The Brisbane Lions will face the music against Port Adelaide this Saturday night at the Gabba even before the first bounce.

That’s because the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet is posting a 20-piece band plus bandleader at the stadium to perform on the field from 6.50pm to 7pm prior to the main game.

A roving five-piece Dixie band from the US Navy will also play at the Gate 2 parklands and potentially other public gates from 6pm until 6.40pm on the night.

The US Navy has been in Australia recently for a Combined Task Force exercise called Talisman Sabre from June 19 to July 2 off the coast of central Queensland.

Other Gabba match-day activities this Saturday night at the Gate 2 parklands:

• Major sponsor Vodafone will have their match-day music-equipped marquee complete with a handballing competition (featuring a very familiar target)
• AFL Queensland will host a tall tackling dummies activity on safety mats beside them
• Free Vodafone crowd banners will be distributed before the game at Gates 2, 4, 7 and 9
• Free Sunday Mail newspapers will be distributed after the game at Gates 2, 4, 7 and 9
• Lions mascot Bernie ‘Gabba’ Vegas will tour the crowds throughout the evening
• There will be professional face painters at Gate 2
• Our Face in the crowd competition to win 5 x $50 Chalk Hotel vouchers is on again – please see the Face in the crowd button on the lions.com.au home page for more info
• Official club charity the Mater Foundation will be collecting money to put towards life saving work down the road from the Gabba at the Mater Children’s and Mater Mothers’ Hospitals.

Go Lions!!!