The Bridgeport High School Marching Band is in full swing. Just back from Saturday’s Oil and Gas Festival in Summersville – where the unit earned top honors in Parade and Auxiliary divisions – the next stop is tonight’s Liberty High School Band Spectacular.

 

The band looks forward to performing the 2014 “Red , White and Blues” field show which consists of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black,” Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground,” the Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin” and Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman.”

 

The 34^th Annual Band Spectacular serves as an exhibition event for North Central West Virginia marching bands.

 

“The Band Spectaculars give the students a chance to perform for their peers and also to see other bands that we don’t encounter during football games or other events,” said BHS Band Director Chris Hayslette. “Even though they are not judged performances, the kids try really hard to impress the audience and the other bands. These events are also great because the bands are the feature. It’s not just a 20-minute halftime break; it’s an evening of just bands.”

 

In addition to a guest performance by the Glenville State College Marching band, the following high school bands will take the field: Liberty, Bridgeport, Doddridge County, South Harrison, Lewis County, Grafton, Philip Barbour, Buckhannon Upshur, Robert C. Byrd and Lincoln. Show time is 7 p.m. with gates opening at 5 p.m. Admission is $7.

 

The event serves as a fundraiser for host band, Liberty High School.

 

Tonight’s event will not be judged, but Saturday’s Oil & Gas Expo was and the band was highly decorated. Gold ratings were received in the Auxiliary category, as well as the Parade, for which the band performed “A Patriotic Salute.” For Field Show and Percussion categories, the BHS Band received silver awards, as did Drum Major Ryan Osborne.

 

The Oil and Gas Festival utilizes a rating system, rather than a place system, Hayslette said. The judges’ comments help the band improve its performance. Overall, he was pleased with Saturday’s performance. 

 

“There are still lots of things for us to improve on and we will continue to work at it,” he said. “This is the first of two competitions we will be attending this season. The next one is in October. We like to do at least two so we can set a baseline and then work toward improving things for the second one.”

 

To view judges’ comments and to hear a sampling of the band’s performance, visit www.bridgeportmusic.org.