Penn Staters know the songs, recognize the iconic drills, and cheer when the drum major lands their flip in the end zone of Beaver Stadium.

What not all Penn State football fans may know is just how early the Blue Band starts its preparations for gameday. For the Nittany Lions’ matchup against Delaware, we sent our staffers out bright and early to capture everything the Blue Band does to get performance-ready hours before kickoff.

The start of the Blue Band’s gameday preparations begins early at 6 a.m. in East Halls where the Blue Band’s trumpet section wakes up first-year students for kickoff at noon. This tradition has carried on for years among members of the trumpet section.

There were a few “We Are!” chants from freshmen that were woken up by “Rock and Roll” and “Lion ’68.”

Once the trumpet section made sure residents in East Halls were ready to go for the game, members of the band began making their way over to the Intramural Fields for their morning rehearsal. Before every practice, the Blue Band does stretching and relaxation regimens run by the drum major.

With stretching out of the way, instrumentalists split into their sections and rehearse their halftime show music and tunes that would be played during the band’s postgame performance.

Eventually, it was time for a full-band run-through of their halftime show to check for musical accuracy and to clean footwork in the drill.

The staff also was there to watch closely and make sure everything was game-ready before Penn State’s challenge with Delaware with only hours left to go.

Once the directors were satisfied with its performance, the Blue Band carried on with its gameday preparations to perform at the football team’s arrival at Beaver Stadium.

With a few stops to take before entering Beaver Stadium, another pep band traveled to perform for the president’s tailgate at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

Following its crowd-rousing performances, the band made its way back over to the Blue Band Building for some pre-parade rituals and Director Dr. Gregory Drane’s speech.

Then, it was time for the part Penn State football fans know and love, the Blue Band’s parade to Beaver Stadium. The parade was filled with chants, gameday favorite songs, and sousaphones handing out lollipops to kids in the crowd.

There was plenty of energy to go around if you were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Blue Band on its way to cheer on Penn State football.

It was an action-packed, fun-filled Saturday with plenty of tradition and smiles to go around.