Halftime: “Top Gun” - Ohio State vs. Purdue (11/13/21)

Join The Ohio State University Marching Band as its wingman as the band plays hits from the 1986 movie Top Gun. Songs include “Playing With the Boys,” “Mighty Wings,” “Danger Zone” and “Take My Breath Away.”

[@levidriskell5367]

Michigan fan here, there band deserves to be televised every halftime, sick of covid commercials. This is very entertaining and impressive

[@marcmayhem0412]

You know we have you guys to thank for script Ohio right? Shows how great our rivalry is.

[@dougsproblem]

As a Michigan fan I agree Levi. I also wish we can start making it a better rivalry than it has been, this year was a step in the right direction.

[@clay2334]

Covid is real Biden 2024 keep us safe

[@levidriskell5367]

@@clay2334 🤡🤡

[@stevej6335]

@Levi, as an Ohio State fan, congrats on the big win. I was pulling for the Big10 against Georgia. I was really hoping y'all could pull off the upset. Congrats on a good season though. It's been awhile for y'all.

[@canalaerocast]

From a BIG fan of Top Gun, you guys made me smile. The canopy and landing gear made my jaw drop. Your moving accuracy and all. GREAT performance!

[@derek777]

Same

[@ryanmatthew511]

Cray what they do with only a few practices

[@BoomerKeith1]

I'm an Oklahoma alum and fan, but there is no question that Ohio State does have the best damn band in the land. Incredible!

[@glitchedgames137]

Its ohio

[@rocinanteferox4267]

They're good at drill but (as a member of a competitive marching band) the brass sound quality leaves much to be desired I'm looking at this from the standpoint of a judge, it still is entertaining

[@williamlorenmcgonagle4224]

As a formal Naval commander whose had the pleasure of tooting the flutes of many a seaman, I find this performance tremendously pleasing to the eye. Bravo!

[@thatssoironic]

Wait what?

[@7crush524]

Agreed, thank you for your service!

[@trip7706]

PAUSE YOU DID WHAT?

[@runningthor1999]

Tooting the flutes ? 😮 Semen flutes? Pleasing to which eye? Your third eye? Their brown eye? Both? Simultaneously? We need answers.

[@candle_eatist]

@@runningthor1999 all of the above, for it is the navy after all

[@america1776gmail]

Congrats! Getting recognition from Tom Cruise and a special screeing of the new Top Gun movie for the band! PRICELESS!

[@jfwfreo]

I can only imagine how hard it is to not only learn to play these instruments in sync with everyone else but to ALSO walk in sync. These guys must put as much effort into practice and prep as the guys wearing the helmets and shoulder pads.

[@SymphonicEllen]

eh. the walking part isn't so bad. The only thing that tended to trip me up was if we had an odd measure count. ( You can use 5, 6, or 7 beats together. You just don't hear it in much of US music. You kinda have to go older rock/metal, symphonic metal or classical )

[@jaydono]

Eh only hard part is doing it with a tuba or heavy/bulky instrument

[@keenorange248]

You should look up Drum Corps International.

[@redorsey3995]

@@keenorange248 YES! Those people can literally blow your mind.

[@BethsVideoPerch]

DCI IS amazing! I love watching to see what they will come up with! I’ve been watching since the 80s and have been to one live show. You never know what they will do. It never gets old for me.

[@purpledragon259]

That is so amazingly astoundingly brilliant. Here in Australia, I've never seen anything like that. Bravo Ohio, Bravo!

[@michaelmeden9117]

Check out more of these videos. It's something different every week. And they have been producing halftime shows like this for years. We don't call them the best damn band in the land for no reason! And welcome to buckeye nation!

[@saracarr3962]

Watch more of their halftime show videos! They have been stepping it up to amazing heights these past couple of years! And to think along with all the inventive amazing choreography they are marching and playing their instruments. I'm proud to be a Buckeye alum.

[@robertmccoy4139]

Actually Historical Black Colleges and Universities has been doing the performance for years and here's an example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4mmi2SFeNigjNk

[@jilljohnston5062]

You should watch fighting texas aggie band performance

[@michaelmeden9117]

@@jilljohnston5062 Why? Do they have a band too?

[@Yogasefski]

Someone get the NFL on the line. This is better than any superbowl halftime in the past 20 years!

[@alexyoung5798]

So I flew to Ohio from Texas this past weekend to watch this game and I was sitting pretty low so got a great view during this halftime show. Guy behind me had a daughter in the band so I was asking him about the formations and how difficult it was and he was just speechless, he had no clue how they executed things like this with such precision bc you watch them overlap each other when they do “script Ohio” and are writing the letters and they are SO close. One small missed angle or movement could screw up the entire thing, it was truly a spectacle to behold up close. This halftime show was amazing, the plane was so awesome but the volleyball one live was bonkers!!! TBDBITL indeed

[@sofializzy4519]

My kids were in a high school band and the stuff they did was amazing but not quite on this level (though they were one of the top high school bands in Texas at the time). The band started about a month before school started. They started with physical fitness & zumba. They did 6 -8 hour days 5 days a week until school started. Once school started they had 3 and a half hour practices 3 evenings a week and some Saturday practices (all marching) plus their allotted class time during the school day. Learning/memorizing & practicing the music on their own was also done. I'm still amazed by it. I would bet this band practices and spends at least an equal amount of time practicing on the field but probably more (but that's just a guess).

[@purplerain0405]

When I was in HS band everyone had a paper “map” for each song. We’d find our starting point and then the map would show us how many steps we needed to take within so many beats to make a formation. Bands (HS and College) start rehearsing during summer for their half-time shows.

[@jwfmsu1990]

I know someone who's son went to Ohio State and tried out for the band over the summer. It is harder to make the Ohio State football team as a walk-on than to make the Ohio State Marching Band. Amazing the time commitment and dedication involved. If you are an HR Manager and you see on a resume that an applicant was a member of the Ohio State Marching Band, hire that person because you know they are hard-working and dedicated to their craft.

[@gmcneoplan84]

For someone who is in love with The Top Gun soundtrack and who has listened to that soundtrack so many times over the years, thank you Ohio State band for this top notch performance.

[@TopGunFans]

This was really well choreographed. Well done everyone involved. The Jet and the volleyball part were exceptional.

[@artv4nd3l4y]

looks just like an F-18 from flight simulator that was crazy, I did marching band in high school, we didn't look like that though lol.

[@ayo8479]

MIND BLOWN🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 Wasn't expecting they'd play "Take My Breath Away" you guys rock

[@brutussmithers3777]

Going to an Ohio State game is half college football, half massive Las Vegas show.

[@bradykauffman9442]

I was there and it was super cool to see the jet. The crowd went wild

[@slammer3140]

Wonder how much practice went into that 9 minute amazing performance. The volleyball game, plane and danger warning were brilliant!!

[@cs219996]

The OSU band rehearsed Monday through Friday 4:10-6:00pm. They learn a new show each week, memorizing the music too. Friday is music check day, they have the four previous days to learn the music. They also learn a slightly different pregame show for every game as well. It has been this way since long before I was in this band in the 90’s. It’s the hardest job I ever had and I’m certain many other members would agree.

[@ethanweeter2732]

@@cs219996 And those are military perfect maneuvers, which amazes me. They perform military style maneuvers and play the music fairly modern style.

[@joemachunda]

Many Sacrificed hours

[@joemachunda]

@@cs219996 that does not include all the hrs on personal time!

[@mek3927]

@@cs219996 OSU always seems to hit it out of the park with their performances. Crazy that there is such little time to learn drills and music. In HS we had a month or so of summer band and started learning our drills but wouldn't have everything set in stone and memorized til a couple months into the school year. I could not imagine doing something like this in less than a week.

[@werthmelissa]

This is EPIC! Came across an article about this when I found out that it got Maverick (Tom Cruise) himself's attention that he surprised the band to come for a screening of Top Gun Maverick in the spring!

[@roberthoffhines5419]

The addition of bass trombones is the best move since the return slide trombones in 1980 (ah, those Bach 36s...). On the field or in the stands, they ALWAYS sound fantastic!

[@davewalker195]

I agree!!

[@billyrags1]

whatever the highest paid college coach is paid, this band director to receive the same pay. They are just great!

[@counterfit5]

Highest paid coaches get upwards of $5 million per year

[@D71219ONE]

Unfortunately, 100,000 people wouldn’t come to watch a band like this every week, and millions wouldn’t watch it on tv. Your income is equal to how much money you make for your employer. Don’t get me wrong, I love football, but bands of this caliber should definitely be just as popular. Amazing work.

[@gmcneoplan84]

When the band got into formation to make Maverick's glasses my mouth hit the floor. Shout out to the band and the practice they put in for this performance.

[@JaylaProductions2K10]

North Texas university fan here, your performance was awesome.

[@philipprebble7089]

They are the best band ! Wish when games were on TV we could see half time show entertainment..

[@ajkendro3413]

Years ago they did show the halftime events..

[@BoomerKeith1]

@@ajkendro3413 Ah, the good old days. That was just part of the game coverage. Before they had all these half time shows crammed with scores and updates.

[@rdowning60]

Ohio state has always had a spectacular marching band..this one takes the cake..incredible job...cant imagine the hours of practice to pull this off..

[@1Classy]

The BEST Marching Band in ALL the land!!! The pride of THE Ohio State Buckeyes.

[@michaelsuk6440]

I did HS marching band and the training and practice that goes into just one segment of a field show is crazy. We spent hours and hours on the football field during band class and outside of school hours. If you go into band, expect it to be a major part of your life. Once you get out on the field in front of everyone it’s so much fun and rewarding to show everyone what you worked so hard to entertain them with, then hearing them cheer afterwards. Our band had a good director and we had a lot of exceptional people in our band so we always sounded good, even when we didn’t. Was a privilege to play in that band.

[@Rocky_too_sheisty]

You guys and girls are absolutely amazing. It blows my mind everytime

[@Gangsta_Playz]

I love that everytime you rewatch it you notice something new

[@markleesstickerforhislove-9728]

My dad had 4 tickets so him and my stepmom and his friend and his wife to go but his friends And his wife couldn’t go so they asked me if I wanted to go and I said yes and I am in marching band in high school but I was in love with this whole performance last night

[@Cubsfan122112]

tom cruise saw this and gave them all top gun tshirts, and tickets to a special screening in columbus. pretty cool.

[@NewOrleansIGotUs15]

This is the best halftime show in the history of sports. Period

[@chizdawg89]

My wife just sent this to me, this is awesome! The Best Damn Band in the Land playing music from one of my all time favorites!

[@michaelhenry8890]

Penn State fan. And this is by far The. Best. Damn. Band. In. The. Land.

[@BethsVideoPerch]

LOVE IT! This is AWESOME!! I was in marching band and I am a fan of DCI so I know how much work went into this. Congratulations on an unforgettable field show!!! Excellent performance by all band members! And to the band directors that came up with this show idea and put it into motion…. YOU are genius! Thank you all for the entertainment!👏🏻

[@juliuscaesart]

Magnificent, splendid, marvelous, grand… ladies and gentlemen… The Ohio State University… marching band. Thank you.

[@SunnyLutzFL]

Fantastic! Your marching band is amazing. A wonderful tribute to our Veterans! Thank you.

[@VegasShaken]

The creativity just blows my mind every time! Buckeyes Rock 🎸

[@dbz24]

That was just an insane formation for the closing of the cockpit…LOVE IT

[@liliantudorin5191]

Wow, Amazing performance. I watched it so many times as I enjoyed seeing these amazing performers. One in a life time "Bravo indeed!"👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@audrahollis1487]

this just blew me away. It was truly magical . Kudos to every participant and leader..and then add on the fact they are all playing instruments

[@AngelaMastrodonato]

The Top Gun theme song they started with was also included in my 5th grade band concert. I loved playing that song in 5th grade. This was in 1985 or 1986 shortly after the movie came out. It was modern, easy, and fun for elementary school band members to play.

[@teresastreasuresfromohio9788]

Top notch performance as usual! Love this Buckeye Band! Thanks for another great show and all your practice hours to prepare!

[@thereissomecoolstuff]

Godspeed to the young men and women who make up the amazing Ohio State Marching Band. Thank you for this and all your remarkable and entertaining shows. Dealing with covid and filling the holes when people get sick has to be very challenging.

[@theblurjay2986]

THIS is why I wanna go to college here!!! Dude serious props this is some professional level marching!

[@jaxxlogic7738]

This has got to be my favorite half time of all time!!! Beautiful work!!! TBDBITL!

[@dperry364]

I am a Mississippi State Bulldog fan. I love what this awesome band does. Why can’t other Schools do this. Great job Ohio

[@keithstrickroth13]

I thought this was utterly fantastic I loved it wish I could have been there you rock!!

[@wiking08]

Why do we not have anything like this in the UK ? U guys are so lucky, love the performance, as a former trumpet player in my youth i cn appreciate the work going into this, and i have nothing but respect for every musician out there 👍

[@edwardolander4361]

Great performance and brings back many memories. I was in the NROTC at tOSU right after Top Gun came out. There were a lot of mids who wanted to be Maverick.

[@Uhohsplagetts]

still are

[@harrietjones-ed4mb]

That was amazing great marching band ever my uncle went to Ohio university once many years back

[@zachariassiefker9249]

A very nice show from the Ohio State Marching Band! Go Buckeyes!

[@umairrafique7628]

Absolutely mind blowing! You guys deserve the recognition you got from Tom Cruise, and so so much more!

[@Slapjabber]

This is more entertaining than most Super Bowl halftime shows.

[@scm0717]

That F-16 was sick. Loved the volley ball, parachute and the badge. Well done!

[@Jake-ty4bs]

best damn band in the land.go buck's

[@Amithelia-2]

I’m a HS marching band student and I watch this kind of stuff in the middle of class. I often get asked “how do you find this entertaining?” I’m literally counting the steps they take to each position, taking notes on the formations, laughing at how people say “it’s not that hard to play and walk” sure, sure… say what you will.

[@Your_local_Michigander]

As a michigan fan, this is awesome!!!

[@100gatorfan1]

Love watching Ohio state band y’all are the best!!!!!

[@joemachunda]

I just watched the documentary on the 2018 season. I am so blown away by the hard work, sacrifice and love for the org, school and each other.

[@sisi7304]

very impressive, clean movements, balanced sound, the jet plane (& other "animations") was excellent, the dodging/weaving & rotations of everyone was executed amazingly, really takes me back to my high school marching band days

[@patschatz7020]

Best damn band in the land for sure!!!!!!!!!

[@alesiac4222]

Another stellar performance.. 👏❤️😍

[@dawnlizmc]

My children were in a great HS Marching band. The formations are awesome but for me, that band line stretching across the field and coming at us was always the absolute best!!

[@SecretPesch]

Ive just rewatched the first top gun on netflix and then this is recommended to me

[@jcat3409]

I was taught to hate Ohio State since birth but you can't argue the hard work and imagination that goes into a performance like this.. this band ALWAYS delivers! Go Blue!

[@timscampingandradio8152]

Great performance! You guys surely went BALLISTIC!

[@TubaDudeNick]

Chills. Total chills. Amazing performance!!!

[@jsoule1980]

As a Michigan fan, it hurts a little to say this, but, best college marching band in the country. Hands-down.

[@deborahcabral5054]

Awesome! So Awesome! I loved my days in the marching band! Competitions were so much fun. These folks deserve so much applause!

[@stephenbruno8859]

This is coming from a Clemson fan and I say that this is better than Clemson halftime shows

[@MWRogers]

What a fantastic performance!!!!! Makes the work that I did in my HS marching band experiences so pedestrian. Wonderful job and great music BRAVO ZULU

[@DanY-mj4gl]

i have no idea what i am watching, never cared for football but this is just on another level.

[@troutwarrior6735]

Gotta love the 6 drum majors! This was awesome, I dream of being in a band like this 🤩

[@anneard1674]

FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@zibabird]

Absolutely fantastic! Thank you so very much for sharing these awesome skills.Wishing you all the very best.

[@jimbauer5560]

Great halftime show!!!! Good job OSU

[@jeremiahderosas9355]

What a performance and to my favorite movie!

[@ferdinandoscala]

Guys, as a once young Maverick, soon to be an old fart, I need to confess: you brought tears to my eyes. Congratulations for your skill, dedication and passion in performing such a stunning feat.

[@xqqqm11gaming75]

michigan fan also here, this do be epic

[@NigeUK007]

This is Amazing! Many many many hours of rehearsals I would imagine.

[@freddieferguson5629]

I'll admit, Ohio State has the best marching band in America.

[@betsyhuggett2429]

What did I just see? Dang! You did it again! TBDBITL!

[@chrisduitsman2918]

One thing is for certain: Ohio State has one awesome marching band.

[@alfabravo2]

The original soundtrack of first Top Gun Movie is the best!!! Congrats from Brasil !!!!

[@ericsainte290]

The best damn marching band in the World ! Those formations with such precision while playing without one single mistake is totally wizard !!! The jet, the volley ball... amazing, but what did me was the finale with the 'roundel' ! World class performance !

[@rocinanteferox4267]

If you think this is impressive, have you seen DCI drum corps? They're a competitive circuit with the best players and marchers in existence. As someone who is used to, say, the Blue Devils' sound and drill, this performace seems sub-par to me. Just something you should check out!

[@TheRealCabe]

Another banger, you guys rock!

[@iisan1]

Playing the instrument is one thing. But the remembering all the choreography and where you need to move is another level

[@diehappynrw]

absolutely stunning

[@muhammadhafiz2956]

I've never seen Top Gun but this soundtrack gives me goosebumps!

[@Lufthansa747productions]

I’m an Ohio state fan love it watched it on tv live

[@danielson2336]

I was there and it was so cool

[@koraanderson7765]

This Michigan girl turned BUCKEYE a few years ago. I just Love this. Outstanding OSU OUTSTANDING. MUCH RESPECT

[@chaseonthecase9191]

The closing canopy was smooth

[@davidwebb2109]

Ohio state nock it out of the park Top Gun and beyond thank you and God bless you all.

[@franciscooctavius5957]

I absolutely love the amount of detail that goes into sow thing that last minutes. Kudos!

[@shyryTsr2k]

I'm a piano player at heart so naturally that's my instrument of choice, however since the piano is technically a percussion instrument the snares are my next best thing. I LOVE how cool the snares sound they're totally awesome!!😍

[@larrykelbaughjr.1831]

That's why their called, "The Best Damn Band in the Land"!!!! Deal with it!!!

[@justchris17]

we did a similar show this year at Clemson and bro it was so fun! props to Ohio State, i hope i get to meet some of y’all

[@lelegrg81]

what an exciting show! thank you for brightening my day! Fraternal hugs from Brazil

[@SheaTheSarcastic]

You continually outdo yourselves! Well done!

[@mzpepsigurl]

Extremely impressive. As someone who has tried a little bit of this in high school, this is not easy. God bless!

[@JoshPhoenix11]

This was honestly one of the best things i've ever seen.