These are boom times for Detroit Lions' fan-pleasing drumline
On a recent Sunday morning just after daybreak, downtown Detroit is misty and quiet. Outside Ford Field, a few intrepid Detroit Lions fans are claiming their tailgating spots for a game that’s six hours away.
But inside the stadium, a party is already rocking.
Honolulu Boom, the Lions’ high-energy drumline, is running through its paces at midfield, rehearsing the music and moves the 21-piece ensemble will be presenting to fans that day. Even at this early hour, the sound is tight and intricate as the boom of bass drums and crisp crack of snares swell into an up-tempo percussive symphony.
This squad is well-drilled, but for director Todd Ohme, there are always nuances to fine-tune — the synchronized steps and rhythmic interplay that will look and sound seamless when 64,000 spectators fill the stands that afternoon.
“We get the notes right first,” says Ohme. “Then we dress it up a little bit. It’s got to have that flavor.”
The Lions drumline has been around since 2007, but in recent years, the outfit has been rebranded and given an elevated role while becoming a fan favorite in and around Ford Field. The group brings an eye-catching, ear-pleasing mix of musical chops, stick-flipping swagger and bright grins.
During the team’s bleak years, Honolulu Boom was a handy spirit booster; here, in an upbeat season that finds the Lions at 8-2, it’s in the thick of the celebration.
Spend a game day with the band, and the fan appeal is easy to see. The brisk, upbeat performances, delivered with choreographed moves that have members sliding and gliding, make Honolulu Boom an instant attention-getter. For young kids especially, the drumline has become an irresistible magnet for selfies.
At the Lions’ Ford Field games, where rousing Detroit music by the likes of Eminem, Bob Seger and Big Sean is piped in, the drumline offers its own homegrown adrenaline rush.
The mission is straightforward — “to connect with fans to create energy and excitement,” as Ohme says — but the work is complex.
From its early days as a drum corps informed by snappy marching band tradition, the ensemble has increasingly combined that musical approach with the swinging, high-energy moves of HBCU bands, known as show style.
The drumline is constantly evolving: Last year, the group integrated chest-strapped tenor drums, adding a higher-pitched accent to the sound. This year, the snare players began wearing their drums with slings, giving flexibility to their moves.
The transformation has happened under the watch of Ohme, tapped by the Lions in 2018 after his successful run directing the Detroit Pistons’ drumline.
The blending of drumline styles has proved challenging, the members say. But it also has been a rewarding experiment for a multiracial group that draws players from both disciplines.
“It’s very hard,” says chest tenor drummer Malik Jackson. “But you don’t want too much of one thing, and at the end of the day, the (musical) language is the same. It’s about being a percussionist to the best of your ability.”
Honolulu Boom works from a core repertoire of pieces known as “cadences,” including original works composed by group members and sometimes incorporating bits of popular songs.
The sharp visual presentation starts with the group’s black-and-blue Starter jackets, striped sweatpants and Nike Blazer sneakers. (Says Lions cornerback Chase Lucas: “What I love about them most — they got some fly-ass jackets.”) Each drum is lined with LED lights that flow in matching patterns during a set.
Honolulu Boom is a standard part of the pregame program — outside the stadium, on the concourse and finally on the field — then periodically pops up in the end zone during breaks in play.
For performances inside Ford Field, there’s a secret sauce: The drum played by the hair-flailing Matt Quaine, a concert bass, is digitally processed to sound an octave lower — which lends an immersive feel over the stadium PA.
The group prides itself on its distinctly Detroit flavor: precise but soulful, physically rigorous but fluid. Ohme describes it as “a fun, approachable energy that’s still gritty and intense.”
“There’s no other NFL line with this look and feel,” he says.
A 17-year journey
Many of Honolulu Boom’s members have day jobs as music instructors, including the drumline’s founder, Jason Ihnat, who teaches music theory at Eastern Michigan University.
“This is a chance to suit up and practice what they’re preaching,” said Ohme.
Ihnat founded the drumline 17 years ago, drawing from members of Eastside Fury, a competitive drum corps then based in Harrison Township. The ad hoc group made its debut during the Lions’ 2006 season, an era when such groups were trending following the 2002 hit movie “Drumline” starring Nick Cannon.
That same year, the Pistons’ drumline — led by Ohme — got national attention when it joined Kid Rock for a performance on ABC-TV’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
The Lions’ own group was more informal in those days, mostly playing for tailgaters on the stadium’s outskirts.
“We were flying by the seat of our pants back then,” Ihnat says. Since Ohme took over, the logistics have become smoother and the group’s profile has grown.
Veteran members such as Nick Arnold, of Ypsilanti, have seen plenty of down moments, including the Lions’ infamous 0-16 season in 2008.
This year, he says, “the feeling in the stadium is different. It’s happier, lighter, more exciting.”
Rico Ortiz is another Honolulu Boom long-timer.
“You have to be all about it, no matter what’s going on, so I’m used to putting on that positive attitude,” Ortiz says. “Now with this momentum, I don’t have to try. It makes it so easy.”
The teams digs it, too. The drummers often line the tunnel ahead of the game, getting nods and fist pounds from players en route to the field.
“They’re legit,” says offensive tackle and amateur guitarist Colby Sorsdal. “When I get the chance to hear them, I’m like, ‘They’re awesome.’ "
The live pro-sports experience is increasingly high-tech, from massive digital screens to automated concessions. The drumline resurgence that has taken hold at Ford Field and elsewhere across the NFL may seem to run against the grain, a throwback to football’s marching band tradition.
But with its organic high energy and blending of musical styles, the drumline is clearly resonating with the fans who pile into Ford Field.
“If they can’t get close to the players, what’s the next best thing? It’s our live entertainers. I’m so proud of the work we do and how it’s evolved,” said Rebecca Smoker, the Lions’ director of entertainment. “When I go to a show, I want to be moved by live entertainers. And fans love that, too. It helps complete the game day experience.”
The energy is as infectious backstage as it is on the field. There’s a fun camaraderie among the drummers, who whip up a lively racket jamming on practice pads and playing along to a variety of tunes from Rush to gospel.
At 10:15 a.m., it’s showtime. Shouts of “whooo!” ring out as Honolulu Boom suits up and mans its drums. Jackson briefly dons a Lions-branded apron: “We’re cooking!”
The group streams out to Brush Street, drums pounding, headed into the throngs of fans gathered at the Ford Field gates. These are the moments when the drummers become rock stars, greeted with a frenzy of cheers, fist bumps and cellphone cameras.
Honolulu Boom’s job is to amp up the crowd, but on a crisp sunny morning amid a high-flying Lions season, that energy flows both ways: As the drummers run through a lively set on the street, it’s clear they’re feeding off their audience.
It’s a scene that will be repeated 90 minutes later inside, where the group is joined by Lions cheerleaders for a performance at Gate A. Fans, who have come to expect this game-day ritual, pack the area and line the concourse overhead to watch.
The drumline soon begins a processional, winding its way among fans on the concourses, to the tunnel and onto the field, where a pregame performance awaits.
The group is ready for its spotlight, revved up from its interaction with fans.
“That just feels really good,” says Ohme. “We put this drumline on the map, and that’s really gratifying.”
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.
Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: For Detroit Lions' fan-pleasing drumline, these are boom times
