Who's In Charge of Music For Our Stadium?

[DiamondM]

"Homey, it's game time! Get your hands up!"

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

Why?

Because at almost all major sporting events they
play that type of music. Have you been to a Stars, Cowboys, or
Mavericks game in the last century? The Mustang Band should
and will get most of the slots....but I say add a spot or two
of pump your fist music as well.

Dont be such a "control freak" with the "it's gotta all be my way
or the highway".....there's nothing wrong with mixing in
some trendy music along with the regular band.

UT's students show up and they don't play rock and hip hop on the PA.
A&M's students show up and they don't play rock and hip hop on the PA.

If that is in fact true....so the hell what?
We aren't Texas or Texas A&M....thats the point.

Hell, most high schools have more students show up to games
than SMU does, and most of them don't play rock and hip hop on
the PA.

Some do - some don't.

College football and marching band music go together.

Can you not read? I stated the Mustang Band should
be the musical foundation of the gameday experience.

Oh, by the way, every student I've talked to

well that settles it then!

says that the Mustang Band is the best part of the games,
but they wish we played more.

yeah sure 19, 20, and 21 year olds would cringe at hearing
some trendy music mixed in every once in awhile at games!

I remember a couple of years ago when they played some
hip hop the whole team started bouncing as did the student
section.....

don't be such a control freak fuddy duddy!

[PK]

Why?

Because at almost all major sporting events they
play that type of music. Have you been to a Stars, Cowboys, or
Mavericks game in the last century?

You are refering to professional sports. That's all they have to offer...that and their "cheerleaders". College sports are and should be a different animal. College sports have their own unique atmosphere and should not try to emulate professional sports. Watch a major college football game on TV with competing bands and all the other uniquely college traditions and tell me it is not a more electric atmosphere than the contrived atmosphere of a pro game. I prefer watching a college game any day over a pro game...and I don't think I am the only one who feels that way.

[ClassOf81]

Oh, by the way, every student I've talked to says that the Mustang Band is the best part of the games, but they wish we played more.

Are you talking to any students who aren't also members of the Mustang Band?

I love the band — especially for their groundskeeping work at Froggy High — but the music, while traditional, is just too damned antiquated. Tossing out a collection of Broadway hits and Bennie Goodman's Big Band hits from the '40s was great 50 years ago, but play something with more of a college sports feel to it. I'm not suggesting they have to play the SportsCenter theme all game long (although it would be entertaining after SMU touchdowns). Listen to what other college bands play (I know ... we're not other colleges. No need to say it — I get that). They mix in their "Rocky Top" or whatever their traditional songs are, but they also play music that the students might recognize.

[DiamondM75]

Why?

Because at almost all major sporting events they
play that type of music. Have you been to a Stars, Cowboys, or
Mavericks game in the last century?

You are refering to professional sports. That's all they have to offer...that and their "cheerleaders". College sports are and should be a different animal. College sports have their own unique atmosphere and should not try to emulate professional sports. Watch a major college football game on TV with competing bands and all the other uniquely college traditions and tell me it is not a more electric atmosphere than the contrived atmosphere of a pro game. I prefer watching a college game any day over a pro game...and I don't think I am the only one who feels that way.

And don't forget, piped in music is REAL CHEAP!!!!

Maximize profit.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

You are refering to professional sports.

Oh really?

That's all they have to offer...that and their "cheerleaders".

No it's one part of an entertainment package.

College sports are and should be a different animal.

College and Pro sports present an "entertainment
package" & they both should take advantage of entertainment tools
including varieties of music.

College sports have their own unique atmosphere and should
not try to emulate professional sports.

Playing cool music for a segment of the crowd is not
"trying to emulate" anything..... Any more that selling t-shirts
and popcorn at both events.

Watch a major college football game on TV with competing bands and all the other uniquely college traditions and tell me it is not a more electric atmosphere than the contrived atmosphere of a pro game. I prefer watching a college game any day over a pro game...and I don't think I am the only one who feels that way.

I agree, I much prefer the college game, but again
you're not the only one in the stands...we must appeal and do what
we can to attract a wide audience....the reason I prefer the college
game is for many reasons but it certainly is not because they dont
play as much recorded music as a pro game. It's the entire package...
and we can just agree to disagree that dropping in a
small amount of hip music to a college game day experience
damages that entertainment package. Still like I said the Mustang
Band would be the primary source of music. The Mustang Band
would get 90% of the time slots...but I say use all the tools
in your arsenal!

[lwjr]

Maybe if we start winning more students and fans will show up. Funny thing, when we start winning it will not matter what music is being played.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

Funny thing, when we start winning it will not matter what music is being played.

Are you saying it won't matter if the Mustang Band
stays in the dorms on game day as long as we are winning?
No No No No No!

[lwjr]

Funny thing, when we start winning it will not matter what music is being played.

Are you saying it won't matter if the Mustang Band
stays in the dorms on game day as long as we are winning?
No No No No No!

Now Now Now, you know what I mean.

[CalallenStang]

Oh, by the way, every student I've talked to says that the Mustang Band is the best part of the games, but they wish we played more.

Are you talking to any students who aren't also members of the Mustang Band?

I love the band — especially for their groundskeeping work at Froggy High — but the music, while traditional, is just too damned antiquated. Tossing out a collection of Broadway hits and Bennie Goodman's Big Band hits from the '40s was great 50 years ago, but play something with more of a college sports feel to it. I'm not suggesting they have to play the SportsCenter theme all game long (although it would be entertaining after SMU touchdowns). Listen to what other college bands play (I know ... we're not other colleges. No need to say it — I get that). They mix in their "Rocky Top" or whatever their traditional songs are, but they also play music that the students might recognize.

I've talked to probably 75% of the students that actually show up for games that aren't in the Mustang Band, and they all consistently compliment the Mustang Band.

And last time I checked, most of the songs the Mustang Band plays as stand tunes are from the 70s and 80s. Not exactly old time music, but to be fair, it's not the latest and greatest either.

But the band did do a Christina Aguilara show in 2007. Is that up-to-date enough?

If that is in fact true....so the hell what?
We aren't Texas or Texas A&M....thats the point.

we need to get more young people
involved at SMU and not just appeal to the blue-hairs and
toupee crowd that cry foul anytime something changes
from "the way it's always been done around here".

Can't have it one way or the other...are we going to attract students to attend games in numbers like UT and A&M (adjusted for size of student body), or do you just want student attendance to stay the same?

The school pipes in a lot of music already. Off the top of my head, there's "Don't stop Bo-Levi'n" and that God-awful "S-S-S M-M-M UUUUUUUUUU" rap before kickoff, not to mention other things they play during the games. Has it done anything for student attendance? No.

Did the Pirates of the Caribbean music at the beginning of basketball games get our student section fired up? No.

In order to attract students to games, one thing must change: the quality of the team. The music variety is fine.






Oh, and I'm no control freak. No part of my post has any sort of "it's gotta all be my way or the highway" vibe. I simply offer my viewpoint, just as you do.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

Oh, and I'm no control freak. No part of my post has any sort of "it's gotta all be my way or the highway" vibe.

yes it does....i stated the Mustang band would be the
primary source of music and we should have some piped in tunes...
you then asked "why?"...as in "why should we do that"?

then you give a bunch of reason of why that should not happen.
that leads one to think you want band music only.

i say lets do a bit of both.
let everybody get some of what they want.....broaden the appeal
you want only the kind of music that appeals to you...thus "control freak"

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

Can't have it one way or the other...are we going to attract students to attend games in numbers like UT and A&M (adjusted for size of student body), or do you just want student attendance to stay the same?

And the same question goes to you?

Is the overwhelmingly Mustang band played music filling the stands just like at UT?

Is that working?

Or do you want it "to stay the same"?

[mrydel]

I want them to start having football games at hip hop concerts.

[PK]

Still like I said the Mustang
Band would be the primary source of music. The Mustang Band
would get 90% of the time slots...but I say use all the tools
in your arsenal!

That's fine, but that is not what has been happening. The Mustang Band often gets drowned out by the canned music over the PA.

I don't think we are going to get more people to the game because we throw in some hip hop music...it is the winning that is going to grow the fan base. As for what other schools are doing, I do not recall hearing piped in music being played over the PA systems of the TV games I have watched.

College and Pro sports present an "entertainment
package" & they both should take advantage of entertainment tools
including varieties of music.

You miss my point...they are different animals, i.e., different types of " entertainment". The game day experience of a college game is different than that of a pro game and IMHO it should remain that way. We can have some variety of music, both by the band and some PA stuff thrown in, but the mix given us the last few years is leaning too much towards show biz and not college football.

Yes, I think tradition in college football is important...that's what makes it appealing...once again, IMHO.

[DiamondM75]

Here is an interest fact about the college vs. pro football experience.

In the 70's and 80's, when pro football was starting to take over the sports market, the SWC prohibited member bands from performing at pro football games. The SWC wanted to keep the college football experience and make the pro's find their own experience.

The Dallas Cowboys asked the SMU Band to perform several times and SMU had to refuse. So the Cowboys hired Bill Lively (yes, the same guy that raised the money for the Winspear and is now the Super Bowl Committee president) to form a band.

Bill proceded to get a bunch of SMU band members, alums and other local amateur musicians to perform at Cowboy games.

This was too expensive for the Dallas Cowboys, not that they had to pay the musicians, but they had to give up revenue from the seats the band occupied. Piped in music is a lot cheaper.