Daniel Wendt was 4 years old when he knew he wanted to be in the Golden Band from Tigerland. As he watched the musicians’ promenade from the Greek Amphitheater to Tiger Stadium, he tugged at his uncle’s shirt and told him, “I’m going to do that one day.”
Now, 18 years later, drum major Daniel Wendt leads the band in its 2015 season.
His passion for music began in middle school when he played saxophone in the school band, and it hasn’t faded since.
“Tiger Band is the top priority,” Wendt said. “The band is the reason I’m at LSU.”
This year, Tiger Band members are anticipating a successful season with Wendt at the helm.
“I think that this year we are going places,” guard captain Hannah Brown said. “Everyone’s in the right mindset, and we are ready to make it the best that we possibly can.”
Many returning band members are also eager to re-enter Death Valley for the season’s first home game.
“I’m so excited to get back into Tiger Stadium and just be in that atmosphere again,” Brown said.
When asked what makes Tiger Band special, the answer from several members was unanimous — its storied tradition.
“We’re the sound of LSU … particularly with those first four notes at the pregame show,” assistant guard captain Lisa Aldridge said.
Though the pregame show
routine has not been altered since its 1964 debut, the band is preparing new halftime performances this football season.
Their first new show to be performed at the Sept. 5 McNeese game titled “Women Who Rock” features songs from Aretha Franklin, Beyonce and Taylor Swift.
Wendt and Brown agreed the charm of the band lies in its longstanding history, and Brown said he believes the band grows in popularity because of the family traditions that follow it.
“Parents bring their kids, and then when those kids have kids, they bring them,” Brown said. “It’s so widespread and so wonderful.”
Along with the band’s traditions, the members also value the lessons they’ve learned in their time in the Tiger Band.
“Nobody’s perfect,” the drum major said. “What makes a person so special or so good at what they do is how you recover from those mistakes. That’s what Tiger Band has taught me.”