U of Arizona Performs for Hyundai Commercial

This fall, Hyundai wanted to remind football fans that loyalty isn’t just for the team—it can also be shown to a company. With music provided by the University of Arizona’s marching band, Hyundai equated collegiate enthusiasm to its loyalty program, which offers consumers the chance to receive rebates if they continue to buy Hyundai automobiles.

While the commercial doesn’t show the Pride of Arizona band, it relies on its musical performance of the Bay City Rollers song “Saturday Night.” According to Jay Rees, director of athletic bands at the University of Arizona, the song was chosen for its college game day style.

Production for the commercial was tighter than most experiences as the band was approached about the opportunity only two days before it recorded the track and didn’t receive the music until the day of the recording.

“The recording was unique,” Rees says. “I was on a click track that timed everything perfectly for the commercial. I had to be perfect to it, and the band had to be perfect to me.”

In only two hours, the band managed to practice and record the track.

Only about 70 of the 250 band members played in the track. The song was recorded in the University of Arizona’s stadium to create an authentic sound, but having fewer musicians allowed sound engineers and Rees to control the audio.

Overall, Rees was appreciative for the opportunity—and so were his students. “It’ll be one of the things they will always remember,” he says.

Highlights from the recording day are featured in a behind-the-scenes video on Hyundai’s YouTube channel.

About author

Lane Armey

Learning in the Lot

You probably find yourself at various times watching outstanding percussion groups during their warmups—in the parking lot at WGI Sport of the Arts finals, at ...