ESPN will hold College Gameday at the University of California, Berkeley for the first time in the show’s 36-year history on Saturday morning. The Golden Bears’ marching band is going to be exhausted by the time kickoff rolls around after its wicked early call time.
Their horns will be blaring and drums will be snaring for more than 20 hours straight!
College Gameday constructed its set at the center of Memorial Glade, Cal’s quad. Located right in the middle of campus, its back drop features the school’s most famous buildings: the Doe Library and the ‘Campanile’ bell and clock tower.
To make the scenes even more beautiful, the sun will rise about one hour into the broadcast.
College Gameday will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET, so 6:00 a.m. local time. Fans who want to attend the ESPN broadcast are allowed to arrive at midnight on Saturday morning. The ‘Pit’ will open at 3:30 a.m. and will hold 400 fans right in front of the stage. Everyone else is invited to watch from elsewhere on the Glade.
Kickoff for Cal’s game against Miami is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT. That’s more than 12 hours after College Gameday begins! Fans who are trying to do both are in for an extremely long day. However, they might be able to sneak in an early morning nap before returning to the tailgate. At the very least, they can kick their feet up and relax with a local IPA until they can’t keep their eyes open any longer.
Cal’s marching band does not have that luxury!
Members of the Cal Band are required to report to the Band Rehearsal Hall at the Cesar Chavez Student Center at 3:00 a.m. They must be in full uniform.
Their day will begin no later than 2:45 a.m. and will continue through postgame. Depending on pace of play, penalties and injuries, the college football game could end as early as 10:45 p.m. or as late as midnight on Sunday, if not into the next morning.
It is very possible that students in the University of California, Berkeley Marching Band are in store for a 24-hour day. If the Golden Bears don’t win, that’s just brutal…