From marching in the Rose Parade to moving and grooving at Coachella, the Jackson State marching band has been on a historic run this year.
The Sonic Boom of the South took the stage Friday alongside Travis Scott at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. The band joined the headlining rapper for an orchestra-style rendition of his single, “4×4,” before bringing horns and trumpets to “SICKO MODE,” “FE!N,” and “goosebumps.”
In front of thousands gathered in the desert for the opening day of the popular festival, the Grammy-nominated artist announced the Sonic Boom as the “greatest band,” a comment that had Jackson State director of bands Dr. Roderick Little all smiles.
“Anything great is connected to hard work, and it’s something that our students are not unfamiliar with,” Little said. “They’re familiar with working hard and they’ve been doing so in a grand style…and I’m very proud of them.”
Scott’s effort to highlight HBCU bands did not stop at Jackson State. Florida A&M’s Marching 100 performed with the Sonic Boom and Scott for “SKELETONS.”
Florida A&M’s Marching 100 and Jackson State’s Sonic Boom of the South performed an original arrangement of Travis Scott’s “4X4” for his Coachella intro: pic.twitter.com/NJpATjy3OQ
— Kalan Hooks (@KalanHookstv) April 13, 2025
“Our hope is that opportunities like these will show how important HBCU bands are to the nation and ultimately reach the right people who are ready to be long-term partners and donors of the university, the band program, and most importantly, our students,” Little added.
The Sonic Boom of the South performing at Coachella is the latest of big stages the band has taken. On New Year’s Day, they marched as part of the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, Calif. Two Super Bowls ago, they performed alongside Usher and have taken the stage with other artists in recent years such as Drake, J.Cole, Lil Boosie, Ciara, and Big Krit.
How did the Sonic Boom end up at Coachella?
It all started with a February post on social media by Travis Scott, in which the artist asked for an HBCU or college band to show him their rendition of “4×4” for a chance to perform with him at Coachella and possibly be eligible for scholarships funded by Scott.
In response to the petition, Jackson State’s Sonic Boom of the South posted their rendition of the hit and garnered over 17,000 likes. Scott took notice, commenting, “Nah y’all went crazy,” before inviting the band to join him at the festival.
Was this the Sonic Boom’s only performance at Coachella?
With Coachella being held over two weekends, April 11-13 and April 18-20, Jackson State’s Sonic Boom of the South will return to the stage alongside Scott on Saturday, April 19. The concert will take place around 1:40 a.m. central time and can be watched on the festival’s YouTube page.
