A lasting memory for nearly 200 Wyoming college students, and what was expected to be an entertaining halftime show for thousands of NFL fans, was ruined Sunday afternoon when the threat of lightning canceled a special performance of the University of Wyoming Western Thunder Marching Band at the Denver Broncos home opener.
The marching band had made the drive to Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High from Laramie with the intention of performing at halftime of the Broncos game with the Tennessee Titans.
They were on the sidelines ready to take the field when a thunderstorm warning forced the band, fans and field personnel into the stadium’s tunnels and concourse to take shelter instead, effectively canceling the show because of time constraints.
Where There’s Thunder …
Joseph Carver, director of the Western Thunder Marching Band, told Cowboy State Daily the band was only allotted a 15-minute window to put on its show at Sunday’s game.
“The NFL office let us know with (16 seconds) on the second quarter clock that there was lightning in the area and we had to go into a weather delay,” he said via email. “The band cleared the field as they put up the inclement weather warning to the fans.”
The team did not allow the band to return to the field as a safety precaution, he said. By the time the storm had passed, halftime was over and the game had resumed.
“That 15-minute delay was the only window that we had to perform,” Carver wrote. “Our students are disappointed, but we all still had a great experience being on the field for the little bit of time that we had.
“It was unfortunate but we recognize that it is out of everyone’s control. The Broncos staff treated our band incredibly well and we will work together to find a way to make this up to the students.”
As far as a potential return invite for a second shot at the band’s 15 minutes of NFL fame, Carver said that, “We haven’t gotten that far yet.”
“[The Broncos] game day events staff had their hands full yesterday trying to figure out the multiple different plans that were being discussed with the NFL game leadership,” he said. “I will have a conversation with them about getting the band back for a makeup performance, but I cannot speak to any of that information until I talk with them.
"As of now, I haven’t talked with them since we left yesterday afternoon.”
The band's drum major, Jordan Peschong, told Cowboy State Daily that while members of the band are disappointed at not being able to perform, they still got to experience an exciting moment from behind the Broncos’ bench.
"Upon hearing about the cancellation, there was a lot of mixed feelings and emotions from both the band and the fans,” she wrote via email. "Naturally, the band was disappointed about the cancellation because we have worked so hard on the show and wanted to perform.
"But we didn’t let it disguise the fact that we got to stand on the Denver Broncos field 15 feet from the players' bench and got to watch the Broncos score a touchdown from the sideline. The energy in the stadium was electric, and everyone was cheering and hollering."
View From The Stands
While the Broncos went on to a 20-12 victory, several UW fans shared their disappointment at not being able to take in a performance from Wyoming’s flagship marching band at the game.
Sheridan resident Leslie George attended Sunday’s game with her dad. Though she had bought her tickets ahead of the team’s decision to schedule the band, she told Cowboy State Daily the performance would have been the highlight of her gameday experience.
“It was so heartbreaking,” George said of her reaction to the band walking off the field. “I was stoked, I brought my U-Dub Josh Allen jersey.”
George said that while she was sad to miss the show, she was even more upset about the missed opportunity for the hard-working band members.
“Broncos field is the home field when it comes to the NFL for Wyoming,” she added via text message. "To see the band enter the stadium, merging Broncos fanfare with Wyoming home pride, the excitement really built up for me, and it was a heartbreak that we all had to leave the field briefly due to the weather."
Abhi Raghunathan, 45, was visiting Denver from Washington, D.C., and had been excited to see the Wyoming marching band at halftime.
“It would have been great to see another part of Mountain West culture,” Raghunathan said. “I’d heard nothing but good things about Wyoming’s band, and it’s too bad they couldn’t go on because of a small rain shower.”
Casper resident Doug Franklin also lamented the cancellation in a post on Facebook.
“University of Wyoming marching band was here at the Broncos stadium to represent for the halftime show,” he wrote. “And now a severe thunderstorm warning so they can't play !!! Bs.”
Wade French of Cody is the parent of a freshman Western Thunder band member and a band director in the Park County School District. French told Cowboy State Daily he traveled to the game Sunday just for the chance to see his daughter perform on an NFL field.
“As soon as she told us they’re performing I’m like, ‘We’re definitely going,’” he said.
French said his student was “really bummed” by the cancellation due to all the work she and the other members had put in to prepare for the show. The band, he said, had even added in an extra formation to their show resembling the Broncos logo just for Sunday.
“I’ve heard rumors, I don’t know who said it, but somebody said, ‘I bet they’ll be able to get something rescheduled at another game this season,’” French said. “I hope they can get it rescheduled because it really was a bummer.”
Representatives of the Broncos did not respond when asked by Cowboy State Daily whether the band would be invited back to perform at a future game.
Safety First
NFL Football Operations on Sunday had listed the Broncos-Titans matchup in its weather update as a game where inclement weather was “expected.” It acknowledged there was a 20% chance of lightning and a 30% chance of rain on Sunday.
The NFL rulebook gives the commissioner the authority to terminate any game due to an emergency, including inclement weather. This condition does apply to lightning, but only if the storm is deemed to make it “impossible” to continue the game.
The 2025 season opener between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys in Philadelphia on Thursday briefly entered a weather delay in the third quarter due to lightning, but resumed about an hour later. The Eagles won that game 24-20.
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
