TOLEDO, Ohio — The Bowling Green State University Falcon Marching Band will perform during a Battle of I-75 pregame tailgate Saturday. This comes after UToledo's controversial decision to not have the Falcons perform during the rivalry game's halftime show.
According to BGSU, the university's marching band will perform ahead of the game Saturday at 2 p.m. Led by Jon Waters, the Falcon Marching Band is one of the largest in the nation. The performance will take place in a tent north of the Glass Bowl Stadium.
The tailgate begins at 1:30 p.m. and registration is required to attend. To register, click here. The prices are listed below:
Tailgate + Football Ticket Pricing:
· Adults (13+): $40
· Kids (6-12): $20
· Kids (5 and under): FREE
Tailgate Food Only Ticket Pricing:
· Adults (13+) Tailgate Food Only: $20
· Kids (6-12) Tailgate Food Only: $15
· Kids (5 and under) Tailgate Food Only: FREE
UToledo's Athletic Director Bryan Blair told BGSU's Athletic Director Derek Van Der Merwe in an Oct. 10 that UToledo would not be able to accommodate the Falcon Marching Band at halftime due to the Rockets' Hall of Fame program and their own marching band performance.
BGSU Rodney Rogers informed the university about UToledo's decision on Oct. 14, four days after Blair told Van Der Merwe, saying the tradition of the visiting team's band performing at halftime had been broken.
Rogers' letter also said BGSU did not know why the decision was made and that it "came as a surprise to BGSU just weeks before the game, directly impacting our band members' student experience as one of our two planned away game halftime performances this season."
But UToledo said in a statement it had "clearly communicated" to BGSU that it was obligated to celebrate the inductees and have the Rockets Marching Band perform during halftime and that the decision was not a "surprise," which BGSU President Rodney Rogers called it in an email to his university.
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