Regarding everything from fan experience, on field play, chants and songs, what would your senses and very soul desire at our new home in Buzzard Point?
I certainly want the SGs to put it into overdrive and provide a wall of visual and auditory mayhem that would look and sound formidable from the aspects of the field, stands and television. I would challenge others to be involved as well.
In the past, at RFK, DC United would sometimes pipe some song through the loudspeakers that no one really sang along with, as such tunes were usually milk-toast and irrelevant. I have always loved watching home games at Liverpool with "you'll never walk alone" being belted out like it was the last time they'd ever get to do it. EVERYONE participates.
Could we do such a ritualistic, full-blown, welcome-to-our-nasty-little-hate-box anthem to ensure:
1) We are all in this together. This is how you link the UltraEagleBarraBank Club, Heineken Club, Supporter Groups and the rest the fan base into one unified wall of visual and auditory intimidation for our opponents and tradition-driven, rousing encouragement for our beloved Black and Red. No more quiet side. This will get everyone into the spirit and sell a lot of scarves.
2) We look good on television. We project our love for our team, our community and each other. Crowd shots abound, both large and intimate. Grandma sees you on her TV. We make people jealous. I would love to make the nation, and maybe the world, take notice that DC is the capital of US soccer, that DC United and its fans are the ever living bomb.
3) We start a tradition, we sustain a tradition. Imagine opening day at Buzzard Point, just before or after the presentation of the colors and the singing of the national anthem. Imagine your children's children doing this.
4) It's a song anyone can take on the road. Every fan will know it. Sing it in the bars with your mates. Sing it going into an opponent's stadium together. Sing it together. Sing it in your shower.
What tune should we use? I don't want to rip off Liverpool. I do think think we can pick a song that (generally) is a tune we've heard before, like a bar song, easy to sing regardless of talent, and can have relevant lyrics written into it to make it our own.
I would humbly like to nominate "Loch Lomond" (You take the high road and I'll take the low road and I'll be in Scotland before thee, for me and my true love will never meet again on the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.). It's reasonably catchy, Irish bar song memorable, easy to sing, easy to morph with our own words. Desperate to avoid relegation, 1FC Koeln (Cologne, Germany) blasts this tune with their unique lyrics to light up Rheinenergiestadien at their home games, and it is really impressive. I bet there is stuff on the web some of you tech gods can pull down.
We can get this done before we christen Buzzard Point. We can get the lyrics up on the jumbotron, the music through the sound system, use the DC United website/media/etc to make this all very clear (I will personally be willing to flog them into this). I am serious about this. It's a constructive and lasting way to make our match day something to be proud of.
So, what do you think? This is one thing that I would love to do, and I want to it with all of you until the day I die.
I bet the Commentariat has other awesome ideas, and not just about this team anthem song thingy I am proposing. Please let them fly. Please try to keep them constructive, even if you are problem solving, and don't hesitate to be funny. No need to be grim about it.....and there's every reason to be a little greedy. It's our fun to be had. Together, we must seize the opportunity rather than have someone else create it for us.
Buzzard Point is our new home. Lets make sure its got a soul.