Changed my mind - I'm all in for the RAWK music
I was admittedly skeptical about the piped in music when I heard about it and cringed when I heard we played Sweet Caroline at the WMU game. I decided I'd withhold judgment until I saw it in person at the ND game. After seeing it in person I will say that I am now in support of the piped in music. The atmosphere at the game was incredible and the music definitely got the those not in the student section up on their feet and cheering moreso than what they would have done otherwise. I've been to a lot of big home games over the past 10 years or so ('97 ND, '97 OSU, '02 Washington, '03 Ohio St., '04 MSU, '05 Penn St) and the atmosphere at the game Saturday was better than any of them.
I thought they were judicious with the use of the piped in music and it was not excessive at all. I was not thrilled with the selection - particularly Journey Don't Stop Believin and White Stripes' Seven Nation Army as those are very cliched and overplayed. Eminem's Lose Yourself, on the other hand, was all kinds of awesome, the student section went nuts for it.
They need to work on queuing up the songs so that you get the good part of the song (in Lose Yourself, they played it a couple times but didn't get past the piano intro part). They played them at the right part of the game for the most part and it had a tangible effect on crowd participation.
The notion that the band can play the songs is absurd - you literally cannot hear the band in large portions of the stadium.
I do have a couple of song suggestions:
- Eminem's Welcome to Detroit City
- Coheed and Cambria - Welcome Home
-
September 14th, 2009 at 3:09 PM ^
The players seem to like it and are having fun/dancing on the field when it comes on so I'm good with it for that reason alone.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:09 PM ^
no on all counts.
no to rap, no to shitty rock music.
no to piped in music when we have a band.
no to the loss of our musical tradition.
no to the loss of a college atmosphere.
just no.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:21 PM ^
even more depressing than this photo was the fact that people were actually jingling their keys at the bar.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:41 PM ^
So you are basing your opinion from the bar? Good to know.
September 14th, 2009 at 4:45 PM ^
Considering I graduated and left Michigan, then yes.
September 14th, 2009 at 6:00 PM ^
Double Post
September 14th, 2009 at 3:56 PM ^
There was a point late in the game where the camera panned to a guy wearing an M hat. Any guesses what he was doing?
Janglin' keys.
September 15th, 2009 at 2:41 AM ^
YES! The CMU fan in the Michigan hat doing the effing key play made me laugh and cry all at once.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:13 PM ^
Just so you know, the college atmosphere includes party music. If you don't believe me go to the corner of Hoover and State before the game.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:19 PM ^
I'm well aware. I lived at 927.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:58 PM ^
sullying the block M.
September 14th, 2009 at 8:58 PM ^
it's attempting to arm wrestle Tacopants. Add foolish to sullying.
September 15th, 2009 at 2:51 AM ^
I'm not sure how often you get out to college football games anywhere but Michigan, but college atmosphere these days == piped in music at the stadium.
Unfortunately, I can't find any videos old enough, but this cool tradition at your local university was born from piped in music:
September 14th, 2009 at 3:11 PM ^
Welcome home would be FANTASTIC. I wasn't too keen on the music either, but I have heard the same thing about when Eminem came on and the student section was definitely into Journey for some reason (I think they only know it from Rock Band). I have since at least opened my mind to it.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:25 PM ^
Students were into it because of the "Born and raised in South Detroit" part, similar to how they play that part at Red Wings games.
September 14th, 2009 at 5:34 PM ^
because it's just distant enough to be retro-cool, and there's just enough irony in the synthesizers that everyone can be way into the band without being forced to remember Steve Perry's shitty hair. It's nostalgia without any regret, the provenance of college kids.
That and it was on Laguna Beach, back when half the student body was in their formative years.
September 14th, 2009 at 5:36 PM ^
I think that song was played at every college party I went to.... but I am constantly baffled that anyone thinks they're any good
This video is all you need to know about Journey's immeasurably vast distance from any rational definition of "cool"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxxOyGK1pMk
No respect warranted, whatsoever, for anything they've done, ever.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:11 PM ^
The Eminem song would have been good if they would have started playing it at the right spot. That song has like a 45 second intro and neither time that they played it did it get anywhere near the part where the song actually starts.
Overall though I agree, not as bad as expected and it did also help keep the crowd into it. Seven Nation Army is good for that.
September 17th, 2009 at 10:54 PM ^
Please no more Seven Nation Army. They play it at the 'shoe down south. 'shudder'
September 14th, 2009 at 3:19 PM ^
Wasnt' bad and I come from the no rawk music background. I think Michigan needs to find a song or two that are unique, not over played in similar situations in other stadiums and make it its signature. Not sure Eminem is the look we are going for even though i like that he is from Detroit. I do not have the answer but seems like someone in the AD getting paid a lot of money can do the research and find the right song to start a new tradition.
September 15th, 2009 at 2:21 AM ^
Not the most upbeat song but with the michigan ties Main St. by Bob Seger would seem to fit the bill. I have read he wrote that about MainSt. in Ann Arbor as he grew up there. Plus, it helps the stadium is at 1201 S. Main.
September 15th, 2009 at 2:55 AM ^
I can think of no worse "POWER UP" song than Main Street. About the street the stadium is on or not.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:22 PM ^
as a long-time season ticket holder, i was skeptical at first. but i thought "seven nation army" really helped getting the crowd into it in the 4Q. the tight game helped too. i think this could add to an intimidation factor.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:30 PM ^
I am generally against piped in music at colleges, as it makes the stadium experience more generic (I unofficially counted five schools that used Seven Nation Army, one of my personal favorite songs, this Saturday alone, and I missed all the 3:30pm games b/c I was the stadium). But used judiciously and in at least a somewhat unique way from other schools, it can make the crowd more into it during the interminable TV timeouts and the players seems to like certain songs (e.g., Lose Yourself and Seven Nation Army), so I'll live.
One thing has bothered me: I've seen/heard numerous folks on WTKA/mgoblog, "That was the loudest crowd ever!" and pair that right along with the fact piped in music is now played. I agree the crowd was really loud, but wouldn't you say the fact that it was (in my opinion, and I don't think this a stretch) one of the 2-3 most exciting games at U of M in the last 25+ years had by far the most to do with it? Let's see how jacked everyone gets during the Delaware State game during "Welcome to the Jungles" to see how much of a difference the music makes.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:40 PM ^
I've pretty much been to every home game for the past 6 years and I think that bar none that was the loudest that I've ever seen in the big house.
Could part of it be:
1. Rawk Music at opportune times (hell yes especially after demoralizing parts of a game)
2. The construction
September 14th, 2009 at 3:53 PM ^
Regarding WMU, you can't really be saying (besides this Saturday's ND) that was the loudest you've ever heard the Big House?! Even louder than the Manningham game against PSU, the 3 OT game against MSU, etc?
I've been going to games since the early 90's and have been to plenty of games where it was louder than WMU (and plenty where it was quieter). Howeva:
- I believe the construction makes a difference. I don't remember the PA Announcer "bouncing back/echoing" like it does now, and assume crowd noise similarly is now more contained. That makes it generally louder, rock music or no.
- I agree that many people at WMU definitely sang along to Sweet Caroline (shudder) and got more "into it" -- I also remember the first few times the band played "Livin' on a Prayer" a few years ago and people went similarly nuts for that. I noticed when it was played on Sat. by the band, people didn't respond as loudly, so maybe people are now a bit over it? I don't know.
September 14th, 2009 at 5:34 PM ^
because I heard it at least 3-4 times at Hoover and State before the game and they were into it. My concern is the song selection. Personally, I don't want to hear the same songs every week ie AC/DC, Welcome to the Jungle, Don't stop Believing. Each week needs to be unique otherwise it will get stale real quick.
September 14th, 2009 at 5:49 PM ^
It will take some creativity for this to really work, and when you're programming a set list for 100,000+, you're not going to go to far outside a comfort zone, no matter how cool/good/appropriate a song is (I mean, as much as I think a song like "Waiting Room" from Fugazi gets you pumped up, album sales show most people disagree, so no way should they play it).
Thus, I worry it will get stale and generic (except for perhaps 1 or 2 songs) real quick, detracting in a small, but real way, from the uniqueness of the U of M experience.
September 14th, 2009 at 8:48 PM ^
I recall reading that Bill Martin personally pre-screens all of the rawk music, and has thus far only approved ~20 songs. As much as I would love it, I don't see Bill Martin devoting too much time to sifting through RR's i-pod.
Hopefully now that the music has received some positive reaction from the crowd/players, he will be comfortable delegating his song selection duties (I'm sure the DJ from Touchdowns could use some money for warm blankets this fall).
EDIT: I see below that the song selector has been located. Kudos, tell him to read our blog!
September 15th, 2009 at 12:08 AM ^
Piped in music brought some energy back into the crowd, especially when the momentum was on ND's side and it seemed like ND was outplaying us (this was several occasions throughout the game). Without the piped in music, the crowd wouldn't have been as loud on some of those third downs when we were on defense and didn't seem to have momentum. Without the music, I bet the players wouldn't have been as energized, either.
To the poster way above who said that the piped in music is destroying the college atmosphere: what, exactly, do you consider a college atmosphere? No offense, but this is the 21st century and while I do admit I'd love for Michigan football to remain completely unique, we still are even with piped in music.
We're #1 in wins all-time, #1 in win percentage, most championships, and the list goes on. And the band still plays Temptation on fourth down, The Victors after touchdowns, Iron Man, etc.
Piped in music is a small sacrifice for an enormous gain.
In fact, considering how loud the stadium's been the last two games, it seems almost safe to say we're having a fan renaissance in the sense that the Big House is/could be becoming a much harder place to play than it used to be.
September 15th, 2009 at 12:11 AM ^
Well-said, sir.
September 15th, 2009 at 12:56 AM ^
You're attributing the increased crowd noise way too much to the piped in music as opposed to everyone being thrilled to cheer for a winning team and the new construction. Also, whatever increase in crowd noise the music may have been responsible for, there's no guarantee that the effect won't wear off after we've heard "Welcome to the Jungle" for the 10 times. I think the novelty definitely played a role. I don't want to be stuck with piped in music in the future and have it not be making a difference.
September 15th, 2009 at 10:33 AM ^
I actually agree with you somewhat here, I really do think they should use it in careful moderation and not get carried away. If it's used sparingly enough, it shouldn't become useless.
September 17th, 2009 at 9:36 PM ^
As to your first point:
Were you there? There absolutely seems to be a correlation between the music and the crowds' intensity, at least with certain songs (there've been a couple flops).
I don't have an answer to your second point. Hopefully the AD will keep it minimal, and not go cheezy with it. It could work.
Edit: This was in response to junglechop, the threading seems to be messed up here.
September 17th, 2009 at 9:52 PM ^
Yes, I was there and yes I recognize the music did pump up the crowd. I think the crowd was significantly louder than in previous years, though, even when music wasn't played.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:36 PM ^
who is responsible for putting the music together. After the game while everyone was getting ready to go out he asked all of us that were crashing there for our honest assessments. He also gave us some feedback on what he thought. Some of what I can recall is below:
- I don't know what planet you're living on but the Seven Nation Army clip was awesome. Everyone loved it; everyone was involved and from rewatching the game it sounded great on TV. He is definitely going to keep that in the lineup.
-The Eminem clip just wasn't edited right. Too long of an intro, will be fixed for future use.
-We all told him Sweet Caroline needed to go. We were stern, I think he will oblige.
-We also all agreed that the music needs to be played at a level which provokes the crowd to drown out the music. We all really liked the subtle music clips which only made the crowd louder. We agreed that what you don't want is the music so loud that the crowd cheering is moot.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:42 PM ^
I'm not a big fan of the piped in music, but if we're gonna have it, I like the idea of the White Stripes. They're a detroit band and aren't annoyingly over the top. They play simple riffs that are easy to sing along to.
That being said, I don't endorse ALL Detroit artists. For instance, PLEASE don't let him EVER play Kid Rock.
That is all.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:43 PM ^
He's responsible for playing it, or does he have selection power (with or with out guidelines)?
Either way he will be one of the most sought after people in Ann Arbor.
Of course if you ever wanted to make his life miserable post his name, phone and e-mail address here.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:51 PM ^
he comes up with a list of songs/clips that must be approved by Bill Martin every week. As far as when/which songs are played at a given time, I am not positive so I will definitely ask.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:57 PM ^
This could the biggest case of "with great power comes great responsibility" since Spiderman. May he choose well and all the pitfalls in his way.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:55 PM ^
I thought a good example of the music starting it and then the crowd taking over was "Welcome to the Jungle" I heard the first few notes and then the crowd was just going nuts.
September 14th, 2009 at 4:23 PM ^
that was exactly our sentiment. We liked that the music triggered further noise, yet at the same time didn't overshadow the crowd.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:55 PM ^
Penn State already abuses/overuses Seven Nation Army. If not this year, then in past years. I think I remember their crowd whooping along with it during the 2006 night game, as well as a basketball upset last year.
Surprisingly, I think I can get on board with the RAWK music. I realize it's hard to do, but it would help to find something that hasn't already been abused by another school/team. Unless, of course, you don't mind being like everyone else (see: AC/DC, Journey, Guns n' Roses).
September 14th, 2009 at 4:26 PM ^
Let him know that I WANNA ROCK! ROCK!
September 16th, 2009 at 1:44 AM ^
is made of nightmares and snails, and puppy-dog tails.
It gives me the heebie-jeebies.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:38 PM ^
That Coheed and Cambria song was AWFUL--precisely the kind of RAWK music I hope we can avoid at all costs.
September 14th, 2009 at 4:01 PM ^
I'm not a fan of "Detroit City" either.
September 15th, 2009 at 12:21 AM ^
There are gun shots in Detroit City (the actual city and the song), not sure Bill Martin wants to promote or acknowledge violence.
September 17th, 2009 at 9:43 PM ^
They played T.I.P. at the spring game.