Ten marching bands from historically Black colleges will perform at the Big HBCU Southern Classic Battle of the Bands on March 15 at Bojangles Coliseum. Johnson C. Smith University's International Institution of Sound, North Carolina A&T State University's Blue and Gold Marching Machine, and North Carolina Central University's Sound Machine will play. Winston-Salem State University's Red Sea of Sound, Benedict College's Band of Distinction, and South Carolina State University's Marching 101 will also hit the stage. Hampton University's Marching Force from Virginia, Alcorn State University's Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite from Mississippi, Mississippi Valley State University's Mean Green Marching Machine, and Talladega College's Great Tornado Band from Alabama will compete. "The reason why we do these different events is because most colleges and HBCU marching programs don't get any funding," Davis said.