PHOTO/CURTIS WILSON

North Carolina A&T State University is among the colleges expected to participate in Queen City Battle of the Bands August 27 at Memorial Stadium.

One of the biggest black-college band competitions in the Southeast is coming back to Charlotte.

The fourth annual black college band showcase will take the field August 27 at Memorial Stadium. The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on Saturday. Advance tickets can be bought at www.crowntickets.com or by calling 1-888-547-6478.

On football Saturdays, HBCU football games give way to the halftime pageantry of bands, which show off intricate marching styles, musicianship and choreography. At Battle of the Bands, the entire program is devoted to elaborate shows, which encourage crowd participation.

North Carolina schools committed to participate are N.C. A&T State, Winston-Salem State and N.C. Central universities. Tennessee State and Bethune-Cookman universities have been confirmed, as has Talladega College, a perennial crowd favorite.

HBCU bands in North Carolina can be traced to A&T, which formed its first ensemble in 1918 with 50 musicians. They are known for their integration of intricate marching formations and cadences that set them apart from the military corps-style processions typically executed at historically white schools.

Last year’s showcase drew about 12,000 spectators to watch bands play for scholarship money and bragging rights. Band competitions are an integral part of black college life, which concludes with the Honda Battle of the Bands in Atlanta, which is considered the Super Bowl of competitions.

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