KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — UPDATE (12/10): The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl announced Sunday that the Pride of the Southland Band and the Hawkeye Marching Band will perform in the halftime show on New Year's Day.
This comes after the Citrus Bowl announced Gavin DeGraw would perform during halftime, leaving fans concerned if there would be enough time for the bands to perform.
They also announced that both bands will perform on the field in pregame.
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The Vols will play against the Iowa Hawkeyes soon in the Citrus Bowl, on New Year's Day. This year, bowl leaders have added a new performance for the first time that cuts time from the team bands.
Gavin DeGraw, a singer-songwriter whose song became the theme of the drama series One Tree Hill, will perform in the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl halftime show.
Fans are leaving hundreds of comments about the Citrus Bowl on social media, many of which are frustrated about the show cutting time from the bands. It's a tradition that usually features musical performances from team bands during football season.
"It's great to go down to the Sunshine State, and bring a little bit of Rocky Top down there and show them what Tennessee is all about," said Chandler DeArmond, a drum major. "Bring my hands out, I'd have a whistle in my mouth and I think whatever the tempo is for whatever the song is I'd blow the whistle four times and there they go."
Michael Stewart is the director of Pride of the Southland Marching Band and said the team gets invited to a bowl game whenever the Vols have a good year. He said the Citrus Bowl actually gave them seven minutes to perform when it's often only five minutes.
"The performance opportunities vary greatly from bowl to bowl," Stewart said. "We still get to do a performance and we're excited to get down there and put in play and do this performance. I think the difference is we're not doing a pregame performance. You know, Iowa is not performing at halftime. They are just performing pregame."
For DeArmond and many other seniors, this is going to be the last time he plays with the band.
"It's bittersweet. I'm really excited to go out on such a high note, but it's also it's sad to hang it up finally," DeArmond said. "I just hope that people can be inspired by seeing our marching band."