TEMPE, Ariz. - The Sun Devil Marching Band is performing in the pregame show at Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1 and around 100 Sun Devil band members are also participating in the halftime show.
The band is rehearsing for their show this Saturday, Jan. 31, from 1-3 p.m. at the Band Field, located at 6th and Rural Road next to the Verde Dickey Indoor Practice Facility. Fans are welcome to attend.
The band also performed at Super Bowl XLIX Media Day on Tuesday, Jan. 27, and the Sun Devil Spirit Squad is partaking in numerous Super Bowl activities and events across the Phoenix Valley this week. Arizona State University and Sun Devil Athletics have been well represented throughout the week leading up to Super Bowl XLIX. Click here for a look at ASU's involvement.
The band performed with O.A.R on "Opening Night" of the Coors Light Birds Nest at the Waste Management Phoenix Open last year, and in addition to supporting the football team, the Sun Devil Marching Band entertains the home crowd by performing 4 to 5 different shows every season. This translates to nearly 100 shows performed over the span of 20 years, and the participation of up to 400 band members each year. As a result, alumni of the Pride of the Southwest are known to epitomize what Sun Devil Pride truly means.
The Sun Devil Marching Band, known as “The Pride of the Southwest,” is a nearly 400-member ensemble consisting of percussion, woodwind, brass, front ensemble, color guard and spirit squad members. James G. Hudson serves as director of athletic bands for the ASU Herberger Institute School of Music and his duties include coordination and direction of the Sun Devil Marching Band, Basketball Bands and the Dixie Devils Dixieland Band. Founded on Sept. 20, 1915, by Lillian Williams, the then-Tempe Bulldogs Marching Band has grown into a staple of Arizona State University.