Michigan Marching Band Gets Acrobatic During Drumming Performance and Fans Have Questions

The University of Michigan has struggled during the early portions of the 2019 season, achieving a [...]

By John Newby

The University of Michigan has struggled during the early portions of the 2019 season, achieving a 4-1 record but barely defeating opposing football teams. Fans of the Wolverines are beginning to grow worried after multiple close games, but the marching band is making an effort to keep them fired up for each opponent. Part of this process is breaking out acrobatic moves during drum solos.

Saturday afternoon, Fox Sports posted a video of Michigan's drumline. At first, everything appeared normal, but it quickly became clear that something was amiss. One member was hanging upside down while playing the drums. To make the situation even more head-turning, his legs were wrapped around the neck of another member of the line.

Interestingly enough, this isn't a new development for the Wolverines' drumline. There are reports of upside down playing dating back to the 2015 season.

There are certainly many questions that have been and must be asked after footage of this acrobatic playing was posted on social media. How long can the band member play like this before the blood rushes to his head? Was Travis Barker of Blink 182 the inspiration for this move? After all, he has been known for doing drum solos while spinning around in the air on big platforms.

As it turns out, the fans also had questions, but theirs were slightly different. The main response was simply people on social media asking "why" Michigan incorporated upside down drumming into the halftime show. What was the purpose? Yes, they believed that the video was entertaining when seen on social media, but is it being shown on the big screen at the stadium?

Of course, these queries were met with fellow football fans saying that the band has to be entertaining to watch due to the lack of explosive plays or excitement provided by the actual team.

One underrated storyline of this upside-down drumming is that there is a member of the band that is tasked with holding someone else by his neck. Is that his only responsibility? More importantly, how does his neck handle the strain from this halftime show?

There are many questions that remain after Michigan's 10-3 victory over Iowa, but they are unlikely to be answered in the near future. For now, the drumline will continue to perform acrobatic solos during halftime of each game, bringing entertainment to the fans.

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