37th Labor Day Classic Battle of the Bands Rankings: Ocean of Soul vs. Marching Storm
The halftime show on Blackshear Field at Prairie View A&M was an excellent showcase by Texas Southern's "Ocean of Soul" and Prairie View A&M's "Marching Storm" marching bands.
Sept. 3, 2022; Texas Southern University's Ocean of Soul drum majors perform against the Prairie View A&M Panthers' Marching Storm at halftime of the 37th Labor Day Classic in Prairie View, TX; Mandatory Credit: Kyle A. Mosley, HBCU Legends
TSU is considerably smaller band than PV's, but they have a clean sound and march with great technique.
The Ocean of Soul Band Director, Dr. Juvon Pollard, was trained in New Orleans and had my old bandmaster Lloyd Harris Jr. as a mentor. You could hear the Big Easy influence in the drum cadences and performance style.
The Ocean of Soul is developing into an entertaining and competitive marching band, and the SWAC should beware.
Sept. 3, 2022; Prairie View A&M Panthers' Marching Storm drum majors perform against the Texas Southern University's Ocean of Soul at halftime of the 37th Labor Day Classic in Prairie View, TX; Mandatory Credit: Kyle A. Mosley, HBCU Legends
Dr. Timmey T. Zachery had the Marching Storm ready to entertain the home crowd at the 37th Labor Day Classic. The five drum majors converged at mid-field, twirling, high-stepping, and tossing the batons behind their backs to the other drum majors in the opener.
The Storm's energy and technical precision in their entire field routine set them apart from TSU. It was a stark contrast from last week's National Battle of the Bands performance I witnessed.
Each band's dance routines weren't unique, but the Marching Storm won that segment for the night.
Black Foxes vs. Motion of Ocean
Texas Southern's 2022 Motion of Ocean dancers; Credit: Kyle A. Mosley, HBCU Legends
The Black Foxes (Prairie View) versus Motion of Ocean dance teams were beautiful, elegant, mesmerizing, and brought it! I had both units at a tie.
Both marching squads' sounds blared and blasted Panthers Stadium in the humid night air as they gave fans a fantastic "Fifth Quarter" to remember. I possibly missed it, but I didn't see the drumlines go head-to-head.
Overall, the Marching Storm won. If the Ocean of Soul ever increases in numbers, the future outcomes may be visibly different at the LDCs.
2022 NBOTB RATINGS AND RANKINGS
I analyzed each band's show and gave my score from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest, for each marching component the bands exhibited.
| BAND | MARCHING PROCESSIONS/DOWNFIELD PROGRESSIONS | ENTERTAINMENT | DANCE ROUTINE | DANCE UNIT | DRUM MAJORS | SOUND | COMMAND/FAN ENGAGEMENT | FIFTH QUARTER | OVERALL POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OCEAN OF SOUL | 8.5 | 8.5 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8.5 | 9 | 70.5 PTS |
MARCHING STORM | 9.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 9 | 73.0 PTS |
37th Labor Day Classic "Battle of the Bands"
