Since 1970, the distinctive tradition has become a hallmark of the band’s spirited identity at Brown and beyond — they’re in fact the only collegiate band to perform on ice, they say.
“The ice skating is a bit of a twist, given that it requires an extra level of precision in formation and movement” in contrast to the band’s typical scramble style, said Brown Class of 2013 alumnus Brian Guest, who participated in Saturday’s celebration. “But it reflects the band’s drive to be edgy and do the unexpected.”
Guest played the sousaphone in the band throughout his time as an undergraduate and performed in his first ice show in 2010. With one exception — in 2016, when he was teaching English in a classroom nearly 6,000 miles away in Russia — he’s been to every ice show since.
“They always welcome me back, and there's always people I know — if not my closest friends from my time in the band,” Guest said. “I like the types of music we play and the atmosphere at the sports games.”
And at Saturday’s game, the atmosphere was celebratory: the Brown men’s hockey team clinched the eighth seed in the 2025 Eastern College Athletic Conference playoffs and will host an opening round game for the first time since 2019.
