August 20th - How did the Chanting Go??!

[Miche]

Hi, I'm looking for opinions on how the chanting and singing went on August 20th.

The only way for us to move forward and get better as a group is to critisize ourselves. So I'm asking people not to just say "it was awesome! ....the whole stadium chanted!" etc...

Obviously not every song was sung by the whole stadium, there's room to improve.

1. Which chants were done the best, were the loudest, got neutrals involved etc...

2. How did communication between the different sections go? Can we improve there?

3. Which chants really didn't work..

[squizz1402635577]

I was in row 12 of section 104. The first five or six rows were very enthusiastic and seemed synchronized most of the time. It tapered off once you got a little higher, though. There were a few Vs standing in the aisle next to me attempting to "pass on" the chants to folks in the higher rows, but I can't say for sure how successful that was. So although the work done by some of the senior Vs was admirable, we're kidding ourselves if anyone says that the whole section was in full voice together (except for O Canada, of course).

Part of it was the logistics of the section, and part of it was that most Vs (myself included) brought friends who were unfamiliar with the chants. The song sheets were helpful, but it's still tough to get involved if you're unfamiliar with the rhythm and cadence of a chant. That being said, those people who may not have been participating fully on Aug. 20 will be prepared for next time, and there'll be more supporters singing together. This is the kind of thing that just snowballs with time, I think.

The most boisterous chants seemed to be the TFC standbys - who are ya, come on you reds, oh when the reds go marching in and seven nation army.

[grigorio]

From my impression it seemed like the most enthusiastic chanters were in the first 4-5 rows. Not really sure what the back of the section sounded like but I looked back a few times and it seemed like there wasn't a ton of participation.

1. I think "Oh when the Reds go marching in" was one of the best. Also, "We're red, we're white, we're fckin dynamite" and "Come on you reeeeds" "We all laugh at the yellow football team"

2. From what I could tell there wasn't communication between sections. It was too loud and everyone was far too spread out. I couldn't even hear any other sections from where I was but I could make out The MAssive by the South Side just by their hands. I think there was some discussion about some colour coordinated cards, but in Montreal I don't imagine it will be as bad as BMO was. I think we're all a lot closer together at Saputo.

3.I don't think anything really tanked, aside from Heart of Gold. Mind you we didn't really try anything that new either so can't really comment on that one.

[greenfield]

I was sitting in section 102 near the NE corner by the Voyageurs. A couple of observations ...

We could hear both the Voyageurs and the south end quite well. When the south end got going on a chant and the Vees joined in, they were usually a second or two off on their timing. I noticed the same thing happening a couple of times during the March, so I'm not sure if it was a distance thing, or just something that's difficult to do well.

Regarding those in the higher rows being less involved ... I noticed in Montreal at the St Vag game, there were times those in the 3rd and 4th rows were unable to clearly make out the chanting of those at the very front. The same happened sometimes in Seattle. I think maybe having some strong chanters (who are loud and know the chants) a few rows back would help out the people in front of them. I did see someone with a bullhorn trying to get the Vees that were higher up the section involved. When people are chanting right behind you, it is much easier to participate, and join in with the group.

[Daniel]

One of the big issues in 104 was that we didn't have a "base" of people who knew the chants too well. In Montreal (and the South End in TO), there's a base that is more in tune and can carry a chant. The megaphone was an issue both times, but we really need a good LOUD drum to keep the beat through the entire section.

Section 114 at SS is also wider and not as high as 104.

[Sam]

quote:Originally posted by Daniel

One of the big issues in 104 was that we didn't have a "base" of people who knew the chants too well. In Montreal (and the South End in TO), there's a base that is more in tune and can carry a chant. The megaphone was an issue both times, but we really need a good LOUD drum to keep the beat through the entire section.

Section 114 at SS is also wider and not as high as 104.

I think one thing about Montreal was the supporters section was mainly made up of people who frequent the site (whether or not they post) and were familiar with the songs and chants. I can't judge this, because I wasn't in Toronto for the Jamaica match, but I'm assuming there were a lot of people that had never been to the V's site, or rarely read much of it that stood in 104.

[Dare431]

I don't know what the other rows were like in 104 but the first 5 or so got flooded at the beginning of the match. I had tickets for row 11 but ended up standing in row 5 shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of Vs. Is that the plan for Saputo as well? I'm in row 18 and would be disappointed if the chants can't be carried up to my row

[Daniel]

As usual in Vs section, it will be free-for-all standing. If someone has a ticket for a specific seat, however, they're entitled to be at that seat.

[Scottie]

I think the august 20th v's section was an anomaly we probably won't see again with the "core" of it actually just us v's who know eachother via the board, rather than a core of local supporters who frequent the same seats all the time. With all this talk of us joining the south end at future BMO games we'll be a little less concentrated with more locals to feed off of. Sure was cool to be a part of though.

[Toronto Ruffrider]

quote:Originally posted by Daniel

One of the big issues in 104 was that we didn't have a "base" of people who knew the chants too well. In Montreal (and the South End in TO), there's a base that is more in tune and can carry a chant. The megaphone was an issue both times, but we really need a good LOUD drum to keep the beat through the entire section.

Section 114 at SS is also wider and not as high as 104.

Yeah, 104 was a strange mix of supporters. Outside of the first few rows, our section had quite a few people who seemed out of place. I'm not even mentioning the handful of Jamaican supporters who were present in our section - how did they get seats there anyway?

As for the megaphone, it was in the hands of the guy wearing the Canadian hockey jersey for most of the night. Apart from some strong chanting early on, our chants lacked cohesion for the balance of the game.