Tailgaters not only enjoyed gameday spirit and Halloween candy Saturday afternoon, but also the musical stylings of some of Baton Rouge’s best bands.Students On Target hosted the annual Battle of the Bands competition in the Greek Theatre. Leaving Brightside, He Bleeds Fireman, Prom Date, The Kids in Sandbox and MeloMania performed.Prom Date took first place and a set as opening act at this spring’s Groovin’ on the Grounds.”I’m really excited we won,” said Nick Boudreau, Prom Date member and engineering senior. “Everyone just got really into it. It was a good day for music.”All the members of Prom Date said they are enthused about performing at Groovin’ on the Grounds in the spring.”They really love what they do,” said Elizabeth Lagarde, the band’s publicist. “They love music, and I think that’s really what people got out of it.”During the last band’s performance, students were allowed to vote for their favorite group. More than 100 students voted, said Melissa Guidry, political science junior and director of involvement for Students On Target. The Kids in Sandbox won the Students’ Choice Award.The day started out slowly with only about 50 people in the auidence. But more people came to watch as the sun came out and the Greek Theatre’s seats dried.”I didn’t even know it was going on until I heard them while walking by,” said Chase Bouchie, theatre sophomore. “I missed the first bands — it was just really early. But I thought it was great — a very cool environment.”Students On Target estimated more than 200 people attended during the course of the event, far surpassing its original goal.”I think the whole event was an overall success,” said Brent Benoit, member of Students on Target and biological sciences senior. “The bands were awesome, and they reacted with the crowd really well.”Battle of the Bands began with the pop rock sounds of Leaving Brightside. The band did a crowd-pleasing rendition of Leona Lewis’s “Bleeding Love”. “They had really good energy,” said Domino of 104 the X, a Battle of the Bands judge. “Their sound and stage presence was good.”The Slidell-based group He Bleeds Fireman took the stage second. The band had a slower rock sound and brought a large following to the show.The band recently recorded its first album.”I really like He Bleeds Fireman,” Domino said. “They had a good sound.”The third band to perform, Prom Date, donned tuxedos and suits.  The band had a few technical difficulties because of slight water damage to their equipment from performing at the Carlotta Street party in the rain Friday night, Lagarde said.The New Orleans-based group, The Kids in Sandbox, changed up the atmosphere and completed its upbeat reggae sounds with a bongo player. The band showed off its Halloween spirit with each member wearing a costume. The band educed a full-audience clap-a-long, and many audience members danced in front of the stage.   The final band to take the stage, MeloMania, altered the scene with its hip-hop sound. The band incorporated both rapping and dancing into its show.  MeloMania’s “Take You Home” is currently being played on KLSU.”I had an amazing time,” said Jordan Bridges, member of MeloMania and biology senior. “The atmosphere was really awesome.”The four judges said they were impressed by the bands.”Each band brought something different,” said Peter Frost, DJ for KLSU, Battle of the Bands judge and English sophomore. “With their different styles, you can find one you like, and they all did something I couldn’t do  — get on stage.”The concert was interjected with alcohol statistics. Students On Target stressed the perceived amount of students who drink and actual amount are different, stress-induced drinking does not solve problems and there are other options for a fun night outside the realms of a drunken stupor.”We really tried to get out our message for a good time not wasted,” Benoit said.————Contact Lindsay Nunez at [email protected]