Fightins Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their Mascot Band

The Reading Fightin Phils are excited to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their unique Mascot Band thanks to BB&T Bank. The band performs during the R-Phils season on the T-Mobile stage in the Tompkins VIST Bank Plaza at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Debuting in the summer of 2001 with a postgame concert featuring Screwball on drums, Bucky the Beaver on bass, Change-Up the Turtle on percussion, and Quack the Duck on lead vocals & guitar, the one-of-a-kind musical group is still a fan favorite years favorite.

In 2002, a keyboard playing Blooper the Hound Dog joined the band. Then in 2007, Blooper switched his talents from the keyboard to the lead guitar.

The R-Phils Mascot Band has performed close to 300 shows at FirstEnergy Stadium. Fans can check them out on Saturday, May 8th before the Fightin Phils game beginning at 4:45.

The band has also performed multiple shows at Veterans Stadium & Citizens Bank Park as part of Phillie Phanatic Birthday celebrations. The R-Phils mascot band was the final rock band to perform on-field at Veterans Stadium, and the first rock band to perform on-field at Citizens Bank Park.

Outside performances also include the Lakewood Blue Claws, Aberdeen IronBirds, Olivet Boys & Girls Club, and the old Tommy’s Café.

The Mascot Band even performed on a float in the Reading Holiday Parade for a number of years, including back-to-back first place awards in the corporate float division in 2018 & 2019.

After the band became popular at FirstEnergy Stadium, the organization began scheduling pre and post game concerts from the local community on a regular basis.

In 2011, inspired by the growth of live music at the ballpark due to the evolution of the Mascot Band, the R-Phils constructed a permanent stage with built-in sound system as part of a 10-million-dollar renovation project. As a result, thousands of Berks musicians from school groups to adult bands have been able to perform at America’s Classic Ballpark.

The Mascot Band promotes not only learning music theory at a young age, but also discovering playing with a love of music. Their philosophy is that everyone should play an instrument at some point in their life. “You should practice often, with the goal of becoming the best musician possible, however, don’t wait until you’re an expert to just get up in front of your family and friends and HAVE FUN playing music!”

The Mascot Band will begin their 20th season at America’s Classic Ballpark on Saturday, May 8th. Don’t miss a part of Reading history, come out and enjoy the pregame concert and Happy Hour at the stadium beginning at 4:45 PM.

America's Classic Ballpark is proud to be a part of Pennsylvania's Americana Region and was voted the #1 stadium in all of Double-A by MiLB's Ben Hill. Follow the R-Phils at rphils.com, on Twitter and TikTok at @ReadingFightins, on Instagram @fightins, and like them on Facebook via www.facebook.com/fightins for all information.