The University of Nevada has found what it hopes will be just the right draw to pack Mackay Stadium for its football season opener (University of Nevada vs. Grambling State University) - the world class Grambling Marching Band. The Grambling State Band is known as the best band in the land. It's a highly polished, highly entertaining experience on game day. And officials at UNR expect them to draw a crowd of 25,000 to Mackay Stadium for the game.
But here's the catch. They don't play for free. Unlike most marching bands who finance their own travel, Grambling State demands travel expenses to appear and they get it. Rumors are that that pricetag is anywhere from $30,000 to $150,000. And UNR is footing the bill which would probably not be causing heartburn if UNR's own band program weren't on the budget chopping block.
Grambling State University Marching Tiger Band
"I can't tell you the exact amount, but I can tell you that this cost a lot. We started working on this two years ago and to us it's great to have them on the schedule. But this money is money we raised though private doneos and corporate donations. It's not money that could go to anything else. It's not like we could reassign it to the band here or anywhere else. It was raised specifically for this show," says Assistant Athletic Director for UNR Rory Hickok. He's coordinated the trip and has set up the performance at the Peppermill as well as the game's halftime.
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