As we are mid-way into the month of January, it means that it’s almost that time of year again: The Honda Battle of the Bands! This year marks the 10th anniversary of the event which theme this year is “Homecoming”.
Set to take place on January 28th, at the infamous Georgia Dome in Atlanta, it is expected that about 60,000 people will fill the stadium seats. All from a variety of backgrounds, students from HBCUs, parents of students, family members, friends and supporters are sure to be among the crowd.
This year may see an increase in people who attend for Atlanta native, Grammy Award winner, R&B singer-songwriter, Monica is scheduled to perform center field. The singer’s latest upcoming album, entitled “New Life” will release in February.
Those who know about The Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB) consider it the highly most anticipated and largest event of its kind. Mainly, because there is not another program like it which supports and showcases the talent of marching bands within Historically Black Colleges and Universities. For this reason it is recognized and nicknamed the “Superbowl for Black College Bands”.
Not only does the event celebrate the heritage, history and showmanship of marching bands among HBCUs, but it’s also the National Music Scholarship Program which supports programs targeted for HBCU music education.
Each year, only eight institutions are selected. This year the bands that were, are slated to earn a $20,000 music education grant, an all-expense paid trip to Atlanta, Georgia and the opportunity to share the stage on field with the talented Monica Brown.
The selected bands of the 2012 Honda Battle of the Bands presented by Verizon are Albany State University, Bethune Cookman University, Jackson State University, Prairie View A&M University, South Carolina State University, Tennessee State University, Virginia State University and Winston-Salem State University.
For those who will be in Atlanta during the 28th, consider attending, it will be an awesome experience! Looking for tickets (at just $10/$12 and are going fast by the way), visit HBOB’s homepage website: www.HondaBattleoftheBands.com, the Georgia Dome Box Office or www.ticketmaster.com.
