SHOW DESCRIPTION

In this Soul Sessions Extra, guest host Yolanda Clay-Moore reconnects with Alex Davis, founder of the HBCU Labor Day Classic Battle of the Bands, ahead of the event's second year in Jackson, Mississippi. Davis reflects on what drew him back to Jackson after last year's historic gathering of ten HBCU marching bands, and previews Bethune-Cookman's first-ever appearance in the city. He also walks through what's changing this year — more open gates, reserved seating, and dedicated parking — after lessons learned from year one. The conversation closes with Davis sharing the full 2026 lineup and details on how to grab tickets before the Classic returns to Veterans Memorial Stadium on Sunday, September 6.

TRANSCRIPT

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INTRO

Long before Alex Davis ever set foot in Jackson, Mississippi, his high school band back in Augusta, Georgia, was already borrowing its name from a band across state lines, the Sonic Boom of the South. Now, Davis is the visionary behind the HBCU Labor Day Classic Battle of the Bands, and this year he's bringing that tribute full circle with 10 HBCU marching bands, including Jackson State's own Sonic Boom, converging on Jackson for the second year in a row.

Yolanda

Hey, it's Yolanda Clay-Moore with a front row seat to conversations on culture from Jackson, Mississippi. This is a Soul Sessions Extra, a quick hit from Soul Sessions, the podcast about the people, places, and events that make the City With Soul shine. Today, I'm catching up with Alex as the Classic returns to Veterans Memorial Stadium with Bethune-Cookman marching into Jackson for the first time ever. For Davis, the draw is simple: you can't get any more authentic than this event. And after last year, he says there was nowhere else this classic belonged but Jackson.

Alex, welcome back.

Alex

Thank you for having me. I am excited to be back in the beautiful city of Jackson, Mississippi.

Why Does Alex Davis Keep Bringing the HBCU Labor Day Classic Back to Jackson?

Yolanda

Well, last year, Jackson made history with 10 HBCU bands in one place for the first time ever. What made you want to bring the classic back to the city again?

Alex

Man, the energy was on another level. It was so amazing to have all those bands in one place at one time, the fans from all over that came. I couldn't see any other place that we should bring this event besides Jackson, Mississippi.

Yolanda

I think that the event just actually shocked everyone, just to be honest. It shocked me because, you know, we've had other Battle of the Band competitions and we've never seen anything on this magnitude.

Alex

Yeah, I believe it does shock a lot of people, and we've been doing it for a while and we try to do things different. We try to keep our events very genuine, authentic. So we tell people when you if you want to come to a HBCU band event where you really can indulge in the culture, this is the event that you want to come to. That's just what we do. We give it to you raw, and you can't get any more authentic than this event.

Bethune-Cookman Joins the HBCU Labor Day Classic Lineup in Jackson for the First Time

Yolanda

I mean, I can attest to that. Now, this year, Bethune-Cookman is marching into Jackson for the first time. What can fans expect from that band and how did they end up joining the lineup?

Alex

Man, Bethune-Cookman is amazing band program. They've been in about four or five of my events across the nation, and I'm really good friends with the band director, and I was talking to him about it and I asked him, hey, have you ever been to Jackson, Mississippi? He was like, I've never been. I said, have the band ever been? He's like, the band has never been. And so I thought about it. I said, man, this'll be a really good time to bring them to this historic event. They've been in the movie Drumline, they've been in the Super Bowls, they have their own Netflix series. And to come and get the people of Jackson and Mississippi in this area something like this, I thought it was just a great thing to do for the city. Bring in Bethune-Cookman, and you can expect when they show up, they show out every single time. They have a great band and their field performance is amazing. The sound is just it's just different. So you can expect Bethune-Cookman to put on the show, and if you've never seen them, you're gonna be in for a treat. And if you have seen you're gonna be in for a treat.

Yolanda

Well, you know I'm a little biased, but I'll take your word for it.

Alex

Well, you know, I know you got the Sonic Boom, and the Sonic Boom of the South is one of my favorite bands. Growing up as a child, you know, I looked up to them, my high school band, we actually modeled the Sonic Boom. We were called the Sonic Boom of the South as well in Augusta, Georgia. So I think it's gonna be really good having them along with Bethune and all the rest of the bands that's coming this year.

What's New at the 2026 HBCU Labor Day Classic in Jackson?

Yolanda

Yeah. Now tell us what's new for people coming out this Labor Day weekend. Anything different from last year's setup at the Vet?

Alex

Yeah, so last year it was the first year, so the staff had to get acclimated with this type of event, this type of crowd. So we're bringing in a brand new staff that's gonna manage this year. So this year you can expect things to go a lot really, really smooth. We're gonna try to make sure that the lines are not as long as they were last year. We're gonna have all the gates open. Last year I think they only have one gate open. So this year we're gonna try to have all the gates open so that everyone can get into the stadium in a timely manner. This year we have dedicated staff that's gonna make sure that only people that has a reserve ticket for that section will be able to sit there. We're gonna make sure that with the parking this year that you're gonna have your reserve parking when you get there, just trying to make sure that we give the customer a great experience this year. I know we're gonna make sure that we have enough concessions to accommodate everyone that's coming out. I wanna make sure we have enough hydration for everyone. So we want this to be a great experience for the city, for the families, and we want this to be a first class experience for everybody that's coming to attend this year.

Yolanda

I've been sitting in on the security meeting, so I know that they are, you know, operationally they're preparing for. And they better understand the event this year than compared to last year. So I'm expecting great things as well.

How to Get Tickets to the HBCU Labor Day Classic Battle of the Bands in Jackson

Now for anyone who might be on the fence or who missed it last year, what's the best way to grab tickets and what would you say to convince them to make the trip?

Alex

Well, the best way to get the tickets is gonna be HBCULaborDayClassic.com. Tickets are at a good price right now. So I'll say go ahead and grab now, don't wait. You wanna come to this event. You wanna bring your family. You wanna bring the kids. You wanna bring the aunties, the uncles, the grandpas, granddads. This is for everybody. Kids and everyone of all ages, you're gonna have a great time. We have a fan fest where we have a food truck festival going on as well, so you come and get you some good food. It's just a big family reunion. And then once these bands get in there, the energy is gonna be very electric. You're gonna have a great time.

Full Band Lineup for the 2026 HBCU Labor Day Classic Battle of the Bands

Alex

This year we got, of course, the hometown Jackson State, Sonic Boom of the South. We also have the other hometowns: Mississippi Valley, Alcorn. We have Southern University coming, we have Grambling coming, we have UAPB, that's Arkansas Pine Bluff, we have Tuskegee University out of Alabama, we have Talladega coming out of Alabama, we have Langston, they're coming from Oklahoma, and then we have Bethune-Cookman coming all the way from Daytona Beach, Florida.

Yolanda

That is a great lineup. And you know, some of those bands people here have not seen.

Really exciting. Alex, thank you so much for joining us today.

Alex

Thank you guys for having me. I love Jackson. This is like my second home, and you guys welcomed me with open arms, and I love you guys. You guys are like family.

HBCU Labor Day Classic Returns to Veterans Memorial Stadium on September 6

Yolanda

That's Alex Davis, whose story this time is about how a city can turn a visitor into family. When it came time to find a home for his Battle of the Bands, he says there was no other choice. As he put it before signing off: I love Jackson. This is like my second home, and y'all welcomed me with open arms.

The HBCU Labor Day Classic Battle of the Bands returns to Veterans Memorial Stadium on Sunday, September 6. Gates open at four, the bands parade around the stadium at five, and the Battle of the Bands kicks off at seven. Tickets are moving now at HBCULaborDayClassic.com. We'll have links in our show notes to this year's lineup and weekend events at visitjackson.com/soulsessions.

Soul Sessions comes to you from Visit Jackson, the destination organization for Jackson, Mississippi, the City With Soul. Our executive producers are Jonathan Pettus and Dr. Rickey Thigpen. Our managing editor is Paul Wolf, and I'm Yolanda Clay-Moore. Stay current on all things Jackson at visitjackson.com. Got a story idea or a question about the City With Soul? We want to hear from you. The email is pwolf@visitjackson.com.

Thank you for listening. We'll talk to you again soon.

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