This week, the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (LSJUMB) is preparing to bring the bang and the boom to the 127th Big Game against UC Berkeley.
The LSJUMB kicked off Big Game Week with the annual Bearial on Monday. While the band played a eulogy, Oski — the Cal mascot — was beheaded and impaled on Claw Fountain.
Stella Chung ’25, the LSJUMB manager, said all planning for Big Game — including costumes and songs — have been kept secret. She encourages Stanford students to come and see what the band has in store.
The planning of routines, Chung said, is “in progress,” but she said that they “usually poke fun at Cal Students, Oski and other silly topics” and will stick to similar themes this year.
Chung said new members can join the band just days before the Big Game kicks off, provided that they have joined for one previous event and the mandatory field rehearsal on Friday at 5 p.m.
Plenty of new members have also been welcomed this year, including Brady Barnes ’27, a sophomore who plays alto saxophone. For Barnes, the band is a fun, low-pressure environment.
“Everyone is super welcoming and friendly. I’ve loved it so far,” Barnes said. “This is my first year in band, so I’m not super experienced, but they’ve made it super helpful and easy to learn.”
Barnes said she is excited to see how the costumes come together, as every instrument’s section wears a different get-up for the game.
She said the band will likely play “Hail, Stanford, Hail” and their fight song “All Right Now,” in addition to whatever the band feels like playing, as the setlist varies game to game.
Steele Billings ’26, joined the band for the very first time at Monday’s practice, less than a week before Big Game.
Wielding paint cans and drumsticks, Billings doesn’t let the novelty of the experience deter him.
“I’m planning on bringing energy by being as hype and excited as possible during our performance, even though I’m probably not going to know what I’m doing,” Billings said. “But I’ll be happy to dance around and have fun out there.”
Despite not having played in the band before Monday, Billings looks forward to playing for Big Game.
“I think it’s just gonna be really cool to be a part of the band, which is such a special, quirky part of the Stanford football tradition and experience,” he said. “It’s always something I’ve wanted to do — I feel like doing it at Big Game, and especially at Cal, will be a super unique environment.”
Even with the Stanford football team’s 3-7 record, the LSJUMB hopes that their songs and passion keep student morale high. And even if Stanford loses this weekend, “The band always wins,” Barnes said.
“No matter what, we’re winners,” Barnes said. “I mean, we’re gonna rock out, we’re gonna have a good time, and no matter what, we’re gonna beat Cal.”