By Mike Pearson
FightingIllini.com

Saturday afternoon's kickoff for the Illinois-Nebraska game is officially listed at 12:20 p.m. but fans attending the season opener will want to be comfortably settled in their seats at least a half-hour before that for a surprise performance by Director Barry Houser's Marching Illini.

Instead of focusing on Memorial Stadium's north end zone for the beginning of the band's pregame show, fans should instead direct their attention to the horseshoe end where the Marching Illini will explode onto the field for what senior trumpeter Joseph Kim refers to as "a Big Ten band moment."

"I think the fans are really going to like our new tunnel entrance because it's more exciting and dramatic than past years," Kim said. "Maybe our past pre-games were missing a little something but I think we've found a great new addition."

Marching Illini Drum Majors Enddy Almonord (Sr., Champaign), Jake Burrows (Sr., Downers Grove) and Ben Macke (Sr., Marshall), twirler Julia Arciola (Jr., Boca Raton, Fla.) and UI's 37-member drum line will steer 400 band members in follow-the-leader style to set up in the south end zone.

And, for the first time in nearly 50 years, the Marching Illini will feature a corps of 15 persons who each will bear the flags of the member Big Ten institutions and one representing the Big Ten Conference.

Almonord agrees with Kim's assessment of the revised pre-game presentation.

"I think our new entrance will be awesome for a couple of reasons," she said. "First, with the 15 (conference) flags, it's a way for us to feel more a part of the Big Ten. Secondly, coming out of the tunnel, it's going to be pretty cool to not see the Marching Illini until we emerge, as opposed to us just setting up on the field. People don't really know how big the band is until everyone is out. And we've got an even bigger band this year, so it will look even more spectacular."

In terms of new musical elements to the Marching Illini pre-game, fans will be treated to a innovative introductory song that's based on the University of Illinois' 111-year-old Fight Song, Oskee-Wow-Wow.

"We call it 'Oskee Fanfare'", Houser said. "We think it will create crowd involvement with our standard "I-L-L - I-N-I" cheer. That will then take us down the field to go into what everyone has traditionally seen in the past, starting with Revised Entrance No. 3, our arrangement of the Illinois State Song."

Saturday will mark the Marching Illini's first performance at Memorial Stadium since November of 2019 and its first overall appearance since the 2019 Red Box Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif. Due to pandemic restrictions, the Marching Illini wouldn't be allowed to convene again until Aug. 15, 2021, a total break of 593 days. It was much too long, says senior trombonist Jason Kazim, a music education major from Hickory Hills.

"After we performed at the Red Box Bowl, I asked myself what I would do without marching band," Kazim said. "Now, here I am 18 months later thinking that was the stupidest question I'd ever asked myself. As I heard the drum line going while I was walking down to the practice field, I was like 'Yes, this is finally happening … this is it!"

Kazim calls the Marching Illini "the biggest family that I have on campus."

"We're always looking out for each other on and off the field," he said. "There aren't many organizations where you can take 400 people, put them all together, and make a large-scale product that appeals to tens of thousands of fans."

Like his students, Aug. 15 was a poignant moment for Houser to see his troops together again.

"There were a variety of emotions for me," he said. "Anxiety, excitement, and nervousness as well, making sure that we were keeping everybody safe. I think we've all adopted the phrase of having an 'attitude of gratitude.' We're just grateful that we're able to meet in person, face to face. Of course, they're excited about being together again, but I think there's more excitement about just doing something that resembles 'normal'. The energy from our students these last several days has truly been amazing."

Concerning Saturday's Marching Illini's halftime show, says Houser, it will be special, too. They'll lead off with "Strike Up the Band", referencing their nearly 600-day layoff, then continue with a tribute to first responders. Also expect to see Coach Bielema's name spelled out to a special song. Of course, Illinois' traditional "Three in One" ends each halftime performance.

Houser says other individuals on his staff deserve a portion of the credit for the Marching Illini's success. Anthony Messina, his assistant director of bands, helps with logistics and rehearsals. A second fulltime staff member, Aaron Kavelman, oversees the efforts of UI's drumline. And seven graduate students, primarily music majors, help direct separate instruments within the band.

On Saturday, Illinois' band members will be attired in new uniforms that tell the story of the band's nearly 160-year history. The design ties in with the military-influenced attributes of very first uniforms in the 1860s and feature the rebranded Block I. Orange capes with the word "Illini" offer yet another special touch. When the team wins, Marching Illini members will flip their capes to display a white background.