The North Carolina A&T State University Blue and Gold Marching Machine will put a cap on its 2012 season with a performance at the Honda Battle of the Bands in Atlanta, Ga.

“It’s a great opportunity,” director of bands Dr. Kenneth G. Ruff said. “For us to have been selected means we’ve been doing something right this season.”

The band performed a different show for all seven home football games last semester and performed at several away games and exhibitions. Now, on Jan. 26, the band will take the field in the Georgia Dome to perform a brand new show.

“My staff doesn’t like to recycle. When we come to the table, they always want to do something that’s fresh and out of the box,” Ruff said.

While this has been one of the busiest seasons on record for the marching band, senior Olivia Campbell is still excited about performing at the Battle of the Bands.

“The Honda is the Super Bowl of HBCU bands,” she said. “It feels like I’m going out with a bang!”

Campbell is the section leader for the clarinets and has marched in the band her entire time at A&T. The last time the band performed at the Battle of the Bands was in 2009 right before she came in as a freshman.

“I’ve always wanted to march in the Honda and now it’s going to be my very last college performance,” she said. “This is the cherry on top.”

The Blue and Gold Marching Machine will be the last of eight bands to perform at the exhibition. Taking the field last does add a bit of pressure to the band’s performance and this band is no stranger to a little pressure.

In November, the band made history by being the first band from a historically black college or university to lead off the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

“By the time the eighth band comes on, you start to get tired and you wonder if they’re going to do something different from what you’ve already seen,” Ruff said.

“It is pressure for us because you want to do a show that will be exciting and uplifting. We want to finish the season just like we started it – strong.”

Each band has been allotted 12 minutes to perform. The auxiliary dance teams will also participate in a dance competition between the performances of the fourth and fifth bands. Other bands participating include Edward Waters College, Albany State, Tennessee State, Alcorn State, Jackson State, Winston-Salem State and Bethune-Cookman College.

Tickets are $10 and $12. For additional information, visit the Honda Battle of the Bands website.