Marketing department

[Old guy]

1 hour ago, Billiken Rich said:

I like the music.  I often download it later because I'd never hear it anywhere else in life.  How old am I?

That depends on whether you are wearing a hearing aid or not. If you are you may not hear much of anything other than very loud volume stuff (after you turn off the hearing aid before it blows your eardrums off in the high decibel level of the stadium).

[Pistol]

The players like it, too, FWIW.

I remember one year (2002? 2003?) when they used the opening of Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' in the intros before the first game or two. Then the next game it was gone and players were like, "Hey, where'd that track go?" It turned out that some of our older fans were offended by the use of this particular artist, I believe. Combination of too loud and too offensive to their fragile sensibilities, even though that track is basically an inspirational pump-up song.

Sigh.

[hsmith19]

15 minutes ago, Pistol said:

The players like it, too, FWIW.

I remember one year (2002? 2003?) when they used the opening of Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' in the intros before the first game or two. Then the next game it was gone and players were like, "Hey, where'd that track go?" It turned out that some of our older fans were offended by the use of this particular artist, I believe. Combination of too loud and too offensive to their fragile sensibilities, even though that track is basically an inspirational pump-up song.

Sigh.

I remember that, and assumed that was the reason. Snowflakes before that term became a thing.

[Pistol]

I mean, people say they want a better atmosphere at home games and then tell surveys from the AD that the music is too loud. We have the "turn it down" old fans and we need the "turn it up" set:

I go to a decent amount of Xavier games every season (my wife's family has season tickets) and they do an intro that the past couple seasons has had Christopher Nolan blockbuster-style music along with a video of the players dunking all over the city, and they shoot flames up on both ends of the court. People seem to love it.

In short, old people should not be deciding what the atmosphere at a college sporting event should be. The survey should also be sent to students, and not just the people who head out at the under-4 timeout to catch the golf cart to the Olive-Compton garage before the line gets too long.

[cgeldmacher]

2 hours ago, billiken_roy said:

once we truly have thousands of students packing chaifetz, fine play the crap that the last few intro videos have featured, but honestly we have less than 100 students at the game.   so why are we playing to them to "pump up the crowd"?   there are plenty of music selections that the crowd would respond to that would more than do the job.   find a good bruno mars song, or a beyonce or rihanna or carrie underwood, etc.   heck i'd just as soon listen to the william tell overture than that nonsense that was with the intro video last year.   

I think it's more for the players and for recruits.  It may not be our cup of tea, but that's the kind of intro that kids want, because that's what they see in the NBA.

[Billiken Rich]

And Carrie Underwood and Bruno Mars haven't pumped anyone up ever.  If you don't like hip hop,  AC/DC would sound great.....Thunderstruck comes to mind.  Of course that would be almost as offensive to the blue hairs....   

[billiken_roy]

i have NO problem with the lights out, spotlights, video of the players on the big screens, the volume.   i just want a real song.    you know something you can whistle or hum a tune to.   if you cant whistle or hum it, it isnt a song.   

actually maybe the game producers real mission is "what can we do to take the heat off of gus?"   because as bad as gus is, as i experience the beginning of introductions, i always say to myself, get to the intros asap so i dont have to listen to this painful noise.  

[slufan13]

I think last year's video was terrible but the few years before that were really good. The music probably plays a little too long but the game isn't going to start until a certain time anyway so I don't really care how they fill those extra 10 seconds. 

[billiken_roy]

5 minutes ago, Billiken Rich said:

And Carrie Underwood and Bruno Mars haven't pumped anyone up ever.  If you don't like hip hop,  AC/DC would sound great.....Thunderstruck comes to mind.  Of course that would be almost as offensive to the blue hairs....   

rich my point was just that there are current artists that actually can sing a tune.   i'd be fine with old school like ac/dc or guns and roses, etc.    and i do want the volume way up.    

[billikenfan05]

15 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

i have NO problem with the lights out, spotlights, video of the players on the big screens, the volume.   i just want a real song.    you know something you can whistle or hum a tune to.   if you cant whistle or hum it, it isnt a song.   

actually maybe the game producers real mission is "what can we do to take the heat off of gus?"   because as bad as gus is, as i experience the beginning of introductions, i always say to myself, get to the intros asap so i dont have to listen to this painful noise.  

I can whistle and/or hum to both purple Lamborghini and All The Way Up

[Pistol]

1 hour ago, billiken_roy said:

i have NO problem with the lights out, spotlights, video of the players on the big screens, the volume.   i just want a real song.    you know something you can whistle or hum a tune to.   if you cant whistle or hum it, it isnt a song.   

actually maybe the game producers real mission is "what can we do to take the heat off of gus?"   because as bad as gus is, as i experience the beginning of introductions, i always say to myself, get to the intros asap so i dont have to listen to this painful noise.  

Roy, we got a pair of these for my son before last basketball season. They work well, from what I can tell. He doesn't whine at all during the intros or at other times when music is playing. Let me know if you want to send you a link to order a pair.

[Old guy]

Cute happy looking kid with his hearing protectors Pistol. All the best.

[brianstl]

1 hour ago, Billiken Rich said:

And Carrie Underwood and Bruno Mars haven't pumped anyone up ever.  If you don't like hip hop,  AC/DC would sound great.....Thunderstruck comes to mind.  Of course that would be almost as offensive to the blue hairs....   

AC/DC is always a correct answer when it comes to sporting events.  They aren't my favorite group ever, but their music really works at sporting events.  Eminem, G n' R, 50, Queen, Ozzy, White Stripes, Metallica, Blur, Nas, Jay Z, Rage, Public Enemy, Oasis, Biggie all have songs that work.  None of them have as many as AC/DC.

I think the Billikens should use Ricky Hatton's version of Blue Moon.  The blue hairs would love the first minute at least.

[wgstl]

2 minutes ago, brianstl said:

 

I think the Billikens should use Ricky Hatton's version of Blue Moon.  The blue hairs would love the first minute at least.

My favorite sports team already uses Blue Moon, why not have my other favorite team share it. 

[Pistol]

5 hours ago, billiken_roy said:

once we truly have thousands of students packing chaifetz, fine play the crap that the last few intro videos have featured, but honestly we have less than 100 students at the game.   so why are we playing to them to "pump up the crowd"?   there are plenty of music selections that the crowd would respond to that would more than do the job.   find a good bruno mars song, or a beyonce or rihanna or carrie underwood, etc.   heck i'd just as soon listen to the william tell overture than that nonsense that was with the intro video last year.   

I don't know how I missed this post before, but:

[Billiken Rich]

I promise I won't pick on Roy anymore today but I just had a vision of two basketball teams looking up to the heavens as the Billiken intros run to a screaming loud Carrie Underwood........... 

 

Sorry Roy,

Rich

[Adman]

2 hours ago, cgeldmacher said:

I think it's more for the players and for recruits.  It may not be our cup of tea, but that's the kind of intro that kids want, because that's what they see in the NBA.

Correct. Less about the fans, more about players and recruits.

Also agree with earlier comment that the intros are too long. Shorter, more impactful needed - regardless of artist.

[gobillsgo]

If you want to hear something you can hum a tune to, go watch the Equestrian world championships.  Our roster is predominately 18-22 year old African American men. There's gonna be rap music. They're getting ready to play a basketball game, not restring their badminton racquet. Sorry about it. 

 

For how much the older generation likes to preach about millennials' sense of entitlement, they sure like to complain about things like rap music and expired coupons to Schnuck's. 

[bonwich]

One other tangential issue here is The Band, which really does come close to being the world's greatest pep band. More piped-in music = less band. Yeah, sure, the young'uns perhaps don't have as much appreciation for live music as did prior generations, but there's no doubt that The Band has endeared itself to any number of players, most notably the foreign ones. (Not to mention you can't pipe in a pre-recorded custom "Hey, Baby."  )

 

[gobillsgo]

16 minutes ago, bonwich said:

One other tangential issue here is The Band, which really does come close to being the world's greatest pep band. More piped-in music = less band. Yeah, sure, the young'uns perhaps don't have as much appreciation for live music as did prior generations, but there's no doubt that The Band has endeared itself to any number of players, most notably the foreign ones. (Not to mention you can't pipe in a pre-recorded custom "Hey, Baby."  )

 

I'm a relative young'un and I love the band and their music. Add in that they often outnumber the students/account for more chants than the Slunatics and I'd never recommend getting rid of the band. 

With that said, let's not pretend the players would rather be listening to AC/DC than Kendrick Lamar. (Not directed at you, Bonwich, but more the board in general)

[bonwich]

One other tangential remark and then I'll have wasted enough time that I can go home from work: Every time The Band plays "Born To Be Wild," it strikes me what the crazy guy in the red flannel lumberjack shirt (and the rest of the student section, which sat lower level center court in those days) would have said if you'd told him back in about 1970 that the SLU band would one day be playing Steppenwolf at the games.  

[RiseOfTheBillikens]

This will forever be the best billiken intro. I'll never forget the VCU game when this came on.... Gives me goosebumps today. If you don't get pumped for stuff like this than you don't need to get the stadium atmosphere. Stay at home.

[billikenfan05]

1 hour ago, RiseOfTheBillikens said:

This will forever be the best billiken intro. I'll never forget the VCU game when this came on.... Gives me goosebumps today. If you don't get pumped for stuff like this than you don't need to get the stadium atmosphere. Stay at home.

13-14 with the dark knight rises score was better imo

 

[brianstl]

1 hour ago, gobillsgo said:

I'm a relative young'un and I love the band and their music. Add in that they often outnumber the students/account for more chants than the Slunatics and I'd never recommend getting rid of the band. 

With that said, let's not pretend the players would rather be listening to AC/DC than Kendrick Lamar. (Not directed at you, Bonwich, but more the board in general)

We can say the music is about firing up the players, but it is really about creating an atmosphere more for than the fans that gets them into it.

You think Jordan, Pippen, Oakley and Rodman were getting fired up by hearing Europe and The Alan Parsons Project? No, but it was part of creating an atmosphere in the building that would fire up anyone.  The goal should be creating an atmosphere in the building with the fans that players want to play in front of.

[NextYearBill]

I hope our intro this year is the most loud gangster rap we've ever heard.