To see a video on what students think of piped music in Tiger Stadium, click here.
It’s Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, and it’s fourth-and-1.The Tigers are going for it, and the crowd is getting riled up to the sound of AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells” over the loudspeaker.Some enjoy this music, but many students may think something is wrong with this picture.Piped music has been used in Tiger Stadium for several years, and its use has increased this season.Rather than the Golden Band from Tigerland leading the student section with “Neck” or Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer,” piped music is playing.”We play the music to help keep the atmosphere alive in the stadium,” said Guy Gaster, director of marketing for the LSU Athletic Department.AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” Pink’s “So What” and T.I.’s “Whatever You Like” are some of the songs that have played in Tiger Stadium this year.The marketing department selects the songs played during the game.”Ones that have gotten more positive feedback, interaction from the crowd or players, are noted and have become more go-to,” Gaster said.A prime example of this is the intro to “Hell’s Bells,” which was played twice during the Alabama game Nov. 8.”A lot of fans began clapping along to the song, and we could see the players getting into it as well,” Gaster said. “In fact, we even got kudos from ESPN the Magazine in a recent Web article about this song in particular.”Gaster said school songs and Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” are also played frequently over the loudspeaker.”We would only play one of the school songs when it is a time that the band is not in the stands,” Gaster said.There are certain Southeastern Conference regulations that limit when the piped music can be played, such as during a timeout or official stoppage of play.But those are the same times the Tiger Band is allowed to play, and several students have shown a dislike for the use of piped music because of that.Eric Reimsnyder, finance junior, wrote a letter to the editor to the The Daily Reveille on Nov. 7, saying he felt piped music takes away from the experience of Tiger Stadium, which is different from most of the other schools in the SEC.In his letter, Reimsnyder said “there is no respectable reason to switch to this absolutely terrible form of pumping up the crowd. The mystique that is Death Valley is lost every time the band is pushed away for this terrible replacement.”Reimsnyder said Tiger Band helps create an “authentic college football atmosphere” at LSU games.Rob Dowie, Tiger Band Drum Major and business management senior, agreed that Tiger Band is a major part of the experience of Death Valley.”Live music is what makes us different from other SEC schools,” Dowie said. “The momentum that Tiger Band brings to the stadium is certainly beneficial to the morale of the student section and the rest of the stadium.”Dowie said the Troy game was a great example of how much momentum the live band and students could create to affect the game.But Dowie doesn’t feel piped music was a big issue.Gaster said the piped-in music would never be able to take away from Tiger Band.”The Tiger Band always takes priority when we are looking to keep the crowd involved in the game,” Gaster said.Gaster said the band can’t play every second of the game and the piped music helps to supplement them when they are unable to play.Some students feel the piped music has a place in Tiger Stadium.”While I feel the Tiger Band creates much of the atmosphere in Death Valley, there is something to be said about the piped music,” said Lauren Borgstede, kinesiology sophomore. “It does add to the feeling created by the band.”But many students feel piped music doesn’t help the atmosphere.”No music piped in over the speakers will ever give me chills like I get at the beginning of the fourth quarter when the band plays ‘Pregame,'” Reimsnyder said.Reimsnyder said he felt the piped music is a “slap in the face” to the band and said he spoke to some members who felt the same way.Many students feel like Tiger Band should remain at the center of game days.”The band is the heart and soul of this University,” Reimsnyder said. “By pushing them aside and playing piped music instead, I feel that we are losing what is so great about Tiger Stadium: the passionate atmosphere we pride ourselves on so much.”- – – -Contact Catie Vogels at [email protected]