From sitting on the floor of the bandroom watching the show theme reveal, to melting in the August heat during band camp, to finally getting to see the show come to life, each event has built excitement for marching band members. For their 50th anniversary of field performances, the MT Marching Band’s show theme was Heroes and Villains. The production featured music from new and classic superhero movies alike including “The Incredibles,” “Despicable Me,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” and “Avengers: Endgame.”
As they worked to improve the show each week, the band prepared themselves for Pennsylvania Marching Band Coalition’s Finale Showcase which was hosted by MT for the first time in history. Fifteen bands were present from all over Pennsylvania, sharing their love of music and performing for an estimated 3,000 spectators. The final showcase was at MT High School on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 4:30 to 9:00. But if you missed it, you can watch the band continue to grow and change over the weeks at football games.
The nearly 10 minute show’s story began when band members marched out on the field while the villainous half of the color guard sprinted out, harassing the musicians until they were locked up by The Superhero. The show began with “Nefario Calls Gru” from “Despicable Me,” which quickly transitioned into “The Glory Days” from “The Incredibles.”
The heroes celebrated seemingly defeating their nefarious counterparts, except one got away: The Supervillain. While the heroes were distracted, The Supervillain freed the villains, and proceeded to chase out the heroes as they wildly began a celebration of their own to the song “Minions March” from “Despicable Me.”
The show moved to a slower, quieter moment with flute and clarinet soloists, Abby Hughes and Lily Babione, respectively, in the piece “Adventure Calling” from “The Incredibles.” Meanwhile, villainous dancers took the field as they continued to boast their escape from confinement.
Suddenly, there was a quick shift in song to “Main Theme” from “Guardians of the Galaxy” that triggered a lively fight scene between the two sides, ending with the seeming death of The Superhero at the hands of The Supervillain. In classic comic book fashion, The Supervillain began to gloat over their victory while the band performed “Portals from Avengers: Endgame,” but the quintessential heroic plot twist revealed that The Superhero was alive and ready to face off with The Supervillain once again.
By the end of the show, all of the villains had a change of heart revealing bright yellow uniforms, matching their fellow heroic guard members, and fell into sync with their flag routine for the first time in the entire show. Of course, The Supervillain ran from their newfound enemies, but the band members trapped them in a complex spiral or “Villain Trap.” The show concluded with a unique involvement from both drum majors, Alyx Maxie and Grace Romero, as they marched into the band and took down The Supervillain once and for all.
“I think [the show] met its potential! A lot of cool visuals [went] on in the show (thank you to the color guard) such as the small drum major cameo at the end,” senior Alyx Maxie said.
“I personally think that being on the field at the end of the show was a risk, but much much kudos to the wind band and the color guard and the drumline for knowing their show so well that they don’t need any sort of conductor during the end of the show, allowing us to bring the show to life.”
