Contact: Kenneth Billings
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Football fans attending Mississippi State University's Saturday [Sept. 5] season-opening game with Jackson State University will be treated to a special halftime program.
In addition to MSU's Famous Maroon Band and JSU's Sonic Boom of the South, the mid-game music will include a special performance by Nash Street, the five-member group from Starkville that won the 2008 Colgate Country Showdown in Nashville. Nash Street will join the FMB for a medley of their "grassroots country" tunes.
Kickoff is 2:30 p.m. for the ESPNU-televised game from Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.
"This is a rare opportunity for our fans," said FMB director Elva Kaye Lance. "We are proud of Nash Street and know it will bring a lot to the halftime show and give our fans and the visiting Jackson State fans a great musical experience."
Lance observed that Nash Street's members are either current students or alumni of the 131-year-old land-grant institution.
"It's going to be a breathtaking experience to be able to stand out on the field and play for the fans that have supported us and our MSU Bulldogs for years," said Nash Street fiddler Hannah Melby, a 2008 communication graduate.
Lance said the 300 Sonic Boom members will bring their own exciting flavor. While the 330-member Famous Maroon Band is a traditional marching unit, "the Sonic Boom falls in the category of a show band," she added.
"Their style incorporates a lot of dance moves and it is definitely a treat to have them perform," Lance said. "Any time another school's full band performs at halftime, the atmosphere is revved up, and we are happy to welcome them."
For more information, contact Lance at 662-325-2713 or eklance@colleged.msstate.edu
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.