SNL’s Bowen Yang gives emotional reaction to OSU marching band
Correction: An earlier version of this article named Sasheer Zamata as a cast member in the sketch. Zamata left the show in 2017.
The Ohio State Marching Band’s version of a Journey hit song was featured last night on “Saturday Night Live.”
In the sketch, Ego Nwodim, Chris Redd, Bowen Yang, Heidi Gardner and guest star Zoë Kravitz, who is starring in “The Batman” were out to eat and started to discuss music.
Nwodim asked if anyone heard the new Doja Cat song before Yang jumped in and started talking about the marching band’s version of “Don’t Stop Believin.”
“It’s straight fire,” he said. “I’ve been mainlining that track.”
‘C’mon let me break you off a piece’
After the group initially declined, Yang pushed for it to be played.
“C’mon let me break you off a piece,” he said, before playing the song.
As the song played, Yang grew more emotional about what the song meant to him as Nwodim, Redd and Gardner thought he was crazy.
“Do you hear it, it’s tubas playing the bassline,” Yang said. “Who thinks about that?”
As the drums started on the song, Yang got more excited.
The drums,” he said. “It’s like steam rising from the asphalt after a sun shower.”
‘Am I in Heaven or Rainbow Road on freaking Mario Kart 8’
After getting up to march, Yang said what the band’s version meant to him.
“Can you imagine walking down the street to this? Feeling invincible? Like your whole life is ahead of you? Like you are headed to your high school graduation and you haven’t made real mistakes in life? It’s a sonic gradual building until suddenly…”
“It’s over?” Redd asked.
“It’s just beginning,” Yang yelled before knocking over the food from the waiter walking in.
“The music is transporting. Am I in Heaven or Rainbow Road on freaking Mario Kart 8,” he said.
Kravitz said she got the song.
“Now they are doing the guitar part of the trumpet,” Yang yelled.
“I didn’t know trumpets can do guitar,” Kravitz said.
“They can,” Yang yelled.
‘This song just inspires me to do so much better … at Mario Kart’
Yang proceeded to get most of the lyrics wrong and thought the singer was Steven Tyler Aerosmith.
“This song just inspires me to do so much better …at Mario Kart,” Yang said.
In a tweet Sunday afternoon, Ohio State’s Twitter account said they agreed with Yang.
The marching band tweeted their thanks for the sketch.
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