Marching band showdown: ‘Gangnam Style’ vs. video game tribute
Now playing on YouTube: The melodious clash of the Ohio marching bands.
In one corner we’ve got the Ohio University marching band -- “the most exciting band in the land” -- doing its interpretation of the viral phenomenon K-Pop song “Gangnam Style.” (The band members put the instruments down and go into a straight-up dance party at 1:27 into the video.)
In the other corner we’ve got the Ohio State University marching band -- “the best damn band in the land” -- and its viral smash hit that takes viewers on an audio and visual tour of video games throughout history.
Which will reign supreme?
Well, as of now, Ohio State is kicking Ohio University’s rear end. The video of Ohio State’s marching band playing tunes from “Super Mario Brothers,” “Pokemon,” “Zelda” and “Halo” have been viewed more than 9 million times since the video was posted Sunday.
This week, it was one of the most-viewed clips in the U.S. as well as in Spain, Germany, Japan and Hong Kong, said Kevin Allocca, YouTube’s trends manager.
The video was so successful that it catapulted the band’s interim director Jonathan Waters, who wrote the music for the piece, into the role of full-time director.
The views of Ohio University’s “Gangnam Style” performance are a little tougher to measure. There are several videos of the event on YouTube. One of the most popular has about 530,000 views. Another has closer to 650,000.
But we’re not even halfway through the college football season. Anything could happen.
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