Niner Noise has brought the beat to San Francisco 49ers games for nearly 20 years now, ever since the Niners began expanding their entertainment offerings and decided to give a drumline a try.
Those vibrant, colorful drummers are a 16-piece troupe run by BD Performing Arts, the same Concord-based entertainment organization that runs the famous Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. No bugles at Levi’s Stadium, though. It’s the syncopated drum beats that rev up these crowds.
“A drumline is just such a natural element to bring into a football environment,” says Laurie Murphy, executive vice president of e2K, the sports/entertainment company that works with Levi’s Stadium and helps oversee Niner Noise.
Annadine Miramontes of the Niner Noise performs outside Levi’s Stadium ahead of a 49ers game on Oct. 8, 2023. The 16-piece troupe run by BD Performing Arts has brought the beat to the 49ers games for nearly 20 years.(Photo by Michael Still /BDEntertainment)
“They are really effective from a performance perspective, a crowd-leading perspective and interactively,” Murphy says. “When they go out and do their performances in the plazas and out in the community, fans just love getting up and close with them. They are just a really vibrant, colorful and fun-to-watch addition to any 49er event.”
That’s certainly true on game days. The group sets up shop at the stadium entrance areas and begins performing for eager fans even before the gates open. They liven up the plazas with their tightly synchronized drumming and perform a short bit on the field prior to kickoff. And once the gridiron action actually gets underway, Niner Noise can still be heard pumping up the fans in the stands with their beats.
“Fans have a variety of ways (to) experience us and interact with us throughout game day,” says Niner Noise director Ryan Odello.
Odello, who has been with the troupe since the very start, says the partnership with the team has been absolutely great.
“We really could not ask for a better situation,” he says. “We are treated really well. From the very start, the fans and the team were really receptive to the drumline and the performances.”
The Niner Noise drumline performs outside Levi’s Stadium ahead of a 49er game on Oct. 8, 2023 in Santa Clara. (Photo by Michael Still/ BDEntertainment)
The BD Performing Arts or BDPA umbrella includes multiple youth programs, including the Blue Devils ensembles, founded in 1957, and the BD Winds — formerly the Diablo Wind Symphony. Niner Noise is part of BDEntertainment, the professional entertainment division. And one thing that the BD Performing Arts and the Niners have in common is championships.
Winning the Super Bowl is nice, of course. Winning it five times is great (and winning it a sixth time — this season? — will be even better). But the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps has won the Drum Corps International (DCI) World Championships a staggering 21 times — with high hopes for a 22nd victory at press time.
“That is the pinnacle premier competition in the world,” Murphy points out. “And they win it every year — pretty much, right?”
Well, not quite. But on the eve of the DCI world championships, held in Indianapolis in August, the Blue Devils were the current title holder, capping off a three-peat of championship wins in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Even the most vastly successful drum corps doesn’t often draw a lot of recognition and attention outside their sizable (and very passionate) fan bases. But Niner Noise has a platform that most drumlines could only dream of having.
“Being associated with the 49ers brings great visibility to the organization,” says BDEntertainment director Ben Nadler. “It’s been a really great partnership, and it’s really helped elevate us within the community and beyond.”
The Niner Noise drumline perform outside Levi’s Stadium ahead of a 49er game on Oct. 8, 2023 in Santa Clara. The 16-piece troupe run by BD Performing Arts has brought the beat to the 49ers games for nearly 20 years. (Photo by Michael Still/ BDEntertainment)
Related Articles
49ers vs. Jets: 5 keys to winning opener against Aaron Rodgers
49ers report leak: Lawyers for indicted Santa Clara Councilmember Anthony Becker are building a case that others leaked the confidential report
49ers announce $200 million renovation to Levi’s Stadium ahead of global sporting events
Letters: Desalination’s flaws | Trump sentencing | GOP fears
How much the 49ers paid to become a political player after moving to Santa Clara
One of the coolest things to come out of that partnership, Nadler and Odello say, was the chance for the drumline to accompany the team on a special trip earlier this year.
“We were honored to join the team on the Super Bowl trip to Las Vegas,” Odello says. “It was incredible. The energy from the 49ers fans in Las Vegas was just amazing. It was probably 90 percent 49ers fans on The Strip compared to Chiefs fans. Despite the game not going down as we hoped, it was just an incredible experience for all of us.”
The kind of exposure that comes with partnering with the Niners doesn’t just elevate this particular drumline but the entire art form. And — who knows? — it may even provide the inspiration to could fuel future generations.
“When I see little kids at the stadium watching Niner Noise,” Murphy says, “I see kids who want to go pick up and play drums.”
