U2 at Sporting Events

[U2FanMN]

I was watching Hockey Night in Canada last night in what was (at least what I thought) a rare Canadien home game, and, even rarer, a game NOT involving the Leafs. Anyway, during the game, I noticed how big of an influence the guys have in the music that's played. Vertigo, of course, is their goal song and I heard Pride played for a penalty. Are there any other teams that embrace U2 as much as the Habs do?

 

[trojanchick99]

I hear Beautiful Day played over PA's during lots of football games. I know the Dodgers use it too. I love it.

U2 makes the kind of music that works at evens like these, just like Queen.

 

[liz9640]

I notice quite a few NHL teams play U2. I do believe the Canucks use to use Elevation for their goal song.

 

[chocky]

In Australia the most popular form of cricket currently is Twenty-20 (a short, 3 hour version of the normally 5-day game). This is played as a domestic game and against international teams.

And the Aussie stadiums LOVE playing U2 during matches, especially in Perth and Sydney.

At one recent match in Perth they played Elevation, Beautiful Day, Pride, Saints are Coming, Vertigo & Boots during the game. And they played Still Haven't Found during the half-time break.

 

[AiRMaRcI9o0]

If I'm not mistaken the New England Patriots typically play Elevation after they score a touchdown.

 

[bono_man2002]

maybe one day u2 will win the superbowl too.

YouTube - Beatles 3000

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Scott Podsednik, former outfielder for the Chicago White Sox, uses "Elevation" as his walk-up song.

 

[stagman]

Gold Coast Titans had Zoo Station intro to prelude some announcements on the PA

 

[The Sad Punk]

They use the intro to Zoo Station on AFL DVDs, too.

 

[VintagePunk]

A story I posted in the Montreal tour thread a while back:

A few weeks ago, my daughter was reading an article on the AV Club's website, about how Canadians felt betrayed when Gretzky was traded to LA, and she came across the story of how U2 "saved" the CFL, while reading the comments. The original post is about 3/4 of the way down the page.

"Kings Ransom" | 30 For 30 | TV Club | TV | The A.V. Club

Montreal's original CFL team folded in a disastrous manner in the late 1980s. When the CFL expanded to the US, the only success out of the bunch was the Baltimore Colts / CFLers / Stallions (the story of the name is a long one by itself), but when the remainder of the US teams folded Baltimore was moved back to Montreal instead, playing once more in the cavernous and decrepit Olympic Stadium.

In spite of being a great team, anyone who follows baseball knows how much Montrealers hated the Big O / Owe / OW by this point, so no one was showing up. The CFL as a whole was struggling at this point, with no clear signs that a new national TV contract was forthcoming beyond CBC's minimal rights fees.

Well, when they made the playoffs it turned out that U2 had the stadium booked for the entire weekend. Desperate, Montreal decided to play at Molson stadium on McGill's campus, which is basically a bunch of bleachers. They sold the game out, and suddenly football was popular in Montreal again. The next year they played all their games there and sold out every one, which has continued to this day. Playoff games, ironically enough, are at Olympic Stadium - only now, they sell THOSE out too.

The rise of football's popularity in Quebec, coinciding with baseball dying a slow death, saw ratings for all CFL games shoot up, leading to a new national TSN contract that stabilised the league, and in fact it's probably healthier now than it's been at any point since the 1970s since it's a ratings powerhouse for TSN.

But TSN wouldn't have jumped on-board like it did (ratings were hovering around the anaemic level TSN drew for non-Raptors NBA games) if Quebec hadn't gotten behind the Als, and Quebec wouldn't have gotten behind the Als had the tickets become such a hot commodity, and the tickets wouldn't have become a hot commodity had U2 not booked the stadium and forced the Als to move their game.

In other words, that's how U2 saved the CFL. And now you know.

Wikipedia seems to confirm this story:

Montreal Alouettes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When a scheduled November 1997 U2 concert conflicted with an unexpected home play-off game against the BC Lions (due to the CFL's 'cross-over' playoff format), the team decided to return temporarily to Molson Stadium, where they had played from 1954 to 1967. Interest in the team soared and the game was sold out, prompting the team to relocate permanently to the smaller venue beginning with the 1998 season. Since 1999, the Alouettes have sold out every game at the 20,202-seat stadium, located on the campus of McGill University. Currently, there are plans to enlarge the stadium's capacity.

Prior to every Sunday home game, the club plays "Sunday Bloody Sunday" over the PA system in tribute to the unintended role U2 played in saving the franchise.

 

[popacrobat]

If I'm not mistaken the New England Patriots typically play Elevation after they score a touchdown.

not anymore. they used some bon jovi song this year.

 

[popacrobat]

I hear Beautiful Day played over PA's during lots of football games. I know the Dodgers use it too. I love it.

U2 makes the kind of music that works at evens like these, just like Queen.

I believe the Dodgers take the field to Where the Streets have No Name...or they did last year at least.

 

[nielsgov]

A story I posted in the Montreal tour thread a while back:

A few weeks ago, my daughter was reading an article on the AV Club's website, about how Canadians felt betrayed when Gretzky was traded to LA, and she came across the story of how U2 "saved" the CFL, while reading the comments. The original post is about 3/4 of the way down the page.

"Kings Ransom" | 30 For 30 | TV Club | TV | The A.V. Club



Wikipedia seems to confirm this story:

Montreal Alouettes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nice story.

 

[mofo82]

maybe one day u2 will win the superbowl too.

YouTube - Beatles 3000

That's classic

 

[mofo82]

Back in the glory days of the Chicago Bulls 90's Championships ( led by Beatle Scottie Pippen and some mj guy ), Streets was played as a lead in to the opening tip-off- would raise hair on the back of your neck. They still use it towards the end of games coming out of a time-out to get people goin'

 

[cjboog]

The Seattle Mariners often play Where The Streets Have No Name at Safeco Field. I've also heard Vertigo played in that stadium.

I sometimes travel down to Arizona to watch the Mariners play spring training (pre-season) and they usually draw about 10-15,000 fans per game. If I remember right, they ALWAYS play Where The Streets Have No Name at least once each day

 

[Joey788]

When I saw the Knicks in 2008, they came out of their locker rooms before the game to Streets. It was pretty epic....unlike the rest of the game sadly.

 

[SBU2]

Beautiful day gets played at nearly every football game, and elevation sometimes.

 

[Notabene]

Heard Mysterious Ways playing in the back ground while watching the Cavs game the other night. Totally caught my attention.

 

[Nate Dogg]

I've heard Desire at many sporting events.

 

[Thora]

I notice quite a few NHL teams play U2. I do believe the Canucks use to use Elevation for their goal song.

Yup. That was a few years ago. The team comes on to the ice to Streets. It's a fantastic opener to a home game! They'll usually play one or two other songs during the games.

 

[mrakbaseball]

Back in the glory days of the Chicago Bulls 90's Championships ( led by Beatle Scottie Pippen and some mj guy ), Streets was played as a lead in to the opening tip-off- would raise hair on the back of your neck. They still use it towards the end of games coming out of a time-out to get people goin'

I doubt that. At Chicago Stadium it was usually just the end of Sirius and the intro to Eye in the Sky, at the United Center they played the intro of Right Now by Van Halen.

The Seattle Mariners often play Where The Streets Have No Name at Safeco Field. I've also heard Vertigo played in that stadium.

I sometimes travel down to Arizona to watch the Mariners play spring training (pre-season) and they usually draw about 10-15,000 fans per game. If I remember right, they ALWAYS play Where The Streets Have No Name at least once each day

The Mariners wished they drew that much during spring training.

 

[mikal]

they use Streets at Lambeau when the players run out on the field.