Home Depot Center News

SIX MARCHING BANDS COMPETE FROM ACROSS THE NATION, PLUS SPECIAL CELEBRITY GUESTS & PERFORMANCES HIGHLIGHT THE FOURTH ANNUAL BATTLE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BANDS

Earth, Wind & Fire's Verdine White to Perform with the USC Trojan Marching Band at Half-Time; Krump Dance Contest to Close the Show

CARSON, CA (Thursday, November 8, 2007) - The Battle of the High School Marching Bands makes its return to Carson next Saturday, November 17 at 6:00 p.m. at The Home Depot Center with special celebrity guests including Kanye West, Common and Bobby Brown via video, as well as Sheila E., Warren G., Lalah Hathaway, O.N.E. and others, who will make special introductions for the finalists who will battle it out \"Southern Show Style\" for $10,000 and prizes. The annual event features six high school marching bands, including local schools Inglewood High and Long Beach Jordan High, with all proceeds from the night donated to preserving music and arts education in school across the United States.

New this year, each of the six marching bands in the competition will be introduced by special celebrity guests. For the first time ever, R&B/hip hop mega-artist Kanye West and actor/artist Common will appear in a pre-recorded video, straight from a film shoot in Chicago, to introduce Percy L. Julian High School (Chicago, Ill.). Also appearing via video is Bobby Brown, who will introduce Redan High School (Stone Mountain, Ga.). Other special guests include four-time alumna and legendary percussionist Sheila E., who will introduce the all-female New Orleans band from Xavier Preparatory High School; Warren G. will introduce Long Beach Jordan High School (Long Beach, Calif.); Lalah Hathaway to introduce I.C. Norcom High School Marching Band (Portsmouth, Va.); and O.N.E. will introduce four-time finalist and defending champion Inglewood High School (Inglewood, Calif.).

The always-promising line-up of special guests and performances also includes a one-time-only performance featuring Earth, Wind & Fire's Verdine White, who will perform \"September\" with the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band. This special performance marks the first time a collegiate band has ever performed at the Battle of the High School Marching Bands. The National Anthem will be sung by R&B/Pop/Hip Hop group NICKNAME. Discovered at an audition at the Los Angeles County School for the Arts, the all-female trio is currently recording and is known for their jazzy flavors, funky, soulful grooves, with hard hip-hop beats. Closing the show will be a performance by the Big Traffic City Life All-Stars competing in the \"Last Man Standing\" Krump Dance Contest.

Other special guests scheduled to attend the 2007 Battle of the High School Marching Bands include 93.5 KDAY DJ YOYO and cast member Sharon Leal from the Sony/Screen Gems November 21 release of This Christmas starring Mekhi Phifer, Regina King, Columbus Short and Chris Brown. Leal previously starred in the hit movie Dreamgirls and Tyler Perry's Why Did I get Married?.

The panel of judges for the event hail from some of the nation's most prestigious collegiate marching bands, including Dr. Arthur C. Bartner, Director, University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band; Dr. O'Neill Sanford, Director, Norfolk State University Marching Band; Albert L. Jackson, Band Director, Langston University Marching Band; and Ronald G. Turner from Florida A & M University, a \"Marching 100\" Marching Band Alumni and former high school band director. The high schools will also be observed by members of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association's Music Committee, who will be on the lookout for marching bands to participate in future Rose Parades.

The fourth annual Battle of the High School Marching Bands, the \"Southern Show Style\" marching band competition on Saturday, November 17 at 6:00 p.m. at The Home Depot Center, features six finalists from across the United States who will battle it out for $10,000 and prizes, including the opportunity to perform in half-time shows at National Basketball League (NBA) games during the 2007-2008 season. NBA teams hosting the finalists include the Los Angeles Clippers, Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks and the New Orleans Hornets. Tickets for the $10 general admission event are on sale now at The Home Depot Center Box Office and online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Produced by The Home Depot Center, the Battle of the High School Marching Bands raised more than $100,000 for The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation and the VH1 Save the Music Foundation in 2006. All proceeds go towards preserving music education in America's schools.

About The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation & The Home Depot Center

The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation was established to provide financial and in-kind support for educational, recreational and social service programs which improve the lives of young people in the Greater Southern California region. The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation has given more than $400,000 to youth organizations since The Home Depot Center opened in 2003.

The Home Depot Center is southern California's home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. The $150 million, privately financed facility was developed and is operated by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California. The Home Depot Center features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer, rugby and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, a 10,000-seat facility for track & field and lacrosse, the ADT Event Center (a 2,450-seat indoor velodrome for cycling) and other facilities for softball, baseball, beach volleyball, basketball and other sports. The Home Depot Center is home to three professional sports teams - Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, and Major League Lacrosse's (MLL) Los Angeles Riptide. Named an Official U.S. Olympic Training Site, The Home Depot Center is also home of the United States Tennis Association's (USTA) High Performance Training Center and is the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). The David Beckham Academy for youth soccer, Andre Agassi's Safe Passage All-Stars at-risk youth tennis program and Athletes' Performance's training center for elite and professional athletes are all based at The Home Depot Center. The Home Depot Center has additionally been designated official training sites for USA Cycling and USA Track & Field. For more information, please visit www.homedepotcenter.com.

About the VH1 Save The Music Foundation

Since 1997, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation has successfully restored and sustained instrumental music programs in 1,500 public schools in 100 communities across the country, including Memphis, Houston, Chicago, New York, Denver, Baltimore and Milwaukee. Over the past ten years, various artists and celebrities have shown their devotion to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation by partnering with the organization as they've reached out to struggling school districts across the country. Celebrities including Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Sting, Billy Joel, Kiefer Sutherland, John Legend, Rob Thomas, Alicia Keys, and Jewel have donated their time and efforts to the organization in attempts to raise awareness about the importance of music in a child's education. To date, The Foundation has provided more than $40 million in new musical instruments, affecting the lives of more than 1 million children. For more information on the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, please visit http://www.vh1.com/partners/save_the_music/.