Let the band play 'Neck'? Southern band director teases plans for game day at LSU
BATON ROUGE - Though all eyes will be on the LSU and Southern University football teams come Saturday night, many fans are just as excited to see both schools' marching bands share the spotlight at Tiger Stadium for the first time.
"Between LSU, between Southern University Jaguars, it's so exciting. It's going to be a great time in Death Valley," LSU Band Director Kelvin Jones said.
Southern University Band Director Kedric Taylor told WBRZ he's just as excited for the Human Jukebox to show off their talents in Death Valley.
"Here at Southern University, we pride ourselves on being better than our last performance. So for us we want to make sure that every performance is a Super Bowl performance or a state championship," said Taylor, band director for the Human Jukebox.
The rare meeting of the bands has fans speculating whether a collaboration is in the cards. The last time they met, back in 2004, the two bands performed side-by-side on the steps of the State Capitol in celebration of LSU and Southern's championship seasons.
However, both band directors are staying tight-lipped about their plans for Saturday.
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"I have been talking to Dr. Jones, so we'll know by the time the game starts I guess," Taylor teased.
Though he didn't reveal much, Taylor did answer one major question about Saturday: Will Southern's band play 'Neck'?
Once a staple song for LSU's Golden Band, the university has banned it on-and-off at football games for roughly a decade. That's because fans—mostly LSU's student section—made a habit of shouting a lewd and profane chant whenever it played.
It got so out of hand that LSU faced a fine in 2018 when fans screamed the same chant, albeit to the tune of a completely different song, so loudly that it was picked up on television broadcasts.
For past several years, fans have begged for the Golden Band to bring it back. And though LSU seems to have no intention of performing the song anytime soon, the Human Jukebox has other plans in mind.
"I'm gonna let the band play the sleeves off neck!" Taylor said with a laugh.