The Alabama Crimson Tide will be making a trip to Austin this weekend to face off against the Texas Longhorns, but the band will not be joining them.
Alabama’s Million Dollar Band revealed Tuesday that it will not be making the trip to Austin due to logistical issues at Texas. Alabama’s limited ticket allotment made it difficult for the band to travel. They also probably weren’t wild about the possibility of sitting in the upper deck.
“Due to the seating location and configuration of the visiting institution’s ticket allotment at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, the Million Dollar Band will not make the trip this weekend for the Alabama at Texas football game,” the band said in a statement via Nick Kelly of the Tuscaloosa News.
Texas and Alabama signed a contract for a home-and-home series back in 2018. That contract states that the visiting school’s band seats must come from their ticket allotment, which consists of 500 complementary tickets and another 4,500 on consignment. The Million Dollar Band consists of roughly 400 members.
The configuration of Texas Memorial Stadium also appears to be a factor. This was an issue in 2019, when LSU’s band was relegated to the upper deck during a visit.
https://twitter.com/SethLewisInc/status/1170472973943345153
Perhaps this all works out as part of the Texas home field advantage. Of course, much like another supposed advantage, Alabama probably won’t be buying into that narrative.
