‘Hawaii Five-0’ Band Competition Launched

As fans prepare to gather in Waikiki tonight for the “Sunset on the Beach” advance screening of the premiere episode of the new “Hawaii Five-0,” CBS has launched an online “Marching Band Mania” competition focused on the show’s iconic theme song.

Over 40 bands from across the country have been invited to participate, including the University of Hawaii.

College marching bands have until Sunday, Sept. 19 to submit a video of their best performance of the “Hawaii Five-0” theme. The videos will then be posted on Monday, kicking off two weeks of online voting. The top performance will net $25,000 for the winning school band program, plus a prime-time national network broadcast of their video during the Oct. 11 episode.

The “Marching Band Mania” competition comes after marching bands from both the University of Hawaii and the University of Southern California were asked to participate in a CBS promotion earlier this month. The network gathered footage of the UH band during its halftime performance at Aloha Stadium, and also recorded the USC band performing on the beach in Waikiki.

USC got the call from CBS first, and had already participated in an earlier “Hawaii Five-0” promotion. Now, it’s unclear whether the halftime performance by the UH marching band will get its own treatment, or if it’ll just be included among the dozens of other videos collected in this latest online contest. Though the list of schools from over 30 states includes UH, USC is conspicuously absent.

The theme song has been a long-time staple of marching bands the world over, but the University of Hawaii band has a particularly strong connection. As KGMB reporter Teri Okita noted, “UH bandmembers can get a little territorial over the tune at times.”

The full CBS release, which includes a list of participating schools, follows:

College Marching Bands Are Competing to Present
The Best Video Performance of the Iconic “Hawaii Five-0” Theme Song

Bands Can Submit Videos via CBSCollegeSports.com through Sunday, Sept. 19

Online Voting Will Last from Monday, Sept. 20 through Monday, Oct. 4

College bands across the country are marching to the tune of HAWAII FIVE-0, competing in “CBS’s HAWAII FIVE-0 Marching Band Mania” contest for a prize of [drum roll, please…] $25,000 toward their school’s band program – and the opportunity to have their winning video performance broadcast on the CBS Television Network.

The contest requires college marching bands to upload a video of their performance of the iconic HAWAII FIVE-0 theme song on cbscollegesports.com/hawaiifive-0 by this Sunday, Sept. 19.  So far, bands from 33 states are in the mix, including over a dozen Division I football schools.

From Monday, Sept. 20 through Monday, Oct. 4, the general public will have the opportunity to go towww.cbscollegesports.com and have their votes count toward choosing the best performance.  The winning band will be announced—and their video broadcast—during an act break of the Oct. 11 episode of HAWAII FIVE-0.

College bands currently scheduled to participate are:

Arizona State University
Benedict College
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Clemson University
Dixie State College
Eastern Illinois University
Elon University
Florida International University
Gettysburg College
Indiana University
Jacksonville State University
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Miami University
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Morehead State University
New Mexico State University
Northwestern State University
Ohio Dominican University
Otterbein University
Pittsburg State University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Stillman College
Tennessee State University
Texas Christian University
Texas State University
Troy University
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
University of Central Missouri
University of Central Oklahoma
University of Hawaii
University of Kansas
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Memphis
University of Minnesota
University of Montana
University of North Alabama
University of Notre Dame
University of Oregon
University of South Carolina
University of Texas at El Paso
Yale University

HAWAII FIVE-0 is a contemporary take on the classic series about a new, elite federalized task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the Islands’ sun-drenched beaches.  The series premieres Monday, Sept. 20 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and stars Alex O’Loughlin as Detective Steve McGarrett, Scott Caan as Detective Danny “Danno” Williams, Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho Kelly, and Grace Park as Kono Kalakaua.  Peter Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

For marching band geeks, here’s video of the UH marching band’s season opening performance at the UH v. USC game. The “Hawaii Five-0” theme is featured at the 3:50 mark: