The traditional Marching Illini pregame show highlights some of the best of Illini traditions past and present, and showcases the many varieties of marching styles that the MI is capable of performing. The entire show, performed 17-24 minutes before the start of every home football game, consists of seven songs and is nearly 12 minutes in length. Designed for maximum enjoyment from both sides of Memorial Stadium, the student (east) side serves as the ‘home side’ of the two-sided pregame show. This is somewhat unusual since the press box and TV cameras are on the west side.

Pregame starts with the drum line and sousaphones centered on the 50-yard line near the west sideline. The rest of the band is hidden behind the north bleachers and under the horseshoe on the south side.

As the directors ascend the ladders on the each sideline of the 50-yard line, the sousaphones raise their horns in a ripple effect and the visible members of the MI place themselves in the "parade rest" posture.

At this point, the directors and the drum majors call the band to attention. The band answers with "GO!" and an accented flam from the drumline. The band responds to "Are you ready band?" with "UMGAWA!" and the show is ready to begin.

Four whistles kick off the drumline into "four and a quarter run-on cadences" at a tempo of about 240 beats per minute. The percussion starts onto the field and the sousaphones follow ankle-knee, forming a narrow block I stretching nearly from sideline to sideline in between the 40-yard lines.

The Illinettes and Flag Corp lead the band proper out with a double tempo fast-chair style step known as the "double-time quick step." Ten horizontal lines (five from each end zone) follow the leader from the corners of the stadium and head out onto the field, doing 8 to 5 size steps run-on style.

The first person in each line stops at a location near the 20-yard line and steps forward toward the east sideline one step using a residual. The next person in the line continues two more steps past them and completes the residual. The run-on continues in this manner until the entire line has fed in from behind.

After the entire line is in place, four whistles sound again as the percussion starts the last "quarter" of the run-on cadence. The band responds with one high chair style step while 'crunching' the torso as close to parallel to the ground as possible. During the next 16 counts, the ten lines expand into a block covering the football field at a 90" interval from sideline to sideline and 20-yard line to 20-yard line. This "secondary run-on" serves as a common starting point during rehearsals.

Horns come up as the block locks on the 17th count of the secondary run-on, and after 4 solo bass drum beats, the band explodes in the opening fanfare of "Revised Entrance #3." Movement begins in the second fanfare as 4-member squads form out of the block. The squads move into dual U of I logos, and then transform into four arches -- two arches facing each sideline. Sousaphones and percussion are centered between the arches, while the auxiliaries flank both sides of the band.

"Patriotic Medley" follows, and the winds adjust to an outline of the United States facing backfield, while the percussion form Illinois. At the climactic point of "God Bless America", a dramatic high-chair 4-count turn to the home stands accompanies a downward cascade in the music, and the crowd invariably applauds. After a short mark-time, the formation morphs to a large rectangle bounded by both 15-yard lines and each sideline. During most of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," the rectangle compresses in turn to a circle, pentagon, and finally a star, where the band halts and finishes the medley with the closing phrases of "God Bless America."

"The Star Spangled Banner" is played from the star formation and is followed by a turn to the visitor seating in the southwest corner of the stadium. The visitors are welcomed with the playing of the visitors’ school fight song. During the last 32 counts of the fight song, the band converts from the star to the signature pregame "Illini" formation. "Illinois Loyalty" is performed by a stationary band facing both sides of the stadium.

The school song is followed by a turn to the north end zone and the playing of the chorus of "Oskee Wow Wow." The "Illini" form floats north downfield, and is immediately followed by "William Tell." The "Illini" collapses into a tunnel for the football team in the northeast corner of the football field. At this point, the band is brought to parade rest and half of the band is dismissed to their seats in the south bleachers. The remaining portion of the band will play "Oskee Wow Wow" twice as the team enters through the tunnel.