Pride of Acadiana
Encyclopedia
The Pride of Acadiana is the marching band
at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
. The band plays pregame and halftime show
s for all home games of the UL Lafayette football team, the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
.
, as made famous by Aretha Franklin
, by playing the song at every football game for since the 1980s.
The band performed at Governor Kathleen Blanco
's inauguration in 2004. It also traveled to New York, New York to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
in 2005. During spring break in 2009, the band traveled to the United Kingdom
to perform. They held performances at Princes Street Gardens
in Edinburgh, Scotland, and at Victoria Embankment Gardens in the City of Westminster
in London, England and recently in 2010 performed in Madrid, Spain as part of the annual Three King's Parade and was the first American marching band to appear on national Spanish television. The Pride has recently been invited to return to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
in 2012 to represent Louisiana–Lafayette once again making them only a handful of college marching bands to ever be invited back.
The band also hosts Drums Across Cajun Field, a new annual DCI
exhibition that takes place before school starts, usually in July.
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
. The band plays pregame and halftime show
Halftime show
A halftime show is a performance given during halftime, the period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of divisions , or for sports that do not have an extended...
s for all home games of the UL Lafayette football team, the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns football
The Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns football program is a college football team that represents the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the Sun Belt Conference.-Football classifications:*1937–1962: National Junior College Athletic Association...
.
History
The band has given the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns an unofficial second fight song, RespectRespect (song)
"Respect" is a song written and originally released by Stax recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. "Respect" became a 1967 hit and signature song for R&B singer Aretha Franklin. The music in the two versions is significantly different, and through a few minor changes in the lyrics, the stories told...
, as made famous by Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, by playing the song at every football game for since the 1980s.
The band performed at Governor Kathleen Blanco
Kathleen Blanco
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco was the 54th Governor of Louisiana, having served from January 2004 until January 2008. She was the first woman to be elected to the office of governor of Louisiana....
's inauguration in 2004. It also traveled to New York, New York to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
in 2005. During spring break in 2009, the band traveled to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to perform. They held performances at Princes Street Gardens
Princes Street Gardens
Princes Street Gardens is a public park in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. The Gardens were created in the 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and the creation of the New Town. The Nor Loch was a large loch in the centre of the city. It was...
in Edinburgh, Scotland, and at Victoria Embankment Gardens in the City of Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
in London, England and recently in 2010 performed in Madrid, Spain as part of the annual Three King's Parade and was the first American marching band to appear on national Spanish television. The Pride has recently been invited to return to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
in 2012 to represent Louisiana–Lafayette once again making them only a handful of college marching bands to ever be invited back.
Pregame
The Pride of Acadiana performs a pregame show before the games. The band will start behind the student section of Cajun Field, marching around three sides of the stadium until it gets to the main entrance. There it will perform a pep rally with the help of the cheerleaders. It'll then start playing "Do What Ya Wanna" as it turns and heads into the stadium. The band then files out and down into the tunnel, where the members line up for the pregame field show. On the field, the band performs the songs "Jambalaya" and "You Are My Sunshine", as the world's largest Louisiana flag is displayed. Next, the band forms "UL Lafayette" on the field and performs the fight song to the home side and student side of the stadium. Finally band will then perform the Star Spangled Banner, then the UL Lafayette Fight Song as the team enters the field. Afterwards, the band plays "Respect off the field", where they play Aretha Franklin's Respect while marching down and gathering by the home side of the field.Halftime
The Pride of Acadiana usually prepares two marching shows for each football season, which they will alternate between games. For these shows, the band will file down to the field and get in position to start the show before the half. The band performs to the home side, although occasionally it will turn and perform a couple of songs to the student side. After the performance, the band plays "Respect off the field" and returns to their seats.Exhibitions
The University marching band is the host of the annual Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands, which brings bands from more than 30 high schools from around the state to compete at one festival. The Pride of Acadiana ends the festival with an exhibition performance of the year's shows.The band also hosts Drums Across Cajun Field, a new annual DCI
DCI
-Technology:* D-chiro-inositol, an isomer of inositol* Data, Context, and Interaction, an architectural pattern in computer software development* Direct Count & Intersect, an algorithm for discovering frequent sets in large databases...
exhibition that takes place before school starts, usually in July.