Hey guys,
So I heard this thread was going so I finally cracked and got onto your forums.
I think there's a renewed sense of unity throughout all of the groups on the terrace. It's going to take some time to work out a system that will allow the whole stand to sync up; be patient and be helpful. Working through and past five to six years of poisonous shit is hard work so give people the benefit of the doubt.
Suggestions like all of the drums together (personally my favoured option along with all of the capos together in front of 113 and their mid capos spread out throughout their respective sections), bringing in a snare drum (we'll have one in 114 for June 1st, our guy with the snare couldn't make it on Saturday), ideas for songs or means by which the capos can better communicate are all welcome. I'll say this though and I think all of the capos will agree with me on this: don't fucking bring them to us during or right before the games. Besides that, we're always all ears.
This is a positive start to the season so let's not lose this opportunity to build something greater than 'the old days'. Those days were good but we can do better.
-Forever Red
Oh, also, the last line of It Happened Without Warning is: "For you I sweat and bleed", I've been hearing variations on it and I just wanted to clarify. It's got nothing to do with violence, if that's what some people's hesitation to sing it is but rather alluding to the idea that our passion and love for the club is so deep and integral to our spirit that we sweat and bleed TFC.
See you malakes on the the 1st.
Oh yeah, and we tried ear pieces with walkie talkies and they just sucked. The ear piece kept popping out, couldn't really hear anything and as far as optics go, makes us look like ice cream that you get out of a truck (soft).
Someone suggested getting speakers set up in front of the terrace and linking it up with a microphone. This is what Delije does at Marakana as well as Seattle and a whole bunch of other groups throughout the world. I think it would rock, especially if we can get all of the drums (Toronto Futsal Club guys included - those are the samba drums in the southwest you're hearing...super dope guys!) together in the middle somewhere. It would necessitate having a capo from each group in a central stand and then each capo would get a turn to lead a song or something. Their mid capos would then be placed at the front and in the middle of their sections and help to convey instructions and lead with their hands to the rest of their section.
Just an idea that's been bouncing around my head for a while.
If you have a few capos on the same stand or a group of stands, you could have each one focus on an area of the south during the chants. They are on the same page, but focused on getting their particular area of the stand involved, so you get that "look me in the eye" feeling from the capo that helps get people singing. I know when I've been on the 112 stand and I turn to 111, they often respond very well. Flush does it, too.
It would be a challenge because following a capo at the front of each section only gets you a certain percentage of that section, never mind putting them all in the middle and trying to go out to the corners from there.
Toronto FC baby...best team everrrrrrrrrr -Jozy
I completely agree with this. Having all of the drummers together or spread out evenly throughout the rows would help with keeping everyone on beat. This would allow the drummers to see each other and stick to a beat. In regards to the capos, I have been reading about how the Timbers Army in Portland conduct their supporters section and it seems that they have many stands throughout the supporter section. Although their section is a lot bigger then ours, the overall ratio of capo stands to people is better in Portland. By having more capos and stands, specifically in 113 & 115 where the majority of these 'tourists' and 'casual' supporters sit, this may entice them to sing and get more involved rather than just simply watch the game. Someone also pitched the idea of having a capo mid stand. The shirtless guy in 114 who is a member of the Inebriatti does a great job of getting the fans in the upper levels involved, especially if they can't hear the capo at the bottom.
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One other thought is to try and teach a couple of the cheers/songs before the game to the people in these sections. I know we do this sometimes already but if we direct this to the 'casual fan' we may be able to unite the south end which many people here are talking about wanting.
I'm excited for June 1st, with all of this talk, hopefully we can implement some changes for the match!
Last edited by Bardown Snipes; 05-24-2016 at 07:20 PM.
Eli did you try this type of ear piece? https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...f_rd_i=desktop
I don't think it helps the atmosphere when people drift in lethargically after the kick off. That for me is the biggest reason why the atmosphere has been much flatter after the home opener. It also looks particularly bad on TV. Against Columbus there on the weekend I'd estimate the East Stand ended up being 2/3rds full, however at the opening whistle you were lucky if a quarter of those people were in there seats. It was a ghost land. I really can't understand why these people cannot be in place on time, it's really not a big ask.
One reason could be these 'fans' are there on corporate giveaways and only there for a free event. The numbers in place at the final whistle would perhaps back this up. However this has always been an issue for Toronto sports franchises. Season seats are bought by companies in large numbers to hand out to their client as sweeteners. I myself have been a beneficiary of this given regular seats at the Gardens by suppliers when I worked for the old Eatons Ltd
Let's be honest, Toronto always has been a "drift in whenever" kinda town. There is really nothing we can do about people who don't show up on time. I will say if the "Oh when the reds" Were more of a stadium wide thing, it might get people in their seats. It may not be popular, but i really think it the words should be on the the screen (for the opening, every day chant only) . I guarantee there are some season ticket holders who would sing if that were the case.
Not to go too far off topic, but it also doesn't help that the 7:30 kickoffs against Vancouver and Dallas were at 7:48, and the 5:00 kickoff versus Columbus was at 5:00. Would love to know the rationale.
Last edited by Red4ever; 05-24-2016 at 09:33 PM.
A lot of fans come in from out of town. Reduced GO train service with poor arrival times for the ones that are available, difficulty getting through under the tracks when coming from the east end(could take as much as 10 mins or more), Gardiner expressway closed for the weekend, and subway lines down for construction, all this with other sports events at similar times. I am more impressed at how many people actually even make it down at all.
Not sure how viable this is but organizers of the supporters groups can help a bit with the empty stands at kick off.
Our group leaves the pub en mass about an hour before kick off. We have had a mini march before every game this year to get our members in the stands at least 30 mins before kick off.
When we aren't being totally drowned out by the PA music we cheer on the team during warm ups. It also gives us time to get our shit together and to tune up our voices for kick off.
ML$E sells game day experience to the casual fans. If more of the lakeshore terrace was filled in earlier then that might become a draw for some of those fans. At least get them out of the concourse.
This wouldn't make a huge difference but it wouldn't hurt either. Also a good time to maybe work on some songs.
The "not there right at the start" issue is found across the league apart from big games with the exception of the mighty amount of people that make up Timber's Army.
Shirtless guy = Eli the INEBRIATTI capo.
Getting in early is key. By game time we are already warmed up. If others showed up before the stands fill in we may be able to sync better for the full 90. The capos will have a chance to work on communication.
From my experience (drumming in 112), the drums can't be separated by more than a few feet, or they risk drifting out of sync with each other. We used to try having the main drum in row 6 and another one down in row three (trying to aim the sound towards 111) and it went off time quickly.
I've always found that the BEST sound happens when you put a bass drum and a treble drum (snare or high-tom or tambo etc) right next to each other so they can play perfectly in sync. This sound carries the best because you have both ends of the spectrum working together.
I know that one of the strengths of 112 has been the ability for the capo and drums to work together to adjust timing. Drums can slow down or speed up when directed to, and the capo can visually clap people into the rhythm of the drum.
On a larger topic (one I dont really have time to cover here at the moment) - there's a new crew in the space that used to be Tribal Rhythm Nation. I spoke with one of their main guys at the last match, and they are super pumped to get the south end rocking. Plus they did a VERY good job of toning down the drums when the moment required it. I gave them the explanation of how the capos and the current drums communicate, and that the drums are usually used a metronome to keep the songs in time, with some flourishes used at certain breaks (aka SALSA). They seem like a really good crew of drummers, with a huge amount of talent. I suggested that a couple of them come into 112 or 114 to see how the drums are used in our setups, and maybe make some mental notes on how their drumming can borrow some of the (basic) techniques that we use to work the crowd.
upwards!
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Road Trips: July 7 2007 Chicago, July 22nd 2007 Columbus, August 11 2007 NY, October 13 2007 LA, March 29 2008 Columbus, May 24th 2008 DC, May 26 2008 Montreal, June 28th 2008 NE, March 7-11-14 2009 Charleston, March 28 2009 Columbus, April 10 2010 New England, May 12 2010 Montreal, April 7 2012 Montreal, March 16 2013 Montreal , June 3 2014 Montreal, March 14 2015 Columbus
Twitter: @RPBPhil
the absolutely simplest visual display (putting your hands up, or the 5-count down before a massive) works almost effortlessly.
Keep it simple stupid.
The next logical step would be to make some kind of basic flash card, just so we could show other people which chants are coming up before they hear it.
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Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
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Yup that's Boris
Im not denying getting there early is better for athmosphere, but if there was a 15 minute capo powwow we could have to solve it, then this would be easy.
We struggle with getting people involved.
We struggle with being able to hear each other.
We struggle with reading the crowd.
I say this with all due respect to Capos, but there are way more people than not in the south who don't care that you're up there. They are there to watch first and contribute second.
Its all about how we bring em in. If we get loud, they'll want to be a part of it.