There’s a brisk chill in the air that almost penetrates the warmth of your sweatshirt. The smell of the concession stands mingles with numerous colognes and perfumes of other spectators, and the excitement of the crowd is palpable. What overwhelms your senses the most, however, are the sights and sounds of the marching band. The instruments polished to a gleaming shine, the deafening drums, the sparkles of the dancers’ fringed outfits, and the clear blares of scores of horns across the many rows of seats almost makes you forget that you’re sitting in a concert hall far from a football field.

Almost.

DRUMLine: Live is a multi-media show full of what makes halftime the most exciting part of an HBCU (Historically Black College & University) football game. In addition to all of the marching band greatness, the cast of DRUMLine: Live presents the history of the band’s traditions with tributes to African drummers, gospel choirs, and Motown legends. The performers are full of energy, bounding up the aisles in theMusic Center at Strathmore  and personally engaging the audience in the spectacle. A few of the drummers even let some kids try their little hands at percussion every child’s eyes lit up after successfully mimicking a few notes.

I was amazed by all of the talent concentrated into the cast, especially Aheisha Duke, who played the trumpet in the marching band and sang her butt off during the musical legend and church portions of the program. The crowd got on its feet when she shouted “Baby!” in an uncanny impression of Margie Hendricks during Ray Charles’ “(Night Time is) The Right Time” and she was not the only cast member who almost stole the show from the instruments. One performed the Moonwalk as if he had been doing it since birth and another channeled the spirit of James Brown in his enthusiastic yells and furious foot shuffling. The most unexpected act was a bit called “Midnight Magic,” which featured four drummers in LED costumes having a good glow-in-the-dark time. The younger audience members adored this; in fact, DRUMLine: Live is generally very family friendly. The dancers are occasionally scantily clad, but their dance moves are toned down enough for them not to seem lewd.

All in all, it was a fun evening with these former marching band members/singers/dancers/actors. I had a chance to learn about the specific parts of a Drum Major’s ensemble and see the synchronized high stepping up close. However, the show still felt lacking. It wasn’t until the actual drumline showed up that I realized that this is all so much better with the GAME. The competition and raucous cheers of the crowd changes the whole vibe of the music and that was definitely missing. But aside from the absence of a scoreboard and the disjointed organization of the show, there was nothing to complain about. GO TEAM!

About The Author

Stephanie Taylor

Co-Editor/Entertainment Reporter

She may be a traffic engineer by day (hence the ‘stopsigngirl’ alias), but do not let her technical skills or multiple calculators fool you. Stephanie Taylor has a way with words. She will destroy any opponent in Scrabble, and get 50 points for using all 7 of her letters in the word “destroy.” She can a-n-n-i-h-i-l-a-t-e you in a spelling bee, having competed in no less than ten as a child. She uses correct punctuation in her text messages. It’s no wonder that copy editing comes naturally to her, and she is happy to fine tune the work of other writers before it reaches TRR readers.

Proofreading is not all that Stephanie loves to do. Regular reading without the proof is just fine, and she also loves to write. In fact, Steph has been writing since the tender age of 6 when she penned her would-be bestseller Mouse in Jail. It “would be” if all literary critics were in Kindergarten. Since elementary school, Stephanie has helped publish newsletters, yearbooks, and the Arts & Entertainment section of The Rice Thresher, Rice University’s student newspaper.

Stephanie’s other gigs have included singing her heart out in the chorus of My Fair Lady in Houston, doing improv comedy in front of hundreds of people in Atlanta, and teaching A.P. English in Los Angeles. She loves to travel and have cultural adventures like tubing down a river in Ecuador, dancing in a South Asian festival, or riding a ferry from Italy for 19 hours just to get real Greek food. Cooking and Yoga are also among Stephanie’s list of favorite things to do, but she cannot do them at the same time.

This native Texan genuinely adores reporting on entertainment as much as she loves to entertain, and is looking forward to learning more about what the D.C. area has to offer and sharing that news with you.

Stephanie Taylor also likes to write about herself in the third person.

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