If I programmed music for the Red Wings
My husband has become accustomed to this scene as we watch a Red Wings game: the players are skating into faceoff position, nothing of relevance is happening on the ice, but suddenly his wife lets out a groan of disgust. What’s the problem? The arena music.
This is one of those silly side issues that turned into a major annoyance for me this season. It started simply: the first time I went to a game at Joe Louis Arena, I was stunned that the Red Wings didn’t have a live organist. Huh? The Sabres have an organist who leads cheers, pumps up the crowd, and lends spontaneity to the music selection. I put up with all that Original Six trash talk from my husband and a 1970 expansion team has a more traditional approach? (To be fair, I had never heard The Hockey Song until I moved here, but isn’t that a Canadian thing?)
Putting that aside, I’ve become increasingly critical of the recorded music choices during Red Wings games. I don’t know who makes the choices — there’s no music director listed on the Red Wings front office page — but I’d be gunning for his (or her) job if I knew who he (or she) was.
Complaint #1: Bad timing. The point of the music is not just to amuse the audience for a few seconds at a time, but to help drive the mood. When the team is in the third overtime of a Stanley Cup Finals game, for instance, the fans are tense and tired. You need to bring out the upbeat tunes that will get fans clapping and singing along. Get them out of their worry and back into cheering on the team.
Complaint #2: Lack of originality. Most of the songs that are played in Detroit are played in Buffalo. And Boston. And DC. And Dallas. And San Jose. Blah.
Complaint #3: This is Motown, for heaven’s sake! The list of musical acts from here would put other hockey cities to shame, but their music is rarely played during games. Maybe Kid Rock’s “Cowboy” now and then (”Bawitdaba” would be a better choice for a few bars of music, btw). If I were in charge, I’d institute a policy that at least 50% of the songs used would have a connection to the area. Let the TV audience and the other team know they’re in DETROIT, damn it!
