The rumbling of RVs rolling in for game day won't be the only source of vibrations on the Plains as the University Program Council hosts its third Battle of the Bands.
The event will be held Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. Brandon Crocker, a musician in the Atlanta area and master of ceremonies, will take the stage to introduce the bands.
"He will be playing music and talking about upcoming events for the students," said Katie Gallahue, junior in pre-nursing and UPC director of special projects. "We are pretty excited because it's our first year with a professional emcee, and it should make things run smoothly."
Hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and a drink will be free for the first 250 students on Cater Lawn.
This year's battle will incorporate new methods for judging the crowd's opinion of the bands.
"We are going to have a large projection screen where we will show the fan favorites," said Anne Smead, senior in public administration and UPC president. "People can text their favorites to a polling service, and the answers will be projected onto the screen so that we can give live feedback."
The event is free to students and the public.
Bands will be given 25 minutes for setup, sound check and performance.
"It's a great opportunity for students to stop by and see a showcase of local bands," said Brandon Whitman, junior in industrial engineering.
Bands will compete for cash prizes awarded to the top three places, as well as a fourth prize for crowd favorite.
Competitors will be allowed to play cover songs, but each must perform one song of their own to be judged.
"Students should come out to the Battle of the Bands to support their friends and see the competition," Smead said.
Gallahue said planning for the event began in spring with booking the location, ordering lighting and planning all of the publicity for the event.
"We have been working on the event since last semester, and we are excited about the new additions like the emcee and the live-polling service," Gallahue said. "It's an awesome way to spend Friday night for both the bands and the students. You get a night of free entertainment and food, and I mean, who doesn't love free food?"
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