Dan Farris smiles as he directs his band prior to Tuesday night's game
As Northwestern and Michigan wrap up their pregame shootarounds, “1:00” shows on the countdown clocks above each basket and on the big screen above center court. Basketball band director Dan Farris puts his hands up, grabbing the attention of the band, all members of which are clad in purple and white striped long-sleeved collared shirts.
Farris gives the band four practice beats and immediately, the beginning of “Go U Northwestern” rings throughout Welsh-Ryan Arena. The student sections sing along and everybody in the crowd wearing purple stands up and claps as the ‘Cats take a few final layups before lining up for the national anthem.
This is one of three specifically planned out times in each home game when the band plays the fight song, the others coming right at the end of the first half and with one minute left before the second half begins. Then, whether Northwestern wins or loses, the band plays it once more after the final buzzer sounds.
According to Farris, who also directs the NU Marching Band, much of what the band plays throughout the game, including the fight song and other recognizable, upbeat songs, is coordinated with in-game entertainment by Heather Obering, who is in constant communication with Farris throughout the game.
“I wear a headset, and all the timeouts are scripted,” Farris said. “All that you see, like a half-court shot, or Wounded Warrior recognition, is written out into a script, and we stick pretty much to that plan, too.”
The only time the band goes off book, Farris said, is when there’s a high point in the game, and playing the fight song feels like the right thing to do given the situation.
“It’s kind of natural, you feed off the crowd and it’s like ‘boom, fight song time,’” Farris said. “You don’t want to play it when there’s a lull in the game, so there are different songs for different appropriate times.”
Although the band only rehearses a few times during basketball season, the music repertoire is almost identical to what the marching band plays in the stands during football season. McCormick sophomore Ryan Rose, who plays trumpet in the band, said this makes the transition rather easy, since “pretty much everybody” in basketball band is also in the marching band. But Rose said the music aspect is only a small part of why he’s in basketball band.
“I’m a huge basketball fan, so I love watching the games,” Rose said. “I also like hanging out, and seeing the band people more often, because these are my best friends here.”
As a staple of Welsh-Ryan Arena and college basketball arenas across the country, Farris said that he believes the basketball band adds a unique element to the game day experience.
“There’s nothing like the energy of live music,” Farris said. "There’s something about that kind of ‘call to arms,’ and the spirit and energy behind what we do. You can’t capture that anywhere but a collegiate band, playing the fight song and tunes everybody knows, and kind of leading and supporting the team.”
