Battles, Bands, Greeks and Fans

The Human Jukebox of Southern University and the Grambling State’s World Famed Marching Band took over the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in The Big Easy: New Orleans, Louisiana on Friday, November 24.
Fans of both marching bands gathered in crowds as lines formed to gain entry to the most anticipated event of the weekend: the Bayou Classic Battle of The Bands and Greek Show.
Inside the dome, the Greeks were gearing up for battle.
Last year’s Battle of the Bands brought the Alpha Tau Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and the Beta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. out on top.
This year, there were six groups to compete, and the best two were awarded a check for $3,000, sponsored by McDonald’s.
Southern University’s Beta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. took first place for the male Greeks for the second year in a row.
Although two chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. were representing for the female Greeks, Grambling’s Psi Beta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta took home the bragging rights and the $3,000 check.
As the Greeks cleared the stage, the crowd began to wait in anticipation for the tunes of The Human Jukebox to fill the space to capacity.
The ‘often heard before seen’ band marched into the Superdome with over 200 members in formation, giving the crowd a pre-show performance.
Following close behind were the sounds of The World Famed Marching Band as they marched in with just under 200 members, giving the Jukebox equal energy.
As the crowd settled, State Representative, Edward “Ted” James took to the field with a special announcement, “I have the perfect opportunity for you to represent the Human Jukebox every single day and for you to send your financial appreciation to the Jukebox . . . [Mr. Haymer] the Southern University Human Jukebox is the first band in the state of Louisiana, the only band, to have an official license plate.”
The overjoyed Jukebox wasted no time kicking the battle off with a short opener, cruising into GoldLink’s “Crew”, which proved to be a crowd favorite as fans sang the lyrics aloud.
After patiently waiting their turn, The World Famed Grambling State Tiger Marching Band took the crowd to church with Tamela Mann’s “Take Me to the King,” in tribute to the lives of New Orleans Matriarch, Dolores Marsalis and New Orleans jazz legend, Fats Domino.
They wasted no time picking up the tempo, blaring their own rendition of Post Malone’s “Rockstar,” and the crowd couldn’t help but to rock along.
Tossing it back to Southern, the Human Jukebox slowed it down a bit with an impressive performance of Tank’s “When We,” followed by DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts.”
Grambling responded with an equally striking rendition of SZA’s “Love Galore” and continued with The Isley Brothers’ “Contagious,” a throwback that encouraged yet another crowd singalong.
More than 16 songs were played on each side as the night rolled on. Both bands played back and forth, blaring some of the crowd’s notable favorites.
By the end of the battle, it was clear who the winner was: The Human Jukebox.
A member of the Jukebox stuck around to share just why they thought the Jukebox came out of the battle as the obvious champions.
Band Member, junior Criminal Justice major, Joshua Johnson has participated in the event for the past 3 years.
“I had a really good time. We put in lots of hard work and dedication. Late nights and early mornings just to leave it all on the field. Grambling definitely took a major ‘L’,” Johnson said.

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The Southern University Human Jukebox performs during the 2017 Bayou Classic Battle of the Bands on Friday, November, 24 inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. (Arnita Dove/DIGEST)