Marine Band rocks the stage: San Diego unit brings high-energy set to Community music students [photo gallery]

Bella Green, Leon Castañeda and Audra Wolf

Mar 13, 2025

Marine Band rocks the stage: San Diego unit brings high-energy set to Community music students [photo gallery]

San Diego’s Marine Band took the Kevin Yale Vernon stage on March 6, performing a rock-heavy setlist for Community music students.

Choir, band and orchestra members were excused from their eighth-hour classes to watch “America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization” in concert.

The six-member ensemble played a mix of ballads, 2000s rock, and classics, covering Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You,” songs from Jimmy Eat World, Paramore and Radiohead, and The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.”

The performance also included a special “Happy Birthday” serenade, complete with flashing lights and a voice changer.

Established in 1798 by an Act of Congress, the United States Marine Band—known as “The President’s Own” for its role in presidential inaugurations—is the country’s longest-running premier military band.

The Marine Band San Diego is one of 10 divisions of U.S. Marine Band, each featuring active-duty combat Marines who tour annually with a curated setlist.

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