re: So, Marching Bands can no longer perform a halftime

I don't know if it is an SEC rule, but most if not all schools no longer allow visiting bands to perform during halftime. The first time I was aware of it happening was within the last five or six years. Auburn took the entire band to LSU not realizing that they would not be allow to do their halftime show. I don't believe there been visiting school to march at Auburn the last two years. I really miss seeing and hearing visiting school bands.

Here is what google says:


AI Overview

There is no permanent SEC-wide rule that completely bans an opposing/visiting team's marching band from performing at halftime.

• Home Team Discretion: Halftime scheduling and band allotments are managed by the home school. Under SEC and athletic administration guidelines, the home team must give advance notice to a visiting school if their band will be allocated time to perform on the field.

• Historical/Temporary Exceptions: The SEC did temporarily prohibit visiting bands and on-field performances across all member schools during the 2020 COVID-19 season, which caused confusion, but that was a pandemic-specific policy and is no longer active.
• Logistics & Practicality: Many visiting SEC bands do not travel to away games due to travel costs and logistical constraints, meaning the decision of whether a visiting band plays is typically coordinated directly between the two athletic departments beforehand.

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It does but it’s not as cut and dry as the away school giving those tickets to the band instead of selling to fans. Placement matters and the other school has to play ball for security, traffic control, etc. which is getting increasingly hard to get cooperation from what I’ve heard. Also consider how much schools will spend to get 10 buses, a semi, and hotels for 300+ people to not be able to play halftime which is uniquely in control of the home school. It’s some combination of petty and $ that changing things.

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This has been a slow motion train wreck that has been building for years. At first, it was just the occasional game where the home team declined to provide time for the visitors to march at halftime because they had some kind of special event, like homecoming. Then the excuses got lamer. Then, they stopped the reciprocal arrangements where they would give the visiting band a certain number of free tickets (with the understanding that there would be reciprocity when the game was played at the visitors place the next time). Then, they started hiking the prices for tickets in the away allotment ($200+ is now normal). Combine all that with the increased cost of logistics and it all results in less band travel. Missouri is apparently so bad that A&M declined to even send a pep band.

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Aggie band played at LSU the past two years.

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I used to love watching them when they came to LSU back in the 80s as a kid. Their band was fricking awesome.

The bands are 100 times better than sewage that spills out of the speakers at most stadiums.