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Honda Battle of the Bands

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The Honda Battle of the Bands (sometimes abbreviated Honda or HBOB) is an annual marching band exhibition in the United States which features performances by bands from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Sponsored by the American Honda Motor Company, the Invitational Showcase takes place in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia in late January, while the Road to the Honda takes place between the months of September and November at regular season football games, although Honda Battle of the Bands (and its abbreviations) is often intended to refer only to the invitational showcase, which first took place in 2003. Seemingly contradictory to the name, Honda's "battle" is not a competition in the traditional sense; that is, no winner is crowned during the event. Rather, the bands compete for the favor of the audience, each other, and the greater community.

Participation

The fictitious BET Big Southern Classic from the 2002 film Drumline was similar to the HBOB.

The Honda Battle of the Bands selection process includes two components -- the "Road to the Honda", which is similar to "Honda's Celebration Tour" in prior years, and the Invitational Showcase.

The selection process for the Invitational Showcase is based on a two voting level process.

In Voting Level 1, one school is selected from each of the four HBCU athletic conferences—the CIAA, the MEAC, the SIAC, and the SWAC—and one independent HBCU, are selected for a total of five bands. The five participating schools are selected by equal parts of the following criteria: Fan voting through an online poll; selections of the commissioners of the four conferences and college presidents; and votes from the band directors. None of the university officials involved in the selection process may vote for their own institution.

In Voting Level 2, three bands are selected at large through an online opinion poll; the top three bands receiving highest fan votes are selected. [1]

Once all the votes are tallied, a total of 8 bands are invited to perform their carefully choreographed, halftime time routines in front of 50,000+ fans.

History

From 2004-2009[1] the "Honda's Celebration Tour" took place annually at HBCU football venues, often universities' campus stadiums. During this tour, fans, as well as university and conference officials, would have the opportunity to see a number of bands in action through their halftime field shows, stands performances, and "Fifth Quarter" (post-game performances).

Since its inception in 2003, the following colleges have participated in the Honda Invitational Showcase:

Year CIAA MEAC SIAC SWAC Independents
2003[2] Johnson C. Smith Florida A&M Clark Atlanta, Morehouse, Morris Brown, Tuskegee Grambling Tennessee State[3]
2004 Johnson C. Smith, Virginia State Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M Clark Atlanta, Tuskegee Alabama State, Prairie View A&M Savannah State, Tennessee State
2005 North Carolina Central, Virginia State Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M Clark Atlanta, Tuskegee Alabama A&M, Prairie View A&M Langston, Savannah State
2006 North Carolina Central, Virginia State Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M Clark Atlanta, Tuskegee Jackson State, Prairie View A&M Central State, Langston
2007 NC Central, Virginia State Bethune-Cookman, Norfolk State Albany State, Clark Atlanta Alabama State, Prairie View A&M Central State, Langston
2008 Shaw, Virginia State Bethune-Cookman, Norfolk State Albany State, Tuskegee UAPB, Texas Southern North Carolina Central, Winston-Salem State
2009 Fayetteville State, Virginia State Florida A&M, North Carolina A&T Kentucky State, Tuskegee Jackson State, Texas Southern North Carolina Central, Edward Waters
2010 Virginia State Florida A&M Albany State, Clark Atlanta, Tuskegee Southern, Prairie View A&M North Carolina Central

Trivia

  • The fictitious BET Big Southern Classic from the 2002 film Drumline was similar to the HBOB, with the main difference that the Big Southern Classic was a competition with a declared winner. The HBOB is an invitational showcase and there are no official winners.

Notes

  1. ^ In 2010, Honda invited 8 bands, 2 less than in previous years.
  2. ^ In its inaugural year, Honda did not invite two bands per conference.
  3. ^ Tennessee State competes in the Ohio Valley Conference, which is not an HBCU conference, and as such is considered an independent.

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