Saints Soundtrack – Playoffs Edition

In 2013, I did a fairly exhaustive search for the best local songs to replace Atlanta-based Ying Yang Twins Halftime (Stand Up and Get Crunk) as the Saints’ touchdown song.  VIDEO. I offered links to dozens of videos written and performed by local musicians. The ultimate superfans in my estimation, they pour their team spirit into songs and videos that take money and oodles of time to produce. And they do all this with little chance the music will turn a profit.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the playoffs. The Saints players have taken over the soundtrack inside the Superdome. In particular, carpool mates Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara along with Michael Thomas have fallen in love with old New Orleans rap and the crowds in the Dome couldn’t be happier. Apparently, Ingram introduced Kamara to the songs and artists while driving. When the three danced to Choppa’s 2003 local hit Choppa Style, the Superdome went bananas.
The moment went viral nationwide.

Saints in the Zone

The Saints are 3 and 0 and it feels good. After 2 nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat  last minute wins, this week was a welcome landslide victory over the Cardinals. Things started with a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem sung by my Django Unchained costar, Dana Gourrier. Storm predications led to lots of seats up for grabs so we got to watch from the 17th row – practically on the field. There were plenty of touchdowns and most of them were just yards away. Even quarterback Drew Brees made a touchdown.

Buckjumpers and Saints

Sunday, we headed to the theatre to see The Muppets on the big screen. The movie was great, reminding me of everything valuable about Hollywood. On the way home, we had to choose between turning or getting stuck while a parade passed. You can guess which one we picked. The super-cool Original New Orleans Lady Buckjumpers were the focus of the parade, but the second line included Junior Buckjumpers and 3 brass bands – Young Fellaz, then Stooges then Rebirth Brass Band. I thought of how many of us attend festivals or go to clubs to hear these bands and here they were, just playing in the street. 

Saints Game at the Dome – 5 Year Homecoming Anniversary

Today, I went to the Superdome to see my beloved Saints play the Texans. It’s been 5 years since the September 25, 2006 Saints/Falcons game, the first game played in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina made it a symbol of suffering and shuttered its gates. It was called “Coming Home” day and it was more than just a game. Throughout this past weekend, footage of that game replayed on the TV and I heard stories from grocery store clerks and French Quarter residents all emphasizing the same thing – the noise. The Superdome is well known as one of the loudest venues in the NFL with crowds’ cheers drowning out the opponents voices as they try to yell out their calls so I was surprised to hear that one day was louder than the rest – and it wasn’t the Vikings game that secured our place in the Superbowl in 2009. I was intrigued.