“Listen to what I’m sayin’, is it really what you want me to hear?
Back in the saddle baby, cos I’m never gonna disappear
I know for a fact that my mind’s in a mess but my conscience is clear
So all that I’m sayin’ is that the progress stops here”
“If It Ain’t Broke, Break It” – Orange Goblin
Those that know me will tell you that the movie “Slap Shot” is possibly my favourite film of all time and for a multitude of reasons too long to list here. It may possibly also be worth pointing out that whilst just about everyone that owns a personalised Charlestown Chiefs jersey displays the name and number of one of the Hanson brothers (despite their actual names not adorning the shirts in the film – nit picking much?), I’ve always personally felt more of an affinity with Reggie Dunlop. Maybe it’s an age thing?
With that in mind, upon taking a very rare period-break wander around the rink during the Cardiff game, when someone approached and (I guess) jokingly told me to “get the bloody drums back in 113!”, I couldn’t help but think of Reggie being asked by a fan “Why don’t you get the powerplay together?” and replying “Yeah, we’re working on it” (Hockey fans that don’t know the film practically word-for-word will have to trust me on this one). It was certainly the final inspiration needed to make a long and very difficult decision – I’d like to think it was a sign from the Hockey Gods, and lets face it, they certainly move in mysterious ways… (some would say a bit like DOPS in that regard, eh Flyers fans? 😉 )
Taking the (now possibly infamous) poll results out of the equation for a second, the only other real feedback I’d received about the move across the rink had been from someone that had tried block 106 for the Guildford game, enjoyed the experience but ultimately had an understandable issue with the sightlines. Admittedly, I’d read comments and received messages from people about the great atmosphere for both the Sheffield and Cardiff games, but I maintain that was very little to do with the drums or even where they were positioned. Both games had the huge advantage of building up to a thrilling climax through two slightly different routes – the Sheffield game only really came alive when we scored early in the third period, giving a huge momentum boost that was built upon and maintained for the rest of the game, whilst the Cardiff game was a result of a huge amount of tension and then relief when we scored the empty-netter. Neither night matched the general atmosphere of the Flames game which was slightly disappointing (if some would say, entirely predictable) and in the case of the Devils match, it was actually quiet even by the comparison of an average night in 113 (an attempt to get a mid-game chant of the familiar “Oh when the Storm…” going resulted in just a handful of us singing and giving up half way through)
One thing I’d tried to do was to get some neutral feedback on how the “106 experiment” sounded from other parts of the rink. I knew someone that I could rely on to give me an unbiased opinion that was sat in 113 for the Sheffield game (more due to an unfortunate set of circumstances rather than personal choice sadly, but it certainly helped in the long run, although I’m not sure if that’s any sort of consolation). The general feeling was that without the drums and despite the valiant efforts of a couple of regulars, the atmosphere there was pretty much flat, with little take-up of songs and chants (although it was noted that 114 was actually louder than normal). The other worrying thing was it appeared that it was possibly only a few of us at the back of 106 really getting into things too
It may also be worth bearing in mind that outside of Facebook and the occasional tweet, maybe people didn’t know of the intention to try something new? As mentioned previously, I’ve been loathe to have a particular area officially christened “The Thunder Block” until all prospective avenues have been explored, so that immediately put things at a disadvantage as that was something that was done via social media for the Guildford game. Having said that, it’s also worth noting that a number of the familiar 113/114 regulars/noise-makers chose to stay in their normal seats that night, so that may no count for anything
In conclusion, it was certainly an interesting experiment, but the general feeling was that it looks like the Guilford game was a one off sadly, but if you don’t try you don’t find out. As a result, the drums will be back in block 113 permanently for the upcoming Guildford game onwards, but it’s also been a valuable learning experience from a number of different perspectives.
I was recently talking to a football following mate and we were comparing our chosen sports against the respective German counterparts where “Ultras” are a big part of the atmosphere. We both came to the conclusion that the reason for the differences in attitude was possibly a culture thing, although there was also the thought that as we both come from a “rock music/gig going” background, we may have an appreciation for all things loud that isn’t necessarily shared with the average sports fan. As I’ve never attended what I guess you would call a “pop concert”, I’m guessing that attitudes are different in a more “mainstream music” environment, so maybe I’m on to a loser by aiming to attempt to recreate an “as close to a DEL atmosphere as possible” at Alty as there may not be the call for it after all
Whatever the outcome, some may be relieve to hear that I’ve still no plans to hang the drumsticks up any time soon. Despite my advancing age, in much the same way that the concept of watching a gig whilst sitting down is something I don’t think I’ll ever get my head around (you’ll still find me somewhere down the front when I’m watching a band where possible), I can’t imagine trying to watch a game and staying silent (hard enough keeping quiet when watching NHL on the tv!)
There you go, just over 1,000 words and only one mention of the Fife game 😉
Drumming Up A Storm 