AAMB Rose Bowl Diary

Arrival in California...Thursday, Dec. 28

Talk about culture shock...there are leaves on the trees here in Los Angeles, and flowers along the road, and no one’s wearing a coat because temperatures are in the 70s. It’s a far cry from the snow, ice and frigid temperatures the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band left behind in West Lafayette and band members think they’re in heaven. That notion quickly dissolves after dinner, as a ragged rehearsal at a high school field next to our Santa Monica hotel drags out for three long hours. When band members pack up their instruments for the night it’s only 10:30 p.m. Pacific time but 1:30 a.m. on the time they got up on!

Getting it together...Friday, Dec. 29

	Focused by a good night’s sleep and a sense of urgency, the band does an about face at Friday morning’s rehearsal, showing the pride, spirit and talent that continues to make them "the best damn band in the land." Reporters from two television stations and the Los Angeles Times are there, making it clear the Rose Bowl is truly big time. After lunch the hurry-up-and-wait routine of bowl travel begins in earnest as the band departs in eight buses and a moving van for Disneyland. Record crowds welcome the Purdue and Washington Bands as they parade down Main Street, which is still gaily decorated for the holidays, and give short concerts in separate locations. Afterwards, band members shed uniforms to play with Mickey and Minnie, go on rides and feast on park food.

Pasadena here we come...Saturday, Dec. 30

	Two days from now the Rose Bowl will be a sea of humanity, but on this sunny day the stadium grounds are tranquil. And everything we’ve heard about the area’s beauty proves to be absolutely true as the band motors to Pasadena to tape a CBS parade special "Coming Up Roses." After the stops and starts of TV taping it’s picture time. Then band members get a few moments to kick back and eat a famous In-and-Out burger (goofy name, good burger) in the Rose Bowl stands. Afterwards, during a quick tour of a float building site, band members encounter a unique breed of people known as "pedal pushers." Then it’s in-and-out time at the hotel, changing uniforms quickly for the Purdue Pep Rally at Century City. Wow! No one expects the sight that greets us at the rally! More than 15,000 fans decked out in black and gold anxiously await the band and the football team’s arrival. The rally is noisy and emotional, and people line up for what seems like miles to get their photo taken with the Big Bass Drum. No down time afterwards as the band breaks up into pep units to play for alumni gatherings all over the LA area. Not everyone appreciates "pep" however as grad assistant Alan Landers finds out when his band is asked to leave the posh Beverly Hills Wilshire where Julia Roberts filmed Pretty Woman.

Is it really New Year’s Eve?...Sunday, Dec. 31

	There’s no rest for.....well, the Purdue Band. At 8:30 a.m. sharp a Dr. Leppla-led pep band takes off to entertain at two events - a Parent’s Reception and a Kickoff Luncheon. Those who get to sleep in a bit don summer uniforms and parade to Santa Monica pier. There they match musical wits with the Washington Band in a lively concert with a lot of crazy antics mixed in with the music. The next time we meet up with Washington - later that afternoon in the East Los Angeles College Stadium - it’s a much more formal situation. A smattering of die-hard band fans show up to see both bands rehearse and perform their pregame and halftime shows in front of their toughest critics - each other. Then it’s back to the buses for the trip to Universal Studios. Things at the Boilermaker Bash are crazy! There’s no room for the buses, no space in the park for the concert (because of crowding), and no lighting. Not a great situation for the event’s featured performers. But things have a way of working themselves out, the show goes on, and a huge crowd immediately envelopes the band. Although band members are free to enjoy the park afterwards most take early buses back to the hotel where they celebrate New Year’s on Indiana time and try to grab a few hours of sleep before a 4 a.m. wake-up call.

The day we’ve all been waiting for...Monday, Jan. 1

	It’s the BIG day and excitement-produced adrenaline overcomes the lack of sleep. At 8:37 a.m., the band steps off the 112^th Rose Parade’s starting line to begin the long 5.5-mile parade route down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. TV cameras capture nothing but straight lines and band members determined to make everyone at home proud of them. All along the long route Purdue fans cheer wildly and clap when the band breaks into the fight song, and it energizes tired marchers. As they turn off the boulevard, the breathtaking mountain vista that greets them produces goosebumps and provides the perfect end to a tremendous parade performance. None of the 315 band members had to drop out along the way, but all are in a state beyond sore - numb. They’re tired but so excited about what’s coming that it doesn’t register. Pregame produces more goosebumps when jets dip low over the stadium during the national anthem in a particularly dramatic moment. Halftime, Jerome Robbins Broadway, sees the band at its best again; and everyone has a keen sense that millions of eyes are on them as TV cameras are everywhere. Throughout the game there’s never a moment when the band isn’t playing or cheering; and that doesn’t end with the game as the band members line the road to applaud the Boilers as team buses leave the stadium. One band member speaks for all when he says: "I couldn’t have had any more fun, even if we’d won!"

An experience like the Rose Bowl is made up of all kinds of crazy and special moments. Here’s just a few!

	KATIE CAMPBELL "How many times, in any of our lives, are huge crowds of people going to erupt into cheers just because we show up to play a few tunes? That is just one of the many awesome memories I have from the Rose Bowl."
SHAUN JONES, DRUM MAJOR "I remember looking back at the band during the parade and just thinking wow. Our lines were straight, the sound was good, and the fans loved it. Even a month after that I still hear from people (outside the band) about how good we looked. We really did a good job, and I am so proud to be a part of it."
	CARIN VAHLE "I remember the ‘superb’ room service pizza and watching Sex and The City on television on New Year’s Eve. We were so tired we couldn’t even walk three blocks to McDonald’s!"
NATHAN CALDWELL "We had a logistics problem at Universal Studios when we lost one of the buses. We got off, then on, then off our buses again in less than 10 minutes. The band has been through this type of thing so many times, we're almost as good at getting on and off buses as we are at marching and playing!!!!"
	MATTHEW SHAMBRY "Although the Rose Bowl Parade was fairly long, it was a wonderful experience. I was overcome with great pride as the echoes of the crowd singing ‘Hail Purdue’ rang throughout the streets as we marched. That is something I will never forget."
SCOTT MAXWELL "It was the longest, hardest, and most strenuous five days of my entire life. But damn it, we played our hearts out to support Purdue University, and I will remember it forever!"
	ARIN SMITH "The greatest moments were when we got onto the buses because we knew we would finally get some sleep. The worst moments – constantly trying to sleep on a bus!"
CASSANDRA GRAY "My funniest memory from the Rose Bowl would have to be the bus tour of LA. My best friend Kendra and I ate homemade churros and had our picture taken with Marilyn Monroe's handprints at the Chinese Theater. But the one thing I’ll never forget is the last glimpse of the field and stadium as we walked out of the Rose Bowl. We had lost the game, but in reality we had won just by going."

(click on photo for larger image)

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