On Saturday October 12th, the Granite Bay Emerald Brigade took the field in their first competition of the season held at Oakmont High School.    

Many people recognize the Granite Bay Emerald Brigade as the instrumental cheering section at football games; however, they are much more than that. 

This year’s show theme is titled “Area 51”, and it narrates the mystery behind the controversial government conspiracy of the classified Air Force base. The show features popular music from the rock band, Radiohead, and the television drama series, “The X-Files”.

As they entered the field, the audience cheered as the band members marched on with pride, accompanied by their spaceship and chain link fence props. 

The show began with an audio asking— “Do you ever wonder if there’s anything out there?” From there, the show evolved into a story; band members acted out the Area 51 raid as they all ran towards the gate themed props.

The main visuals that catch the eye at first glance are the numerous props displayed throughout the field.

In front of a backdrop depicting a desert scene, is a giant unidentified flying object to represent alien presence. As the show progressed, fences appeared to demonstrate the government trying to cover up their big secret. 

Along with the props, the color guard aided in the visual aspect by using vibrant flags to help convey certain moods and emotions throughout each song of the show. Further, their intricately designed outfits included newspaper-type text in order to illustrate the media coverage on the classified topic.

The drill formations and visuals also had a lasting impact as the band members charged towards Area 51. The “Naruto Run” style charge poked fun at the “Area 51 raid” memes that increased in popularity over the summer.

The show also featured popular music selections including compositions originating from the Men In Black franchise.

In the end, the hard-work paid off as the Emerald Brigade won their division with an overall score of 83.475. They took home sweepstakes for general affect and visuals, and they also won first place in their division for the percussion and drum major categories.

Their next show is on October 19 at Del Oro High School.