USC Band Is Given Marching Orders

It's all about money now, isn't it? USC's marching band, which has spent at least 30 years stationed in prime seats behind the Trojans' bench for home games at the L.A. Coliseum, is being moved to a temporary section of bleachers known as the Sun Deck. It's being sold by university officials as a move made for "acoustic" purposes. "Even though we enjoy our seats from the 10-to-the-30-yard line, the sound goes across so that only the people on the press box side of the Coliseum can hear us," band director Arthur Bartner said. ... Of course, USC football is a hot ticket these days, with crowds of 90,000-plus commonplace. So who gets the band's old seats? Donors, according to the L.A. Daily News. As expected, this is not going over well with the band. "We didn't want to do it. It's not like we were asked," said a member who asked not to be identified. Patrick Bailey, a university official who supervises the band, said that simply was not the case. "I never heard anyone say, 'You're definitely moving.' I think it was a win-win for everyone." Except the band, of course.