Posts by Russell Brown
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Hard News: The Sound of Music, in reply to Lew Stoddart,
Oh, and the other thing about stadium atmosphere – even crowd noise is cued in. They ‘seed’ cheering, applause and so forth through the PA system so you know how to respond. I don’t know if they do it here, but it’s apparently common overseas.
I seem to recall it being tried one Super 15 season, but it’s certainly not common.
New Zealand rugby crowds are, however, notoriously passive. In part that’s our natural undemonstrative manner. But rugby also has a particular rhythm. It breaks for set pieces, which reward close observation, and then (at test level anyway) some play happens so fast that you need to pay attention to see what’s happening.
I do genuinely love that, unlike certain other codes, opposing fans sit together, or even come to the game together. Banter with the other side is good fun.
I, personally, am always happy to help the referee from the stands and, where necessary, to provide opposition players with a frank assessment of their character and technical skills. I can be quite loud.
But I still like music at games done well. During that 2005 Lions tour, playlists were strongly oriented towards New Zealand music and it really worked. Two things from the game at Wellington Stadium stay with me.
One is the NZ fans being spurred into singing by the Lions fans – you felt you had to match them. There was the cue of the music – Jesus, we’re New Zealanders, we need a little help. But realising at one point that the Lions fans had joined in singing ‘Why Does Love Do This To Me’ – that was priceless.
And then, after one of the great All Black performances, as people trailed out of the arena, some genius put Dave Dobbyn’s ‘Welcome Home’ (which came out that year) on the PA system. I sat down and enjoyed it. It sounded beautiful.
And that’s where I reckon the people programming music still miss it. Sometimes, before a big test, you do just want to enjoy that feeling of expectation. Imagine some ominous dub billowing around the stadium. Then again, I dream of hearing ‘Point That Thing Somewhere Else’ before a game, and that ain’t gonna happen.
The absolute worst thing to be blasted with: the soundtracks of TV ads. That happened to me once at North Harbour Stadium, after they’d refurbished and put in new PA system, which was about three metres away from our heads and bone-jarringly loud. I was livid about it and wrote a stern letter of complaint.
It’s all mass arousal/quiescence and crowd dynamics. (And you know who else was good at mass arousal and crowd dynamics? Yeah.)
Freddie Mercury?
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Hard News: The Sound of Music, in reply to James Butler,
My understanding is that the orchestra is pre-recorded, but the singing is all live - might be wrong though. Could find out, I haz contacts.
Could you? I'd love to know for sure.
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Hard News: The Sound of Music, in reply to Deborah,
I've been very impressed by the choirs singing the national anthems. Much better than the usual overblown cabaret warbling.
Me too. Although Dan Slevin harshed my buzz by telling me that most of what you hear on the telly is recorded, with a little live voice over the top.
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Hard News: The Sound of Music, in reply to Sacha,
I've enjoyed the mariachi trumpet but have not been able to afford to endure it at a stadium. The experience may well be more palatable diluted through the telly. Wafts of Black Eyed Peas certainly are.
In our South Stand seats at Eden Park, it was impossible to ignore the shithouse ZM rave-pop because it was really, really loud. The trumpet, I'm fine with -- it's a bit of fun. Ditto the pulse while the TMO deliberates.
I guess there must not have been any stipulation by RWC2011 Ltd about NZ music when they tendered the contract. Shame they've let down the focus on local throughout the tournament's visual branding and opening ceremony.
We were told it was chosen for "international appeal", but it seems they really went for "very cautious and extremely obvious".
Apparently the guy brought in to run it at one stadium was enthusing about one particular tune: Blur's 'Song 2'. i.e., the most overplayed ground music in all sporting history.
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Hard News: The Sound of Music, in reply to samuel walker,
It seems odd to me that out of the lanky, cleancut, pale, post dubstep contenders James Blake gets more press than Jamie Woon.
I'm only just discovering Jamie Woon -- and actually via his intriguing remix of Lana Del Rey's 'Video Games'. BUt yeah, I plan to investigate further.
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Hard News: The Sound of Music, in reply to Nick Howells,
James Blake's album is bound to be on Chris Martin's dinner party records of the year.
Oh, don't be such a grump ;-)
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Hard News: Thanks, Steve. For everything., in reply to Stephen Judd,
I see that Dennis Ritchie died today. If we are to liken Jobs to Napoleon, then Ritchie and his partner Brian Kernighan’s impact on computing could be compared to that of Mikhail Kalashnikov on modern warfare.
Quite. And Bell Labs -- what a place.
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Hard News: Dropping the Bomber, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
Hey, Hamish, thanks for leaving the Muslims, queers and godless liber-uhls out of the frame for all that. You know what, you might want to think twice about using a natural disaster that killed 181 for a cheap political drive by – then don’t do it.
I don't think Hamish was saying what you thought he said.
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Hard News: Dropping the Bomber, in reply to 3410,
Fuel oil, not crude, I’m pretty sure.
Yes, heavy fuel oil. Which I gather is nastier than crude.
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Hard News: Where are the foreigners?!, in reply to JacksonP,
I still have a soft spot for The Middle East Café on Wellesley Street. The Chawarma was always a pre or post movie favourite in the late 80s.
I think I first went there in 1983. Went back recently -- new owners, food the same yummy as ever.