Watch the 49th annual University of Wisconsin-Madison Varsity Band Spring Concert, recorded live at the Kohl Center on April 12, 2025. Produced by the UW Band, this year's concert features music from Ariana Grande, AC/DC and Coldplay, as well as favorites like "The Chicken Dance" and "Varsity." When you say Wis-con-sin, you've said it all!
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UW Varsity Band Concert 2025
[upbeat marching band music]
Band Members: Step close, keep walking!
[cheers]
Announcer: Attention Badger fans of all ages! Please welcome the University of Wisconsin Varsity Band!
[cheers]
[upbeat marching band music]
Announcer: Under the direction of Dr. Corey Pompey!
[band plays “On Wisconsin”]
[upbeat marching band music]
Corey Pompey: Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon. It’s so great to see you today. Thank you so much for coming here to the Kohl Center to spend a few awesome moments with us. This is the 49th Varsity Band Spring Concert.
[cheers and applause]
Corey Pompey: Thank you. For many of us, this is our favorite event. So if you don’t leave this venue feeling great, we haven’t done our jobs. Sing, dance, do whatever you like. The main thing is we want to make sure that you have a good time. We’re thrilled to perform the music of arguably the best singer among today’s recording artists. I’m talking about Ariana Grande.
[cheers]
Corey Pompey: And so you’ll hear “Break Free,” “Yes. And?,” “Dangerous Woman,” “Problem,” “thank u, next,” and “7 Rings.” And I’m looking around. I’m trying to gauge just who’s in the audience tonight… Do you know the music of Ariana Grande?
[cheers]
Corey Pompey: This is A. Grande Opener.
[upbeat marching band music]
[cheers and applause]
Corey Pompey: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, thank you. For his first Varsity Band concert as the Assistant Director of Bands, please welcome to the podium Doctor Herb Payung.
[cheers and applause]
[“Too Sweet” by Hozier]
[cheers and applause]
Corey Pompey: We’re delighted to perform the music of Snarky Puppy. They’re a Grammy Award-winning jazz fusion band. This tune’s got a real nice groove to it. Leading the Varsity Band in this will be Dr. Matthew Endres, the Mead Witter School of Music’s drum set professor and percussion coordinator for the UW Varsity Band. He’s gonna come and conduct this piece, “Tio Macaco.” Please welcome Dr. Matthew Endres.
Band Members: Boom, pop!
[whistling sound]
[band members chanting]
[upbeat drum music]
[upbeat marching band music]
[drum solo]
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat marching band music]
[cheers and applause]
Corey Pompey: Daniel Guilette, Daniel Guilette. Kyle Stephenson. Dr. Matthew Endres.
[upbeat marching band music]
Corey Pompey: You know this one! Put those hands together! T. H. E. H. O. R. S. E.
[cheers and applause]
Band Members: Let’s go girls!
[“Man! I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain]
Band Members: Man!
[“Redneck Woman” by Gretchen Wilson]
[cheers and applause]
Corey Pompey: You want the Fifth Quarter?
[cheers and applause]
Corey Pompey: Here we go. This is the Fifth Quarter. You gotta get up though! You gotta dance! Gotta sing! Gotta do all of the stuff! This is for you.
[band cheers]
Corey Pompey: One, two, three, and!
[“The Chicken Dance”]
Corey Pompey: There’s a word for what we just did. It’s called practice. So now we’ve gotten the hang of it, we’re gonna do it again. One, two, one, two, ready, and!
[“The Chicken Dance” plays faster]
Corey Pompey: Well, you think that might be enough “Chicken Dance” for today? Is that enough? They said they think it’s enough.
[audience exclaims]
Corey Pompey: Faster?
Band Members: No!
Corey Pompey: The chicken says “Faster.” Only if you personally bring me eggs every morning to save my pocket. You gonna do that? Okay. The chicken says it’s gonna deliver eggs in the morning. And so, I suppose we’ll do it faster. All right, here we go! One, two, one, two, ready, and!
[“The Chicken Dance” plays faster]
Corey Pompey: The things we’ll do for the chickens. Thank you, thank you. This next one, we don’t have any administrators here from the university, do we? I think I’m good. This is “Tequila!” One, two, one, two, ready, and!
[“Tequila” by The Champs]
All: Tequila!
Corey Pompey: Oh, this next one, sing loud and proud. Two words. That’s all you need to know. “Hey” and “baby.” Here we go. One, two, one, two, three! All right, here we go!
[“Hey! Baby” by Bruce Channel]
[band and audience singing together]
[cheers and applause]
Corey Pompey: This next tune, we borrowed from a commercial. I believe it was in the ’70s. It’s become synonymous with this university and this band. Here we go, one!
[upbeat marching band music]
All: When you say Wisconsin, you’ve said it all!
Corey Pompey: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for joining us in this Fifth Quarter. A thing that’s really unique about this band. We love doing it, and it warms our heart to see people enjoying it as well. Back in the summer, friends in the athletic department said, “Oregon’s coming to town. We’re gonna do fireworks. Will you do a show about fireworks?” And so, that’s what we did. You’ll hear some of everything. “Blow” by Kesha.
[cheers]
Corey Pompey: Hope some of you will be in Camp Randall this summer to hear Coldplay’s “Sky Full of Stars.” You’ll also hear AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.”
[cheers]
Corey Pompey: “Bang Bang” by Jessie J., Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj. Pitbull’s “Fireball.” And then, if we’re gonna do a show supposedly about fireworks, then, perhaps it would be unconscionable not to have the last tune in there. Katy Perry’s “Firework.”
[cheers]
Corey Pompey: This one is called “Light Up the Sky.”
[upbeat marching band music]
[cheers and applause]
Corey Pompey: One of the things that we enjoy most, or I should say, the thing that we do enjoy the most, and why these students put so much time in what they do every day is because of the response from the audience like yourselves and people that are enjoying what they are doing, and it is not something that we take for granted. So thank you. Thank you so much for being with us again.
[cheers and applause]
Corey Pompey: So the first concert was in 1976, March 21, actually ’75, 1975, in Mills Concert Hall at the School of Music. And I’d like to give a shout-out to Dan Evans, who’s been researching the band and compiling photos. If you look up at that screen, you’ll see some photos from those early concerts. The first concert had 450 people in attendance, and it’s just grown over the years. You will also notice that Mike Leckrone had a nice fashion sense. Very, very, very early on in the concerts.
[cheers and applause]
Corey Pompey: And we’re so grateful to be able to have this event every year. And we’re grateful that the person that created this event is in the house today, along with his wonderful family. So just wish to thank Mike for all he’s done. Thank you, Mike!
[cheers and applause]
Corey Pompey: On the stage are some fine young people that are wearing roses. Those are the members of our senior class for whom this is their last Varsity Band concert. And I can’t begin to impress upon you just how remarkable these individuals are and how much they do to keep the program going. I’m going to miss them dearly. My colleagues on this stage, the other students are going to miss them dearly, and we hope they come back often. Please stand, members of the senior class.
[cheers and applause]
Corey Pompey: Thank you, thank you. Thank you all for everything. We love you. We appreciate you very, very much. We’ll close today’s program with our signature Badger Band Finale. Please help us celebrate the University of Wisconsin and this great band.
[cheers and applause]
[stately marching band music]
All: 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
[upbeat marching band music]
Band Members: Rah, how do you like me now?
[upbeat marching band music]
All: Varsity, Varsity
U Rah Rah, Wisconsin
Praise to thee, we sing
Praise to thee, our alma mater
U, Rah, Rah, Wisconsin
Corey Pompey: Sing!
All: Praise to thee, our alma mater
U, Rah, Rah, Wisconsin, U, Rah, Rah, Wisconsin! U, Rah, Rah, Wisconsin, hey!
[upbeat marching band music]
Corey Pompey: Thank you so much. Thank you for being here. To those of you who are getting ready to celebrate the holiday, wish you well and have a good time with your families. This time next year, number 50. Hope to see you then. And as always, we never say goodbye. But simply, we’ll see you real soon. And On, Wisconsin!
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