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The Southern University marching band prepares for the 51st annual Bayou Classic

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – Over 250 marching band members are part of Southern University’s Human Jukebox. They’ve been working hard for their biggest gig of the year, the Bayou Classic.

De’Andre Waites is a senior at Southern University and will perform his final Bayou Classic this weekend. After long hours of training this season, he said he was ready.

“I just want to make sure I give it my heart and soul and march, knee high, high nineties. And especially when it comes to that dance routine, you break the dance routine like I’ve never done before,” Waites said.

Last year, the Bayou Classic celebrated its 50th anniversary and gave the Human Jukebox an unforgettable halftime performance. But it’s time for more, according to Southern University band director Dr. Kedric Taylor.

“We did a great job on the classic, you know, we had Fantasia, so we want to go a little higher this year,” Taylor said.

“It means more work and a lot of long days of practice,” Waites said.

“We are always nervous. We take risks,” Waites said. “We always take risks and above all it is different compared to last year. With Dr. Taylor, you’ll never know. Dr. Taylor is always on guard. He always came up with innovative ideas that make you wonder, ‘What gave you that idea?'” Waites said. “So from this year on, this year compared to last year, I say keep your eyes peeled because this is going to be a good show.”

Whether it’s the Battle of the Bands event or the football game’s halftime break, Taylor advised fans to pay attention to details.

“I look at the sound quality of this band, the quality of the precision exercises, the complexity of the formations. A lot of bands aren’t proud of that. We pride ourselves on the little details of attention, but people see a picture. We see the details in the image, which makes the image better,” he said.

And regarding the performance, which is top secret, Taylor said fans can expect a good show.

“The best thing I can say about our performances is that it is very well known and we will definitely put on a music production. I would like to call it a music production and we take you on a journey,” he said.

A ride that Taylor advises the band members to have fun with, especially this year.

“I think what makes this year special is the fact that these students have been through a lot this year. To be clear at this point, no one knows how complicated what these students go through on a daily basis and they have a lot to deal with. We want to finish strong. You want to complete the course. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” he said.

A strong finish that Waites is already thinking about.

“When I leave the field I want to say, ‘I did it, I did it, we did it.’ “You gave it your all,” he said.

As this Bayou Classic weekend approaches, Taylor is sending a message.

“Fans, get ready, get your pom poms so you can cheer the Jags to victory, but also make sure that the Southern University Human Jukebox, the oft imitated, never duplicated, none of these bands have ever been able to beat the Southern “University Human Jukebox performance,” Taylor said.

Those interested in seeing the Human Jukebox perform can attend the Bayou Classic Battle of the Bands and Greek Show on Friday, November 29th at 6 p.m. and during halftime of the Bayou Classic on Saturday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans take place. Tickets are required for both shows.

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