The University of Illinois hosted Band Day Saturday, featuring entertainment from 21 high school bands in the state during halftime of the game between the University of Illinois and the University of Texas, San Antonio.
- Auburn High School
- Downers Grove North High School
- Eisenhower High School
- Evergreen Park High School
- Fieldcrest High School
- Gardner South Wilmington High School
- Georgetown-Ridge Farm High School
- Lewistown High School
- Lexington High School
- Manteno High School
- Oakwood High School
- Plano High School
- Rantoul Township High School
- Reed-Custer High School
- Rochester High School
- Roxana High School
- St. Joseph-Ogden High School
- Streator Township High School
- Taylorville High School
- Urbana High School
- Westville High School
The band from Rolling Meadows High School was not on the original schedule, but a tweet from the band suggests they were there as well.
Mr. Buti and former Marching Mustangs at another University of Illinois game day! #wherevertheyroam @RMFineArts @RMHSMUSTANGS @RMMusicBoosters @MarchingIllini @d214finearts pic.twitter.com/88rzl0TmFW
— RMHS Mustang Bands (@rmhs_bands) September 5, 2021
As always, Voxitatis welcomes other corrections to this story. Please post a comment on this post if your band attended Band Day at the University of Illinois but was not listed here.
As shown in the photo, the Marching Illini form an “I” in the center of the field and the high school bands surround them on the perimeter. The Marching Illini play the opener and then the high school bands join in for the remainder of the halftime show.
Last-second loss for the Illini but so proud of our performers for contributing to a fantastic halftime show! Thanks to Professor Houser and @MarchingIllini for hosting all of the high schools today. Good luck with the rest of the season! #MustangPride pic.twitter.com/ot8RbS3G1K
— EPCHS Fine Arts (@EPCHSFineArts) September 5, 2021
Many of the bands performing during Band Day at the U of I don’t have a heavy schedule in competitive circuits, such as Bands of America, which opens the 2021 fall season in two weeks with contests in McAllen, Texas; Powder Springs, Georgia; and Dayton, Ohio.