Hello and War Eagle!  

Please read to the end if you will be joining us for our reunion!  Links to gameday schedule, maps, and music/routines are at the bottom.  

The GREAT news is that we already have over 250 alumni registered for our Alumni Band reunion on 9/23-24/22! This will be an exciting year as we will celebrate both our 35th anniversary and the 125th anniversary of the AUMB. If you have not yet registered, it's not too late to join us.

What has happened: An unfortunate seating issue at the game will cause the Alumni Band to be split between the upper and lower decks. Only the half in the lower deck will be able to play during the game.

Why this happened: The SEC has an agreement to offer a certain number of seats to the opposing school; the AU Athletic Department and Dr. Spurlin learned this week that Mizzou did not return ANY of their ticket allotment. The Alumni Band seats typically come from the visiting team’s allotment, so you see where this is going. The Athletic Department can currently offer us only 138 seats in the lower bowl (Section 31, rows 5-10) and the rest of the Alumni Band will need to be seated in the upper deck.  The Athletic Department is still working to find us more seating in the lower bowl, but things are in flux right now. 

The revised seating plan: Dr. Spurlin is working with us on this. The Alumni Band will be divided in half, keeping as even of an instrumentation in each group as possible. The group that starts out in the lower deck will play during the first half, then move to the upper deck after our halftime show. The group that starts out in the upper deck will move to the lower deck after halftime and play in the stands during the second half. This way, everyone has a chance to play at some point in the game. 

Rationale for not playing in the upper deck: Only the half in the lower deck will be able to play during the game because there will already be three other bands playing in the lower deck (AUMB, Alumni Band, Missouri Pep Band). When sitting in the upper deck, tubas and percussion will be stored on tarps in the corner tunnel like they do on Marching Honor Band Day and individuals with smaller instruments will keep them with them in the stands.  

Other possible options: There are many unknowns at this point and we have explored a number of options. If enough students or Missouri fans happen to leave after halftime we could potentially all sit together somewhere in the stadium. Also, those alumni who hold season tickets could opt to sit in their regular seats and just join the band on the field at halftime. Note that if you choose to do this you must march in with the Alumni Band because instruments/flags/batons, etc., are not allowed in through the normal entrances.

What you need to do:  At registration the day of the reunion, we will pass out orange and blue stickers to designate who will start the game in the upper deck and who will start the game in the lower deck.  Each section will receive half of each color, in order to keep instrumentation balanced.  We are still trying to figure out what this will mean for auxiliary groups, so please bear with us.  Seating choices will be on a first come, first served basis. Talk to your friends and be sure that you pick the same options if you want to sit together. Swapping stickers within sections is perfectly fine.

But before you get too annoyed... here is some AUsome news!  Dr. Spurlin has agreed to open the practice field after half time for people who need to get out of the heat but still want to have fellowship with other band members.  Board member Paul Wright will be at the pavilion to welcome you for an informal Alumni Band Tailgate! A TV will be set up (we hope!) to stream the rest of the game, restrooms will be open, tables/chairs will still be set up, the pavilion will be dry and shaded, and any drinks/snacks remaining from the Friday night reception will be available... and.... we can play our instruments until our lips go numb! In traditional tailgate fashion, feel free to bring additional food and non-alcoholic drinks to share.

Please remember: The fact is that there are not enough tickets available in the lower deck this year for the entire Alumni Band to be seated together. We are not happy about this and neither is Dr. Spurlin. However, we need to deal with this with the class that the Auburn Band is known for, remembering that the whole point of this day is to have fun and show our Auburn spirit. Please don't feel so discouraged that you do not attend the reunion! 

Finally: We wanted you to have all of this information as soon as possible so that you can get over the annoyance of it all and prepare yourself to have a great time! Thank you for your patience now, and especially on game day, as we sort through these complications as well as a very tight schedule on Saturday morning. The final schedule for the day, gameday map, parking map, and music and routines are posted on the Alumni Band Page.  

If you have mobility issues or will need parking very close to the band field pavilion, we do have a very limited number of reserved spots available. Email Sarah Ferguson in the band office to reserve a spot. 

These are all of the details that we have now but we will update you if we learn anything further. We look forward to welcoming everyone home at our reception from 7pm-9pm on Friday, 9/23/22, and our reunion on Saturday, 9/24/22. Both will be held at the band field at 312 Beech St. See the Reception Invitation for details.

WAR EAGLE!

Your Auburn Alumni Band Board of Directors