a week, before performances, after performances, and even on wellness days,” Garcia said. “Seeing the fans stay gave us the energy we needed to perform at our very best.”
Garcia has traveled to over 10 states over the past three years as a member of the BGMM and the band has traveled to Disney World and twice to California for band competitions and once to the Rose Bowl.
N.C. A&T performed 5 hours after the original start time and did a medley that included popular songs such as ‘Take You Down’ by Chris Brown.
N.C. A&T Alum and former band member Christian Kornegay, also known as ‘CDKontheMic’, explained how proud he was of the band’s resilience.
“Because I marched in the blue and gold marching machine while in college, the bands performing in the rain, shows character of each performer and what we go through on a day-to-day basis.They showed up and showed out, and being able to host the event seven years later was definitely a full circle experience.”
CDK went on to say that every time lightning struckthe show was delayed for another 45 minutes. Hence, the show didn’t start until 8:55 pm and didn’t end until 11:30 pm.
Over 6,000 fans stayed to support the schools and display HBCU unity. To learn more about HBCU Labor Day Classic, click here.
