- The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production.
[drumming] [audience cheers] - Announcer: Attention, Badger fans of all ages, please welcome the University of Wisconsin Varsity Band!
- Funding for the UW Varsity Band Concert is provided by donors to Focus Fund for the Arts and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
– Band: Step Close!
[cheers and applause] [8 rim shots] ["On, Wisconsin!"
fanfare] - Announcer: Under the direction of Dr. Corey Pompeeeeeey!
["On, Wisconsin!"
fanfare] ["Hot Time"] [cheers and applause] - Corey Pompey: Good evening, good evening, good evening!
We are the UW Varsity Band and welcome to the 2023-- [cheering] Thank you!-- edition of the Spring Concert.
This is the 47th one and I can't hardly believe it.
And the hope is that we'll continue to do these for years and years to come... and that's thanks to your support.
You being here [audience whoops] really means a lot to all of these students, so thank you.
We aim to entertain and make sure that you have a good time.
So if you feel like singing, sing.
If you feel like dancing, dance.
Do whatever you would-- If you like yelling, yell, scream, do whatever.
[cheers] This, after all, is a concert-- So have a good, good time.
– Band: Heyyyyy, up!
["The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Co.] - Band: T-H-E H-O-R-S-E. [cheers, whistles, applause] - Corey Pompey: We're gonna to keep the party going with this classic from singer, dancer, choreographer, the multi-talented Paula Abdul.
This is "Straight Up."
– Band: Heyyyyy, up!
["Straight Up"] [percussion solo] [cheers and applause] - Corey Pompey: Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thank you!
This next number was written by UW alum, Allee Willis, who was a very colorful personality and great cheerleader of the Bands.
So, to conduct the theme from Friends, "I'll Be There for You," please welcome our Assistant Director of Bands, the right hand, the left hand, and everything in between.
– Audience: Whoooaaaa!
– Corey: I don't mean it like that.
I just mean he's very valuable, excellent sounding board, and great, great friend.
Dr. Alexander Gonzalez!
[cheers and applause] - Band: Ssss... Boom... ahhh... [skyrocket whistle] Band: Dr. Alexander Gonzalez!
And... Heyyyyy, up!
["I'll Be There for You"] [cheers and applause] Band: Heyyyyy, up!
["The Family Madrigal"] ["Surface Pressure"] ["What Else Can I Do?"]
["We Don't Talk About Bruno"] [pyrotechnics blast] [pyrotechnics blast] [cheers and applause] - Corey Pompey: Speaking of Bruno, we hope you get a thrill out of this next number.
This is from the great Bruno Mars.
[crowd and band cheer] - Band: Whooooaaaa!
– Corey: I try.
[cheers] "Locked out of Heaven" and "Runaway Baby."
[cheering] - Band: Heyyyyy, up!
["Locked Out Of Heaven" by Bruno Mars] ["Runaway Baby" by Bruno Mars] [cheers and applause] - Corey Pompey: I'm supposed to talk right now but I'm out of breath.
Whoo!
They were hot!
They were cooking on that one!
Oh, my goodness!
[cheers] Thank you.
Whoo!
WHOO!
[exhales happily] [cheers and applause] [Corey exhales audibly] We'll keep the show moving with our percussion feature.
Percussion coordinator, Dr. Matthew Endres, supervises the group.
The feature was composed and choreographed by our percussion teaching assistant, Joshua Graham.
Joshua, wave to everybody!
– Band: Ssss... - Corey Pompey: Joshua Graham.
– Band: Boom... ahhh... [applause] [skyrocket whistle] Band: Spock!
Whoo!
[cheers, laughter, applause] [cymbals clang] [percussion solo] - Audience: Whoo!
[cheers and applause] - Announcer: Please show your appreciation for the Badger Band Drumline!
[percussion, cheering] [cheers and applause] - Corey Pompey: Bravo, bravo, bravo, bravo, Drumline!
All right, let's keep going!
– Band: Heyyyyy, up!
– Corey Pompey: All right, get up out of those seats!
Get out of those seats!
You know this one!
Get ready to dance!
Here we go!
["Tequila"] [pyrotechnics blast] [audience cheers] [pyrotechnics blast] - Band: Tequila!
– Corey Pompey: Keep standing!
We're not done yet!
Most of the weddings in this great state have this dance.
So, you know it!
Here we go!
One, two, up, two, ready, and!
["The Chicken Dance"] [low note] - WHOO!
– Corey Pompey: This is what we call practice.
Do it a little slow.
Then, you do it again just a little faster.
One, two, one, two, ready, and... [applause] Bucky?
Can we do it faster, Bucky?
Faster?
Bucky says, "Faster!"
Ready, Bucky?
One, two, one, two, ready, and... Some great dancers!
Let's keep this party going!
You know this one, too.
One, two, one, two, three... ["Hey!
Baby!"
by Bruce Channel] Ah, get ready!
Here we go!
– Band: Hey, hey, baby I wanna know If you'll be my girl Hey, hey, baby I wanna know If you'll be my girl [trumpet fanfare] Hey, hey, baby I wanna know If you'll be my girl Hey, hey, baby I wanna know If you'll be my girl - Band: One more time!
Hey, hey, baby I wanna know If you'll be my girl [cheers and applause] - Corey Pompey: Thank you!
I gotta make sure I do this.
'Cause last night I forgot to do it.
[rowdy shouts, loud whistling] A few weeks ago got an email from a lovely grandmother in the band who... said, "The next time you do this song, you have to tell everybody that this is the state dance."
So, the polka-- I didn't know this until she sent the email.
I suppose I should have.
I didn't-- It's the state dance.
So, get up and do the state dance.
Here we go!
– Audience: Whoa!
Whoooo!
– Corey: One, two, three, four!
[rousing performance of "You've Said It All!"]
- Band: When you say Wis-con-sin You've said it all!
[triumphant closing notes] [boom, jubilant cheers, applause] - Corey Pompey: Thank you, thank you, thank you!
[cheers and applause] We look forward to playing these next tunes for you.
Every year, students get a survey asking, "What would you like to play?"
And I must confess that this has come up for a few years and we're just now getting to it.
You know, all the tunes.
Enjoy!
We call this "The Winner Takes It All: the Music of ABBA" [applause] - Band: Heyyyyy, up!
[percussion] ["Lay All Your Love On Me"] ["Waterloo"] ["The Winner Takes It All"] ["SOS"] ["Dancing Queen"] [pyrotechnics blast] [cheers and applause] - Audience Member: "All right, [inaudible"] - Corey Pompey: This band is in its 138th year.
[cheering] We've been doing this a long time.
And we hope to do it for years to come.
And out there are 50+ years of Badger Band alumni.
So if you're out there, just stand up, wave your hand, let us recognize you.
[cheers and applause] We appreciate you very much.
– Announcer: Badger fans, please show your appreciation for our University of Wisconsin Badger Band alumni!
[cheers and applause] - Corey Pompey: Now, we're going to close the show with our Badger Band signature finale.
This is a celebration of the University of Wisconsin; what it means and all that it stands for.
And it's also a celebration of all of these wonderful students up here that give their blood, sweat, tears to this organization and this University.
So, we thank all of them!
[cheers and applause] We encourage you to sing along.
Sing loud and sing proud!
Thank you, everybody!
["Songs to Thee, Wisconsin"] Songs to thee, Wisconsin Ever let us sing Praise to alma mater Ever let us bring Queen of all the West College we love best Queen of all the West College we Love best [drumroll] ["If You Want to be a Badger"] [drumroll] - Band: Ah... How do you like me now?
[bold, triumphant finish] [cheers and applause] [tubas play very low bass notes] Var-sity!
Var-sity!
U-rah-rah!
Wisconsin!
Praise to thee we sing [echoing] We sing Praise to thee, our Alma Mater U-rah-rah Wisconsin!
[drumroll] [cheers and applause] [fanfare of trumpets] - Band: Hey!
Praise to thee, our Alma Mater [chanting] U-rah-rah!
Wisconsin!
U-rah-rah!
Wisconsin!
U-rah-rah!
Wisconsin!
– Band: Hey... up!
[drumming] ["On, Wisconsin"] [clanging cymbals] - Corey Pompey: Once again, we are the University of Wisconsin Varsity Band.
We love you very much.
Thank you for coming!
And, as always, we never say goodbye, but simply, "We'll see you real soon," and "On, Wisconsin!"
[cheers and applause] ["On, Wisconsin"] [firecracker detonates] [cheering] [cheers and applause] [rousing performance of "You've Said It All!"]
- Band: When you say Wis-con-sin You've said it all!
[triumphant closing notes] [pyrotechnics blast] [jubilant cheers and applause] - Funding for the UW Varsity Band Concert is provided by donors to the Focus Fund for the Arts and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
[applause]
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