Drumline Live: Marching band brings tradition and joy to Overture Hall
Shari Gasper
“We will have the audience out of their seats and on their feet within five minutes of the show’s start,” guarantees Don Roberts, president, CEO and director of Drumline Live, when talking about the marching band’s return to Overture Center on Friday, Jan. 5.
Roberts, who co-founded Drumline Live in 2008, describes the band as “the most exciting show on stage,” equating it to a rollercoaster ride.
“This high-energy show will take you up, down and all around,” he said. “It will touch every emotion in the body, and you will feel different when you leave than when you came in the door.”
A high school band director in Atlanta, Roberts was approached by Hollywood to serve as a chief band consultant for the Twentieth Century Fox hit movie “Drumline,” released in 2002. The movie took the Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) marching band tradition to the big screen.
Afterward, Roberts decided to take the marching band from the big screen to the stage. It took about five years for his idea to come to fruition.
Based in Atlanta, Drumline Live now performs 25-30 times a year on stages as well as on television, in movies and at theme parks and sporting events. With riveting rhythms, bold beats and ear-grabbing energy, this stage show is a synchronized musical showcase of the HBCU experience. Incorporating original compositions and soul-infused interpretations of Top 40 hits, performances range from colorful, choreographed routines to heavy doses of drum riffs and cadences.
Drumline Live performed with Beyoncé at Coachella in 2018. They’ve also been featured in the 2017 BET movie “The Yard,” the VH-1 and Fox Television Studios movie “Drumline: A New Beat” and in Eddie Murphy’s 2023 holiday movie, “Candy Cane Lane.”
The cast consists of 30 members.
“Our cast members are multi-talented, playing multiple instruments, singing and dancing,” said Roberts. “They are outstanding musicians, some of the most talented young people in the world.”
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Photo by Patrick Kamau -
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Photo by Patrick Kamau -
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Photo by Patrick Kamau -
Drumline Live performs a variety of music, taking listeners on a historical and cultural journey from the 1930s to today.
“It’s music everybody can relate to, that’s the beauty of the show—there’s nothing else like it,” said Roberts. “We focus on marching band—and so much more, going back in time with Motown, Big Band and Soul pieces by Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman—to popular present-day songs.”
The band uses every corner of the stage and makes the audience feel like part of the performance.
“Expect the unexpected,” said Coley Gilchrist, a cast member and dance captain since 2018.
Gilchrist is also a part of the creative team and a vocalist. Performing and singing since a child, she loves entertaining crowds with Drumline Live, bringing people together through music.
“I love showing others that your musical passion can be your career,” she said. “There are musical choices beyond the HBCU marching band, opportunities to mix different techniques, training and experience in a performance. Plus, with Drumline Live, it’s a chance to showcase African American culture.”
The group looks forward to performing in Madison, a “band community,” thanks to UW-Madison.
Roberts finds his greatest joy in seeing the reactions of audiences from city to city. It is the band’s challenge to find the audience’s energy button and tap into it.
“You won’t be in your seat for long,” he said, when describing the two-hour performance.
The show is for everyone, all ages, whether 5 or 95.
“Bring the kids, bring the grandparents,” said Gilchrist. “Everybody will leave with a smile on their face.”
We look forward to welcoming Drumline Live on Friday, Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall.