Strike Up the Spring Band!

The band marches in to begin the show. 6/21/23

Friday was our second University of Wisconsin Varsity Band Concert since Covid and seventh since we moved to Madison.

 

It was also the second year for new director, Corey Pompey, who took over after Mike Leckrone retired in 2019 after 50 years of teaching at the university.

 

Pompey has a different style but puts on a great show that puts the members of the band front and center.  He welcomed the crowd by saying as long as people were having fun, he was for it, whether it was by singing, clapping, or dancing to the music.

 

Photo of scoreboard screen during show.

There were a lot of young people in the audience this year, that I'm guessing could be aspiring local musicians in middle or high school.  Their presence added energy to the Kohl Center and they followed Pompey's direction to dance if the spirit moved them.  It did.

The high-energy show included many of the band's favorite songs like Lord, it's hard to be humble; If You want to be a Badger; and the Chicken Dance.

 

They also featured a medley of songs from the Disney movie, Encanto, and a reprise of five hits by the pop-rock group out of Sweden, Abba.  You might guess which set of tunes I recognized.

Laser lighting was featured with several songs.

 My favorite set was the Back to the 80s medley featuring We Built this City; Sweet Dreams; Take on Me; All Night Long; and The Power of Love.

 

 That final song was the best for me because Huey Lewis and the News was one of the bands I liked most, putting their sound up there with Billy Joel and Fleetwood Mac.

 I really enjoyed this year's version of the Varsity Band Spring Concert - it was fun and joyous.  If you couldn't get there and can watch PBS Wisconsin, the state's public television station shows it in May.

All photos by David Mossner, April 21, 2023

 

Early in the show - Varsity Band Spring Concert.  4/21/2023

The band heads to the floor for the "Fifth Quarter" the director is center right in red jacket.

Kids dancing during the show.

The start of the final number with drum major on stage. 4/21/2023 dwmossner