Pep bands square off at CAA Tourney

Bands from VCU, Mason and Old Dominion played at a pep rally on Saturday morning.  (John Powell)

The VCU Rams and the Old Dominion Monarchs square off today in the CAA men’s basketball championship at 7:00 p.m. Fans of the teams and fans of the conference can watch the televised game on ESPN.

But, perhaps just as important as the skill of the athletes is the atmosphere in the Richmond Coliseum. The two teams playing in the matchup are separated by an hour-and-a-half drive. George Mason, only two hours north of Richmond, Va., was eliminated Sunday afternoon. The short distance gives fans an easy trip and allows those schools to bring their pep bands, touted as the best in the conference.

Saturday at 9:30 a.m., those three bands played for a pre-quarterfinals rally. It was a rare opportunity for musicians, usually separated, shouting to one another from across a basketball court, to come together for a musical adrenaline spike.

The Green Machine, George Mason University’s pep band, led by Dr. Michael Nickens, affectionately known as Doc Nix, has become known around the world for their work. A two-minute video on YouTube of the band playing “Rage Against the Machine” has nearly 750,000 views as of this afternoon. After making appearances on the website of Tosh.0, a Comedy Central television show, Reddit.com and Italian news, the band is making more of a name for themselves.

The VCU band is known for their director, The Total Package, who appears to strip during performances. Coupled with a megaphone to highlight brass performances and a beat-boxer, their new style of play has challenged the Green Machine.

Three years ago, Dan Steinburg used his column to support the Green Machine in their “Pep Band War.”

The Green Machine played the soundtrack to the 2006 Final Four team’s dream season, as they were “Livin’ on a Prayer” during the tournament. Maybe they can do it again.

Although they came together for one performance, the gloves come off when the teams play one another. Mason and ODU are already expected to make the NCAA Tournament as at-large bids. So if VCU wins in tonight’s championship, all three teams, and their bands, may go the tournament.

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Bonus: Here's a video of the Green Machine playing "Dream On." Unlike this one, it's not viral.

At least, not yet...