102,000 Americans Just Taught Europe a Lesson in Freedom

LSU vs. Southern University — September 10, 2022

Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge—“Death Valley”—filled with more than 100,000 fans for a matchup between neighboring rivals Louisiana State University (LSU) and Southern University. The video gives no exact kickoff time or final score, but says LSU built a commanding lead over Southern.

Before kickoff

LSU’s Golden Band from Tigerland marched up Victory Hill to cheers from the crowd. The band played its traditional opening notes, and the stadium erupted.

Halftime

Despite LSU’s large lead, fans stayed in their seats. Southern’s Human Jukebox and Fabulous Dancing Dolls took the field in blue and gold, and the home crowd rose to welcome them. The band reshaped its formation to spell out the lopsided score, turning the deficit into part of the show.

The “Neck” moment

Southern’s band played “Neck,” a song LSU’s band had been barred from performing at home since 2010 because of the crowd’s sexually explicit chant. The video presents Southern’s performance as the reason the song could be heard in Tiger Stadium that night—and explains the home fans’ unusually enthusiastic reaction.

A shared finale

The two bands came together on the field and played “The Cupid Shuffle.” Fans across the stadium followed the dance steps, briefly making the halftime show a celebration shared by both schools.

Outcome

LSU defeated Southern by a wide margin; the subtitles do not state the final score. After the game, the teams returned to their separate conferences.

Presenters and sources mentioned

The narrator is unnamed; the video is from Past the Headlines. ESPN is mentioned as the host of a later marching-band competition, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is mentioned in connection with a display about bandleader Doc Greags.