Music and Sporting Events

submitted by Deena

I am often amazed by the music I hear at sporting events. A few weeks ago I went to my first Penguins game of the season and remember being pleasantly surprised at the tune selection--The White Stripes' "Icky Thump" being among them. See, even indie rock can get you pumped for the big game!

My biggest thrill was watching the little video montage that's played before the Pens come on the ice--a neat little segment that zooms around pages of a comic book of the players, giving them names like "Mr. Fantastic," "Juggernaut," and "Iceman." And it's all set to Muse's "Knights of Cydonia" on their megawatt sound system. It was actually quite exhilarating. But as I rocked out, I felt myself wondering, "Who else even appreciates this or knows who Muse is?"

I wish I could remember some of the other songs I heard that day. I do remember watching my mom and cousin bob their heads to a lot of songs I hear on regular rotation on the radio station I listen to--songs they'd probably never heard before--which I thought was cute.

At any rate, baseball season is now upon us, and I'm excited to revisit PNC Park and hear what their sound system will have to offer. Of course it will have to include their video where the Pirates and their opposing team are represented by ships, and the Pirates' cannon blows the other team's vessel away to the overly-dramatic, overly-overused "O Fortuna" from Orff's Carmina Burana. This must always be part of the game.

A couple seasons ago I heard some pop-punk/post-hardcore type band being played, obviously because the song contained the lyrics "step up to the plate." A google search and a download later I had Hidden In Plain View's "Life in Dreaming," which was a halfway decent album for their genre. So you never know what you may come across, as I've learned.

Plus, I always enjoyed hearing what songs get played before each player goes up to bat--is this truly the athlete's pick or some clever marketing ploy to position a player in a certain light? The world may never know...

YouTube: Muse, "Knights of Cydonia"

If you haven't already seen this, it's a pretty kickass video.