Welcome to the jungle of Vancouver Olympic venue music
It might get you standing. It might get you dancing.
It might get you screaming. Or it might
Crowd attempts the wave at Pacific Coliseum during short-track speedskating.
not. It might just keep you interested--mellow and
focused.
No matter what mood it provokes, the music played at Vancouver Olympic venues during breaks and timeouts, as well as during the runs of several events, comes from thought and analysis by venue staffers.
Pacific Coliseum hosts the figure skating and short track speedskating events. According to the arena's venue manager, Jake Benson, the music played during breaks in the action of each sport differs.
"Our sport production team selects the music played at the venue based on music trends and event demographics," Benson said.
So different sports command different playlists?
"The music played between competitions at short track speed skating is typically more upbeat and faster-paced than the music played before and in between figure skating competitions," he said.
A very non-scientific survey taken at the venue during each sport confirmed Benson's statement.
Songs featured during Saturday's short track competition included "Can't Stop" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Britney Spears' "Toxic" and the beat to a Ludacris rap song.
The ladies' short program competition on Tuesday featured a generally less abrasive brand of tune for, hopefully, a generally less abrasive crowd. (Though several up-beaters such as Lady Gaga and JET did get time.) Besides the music played for each skater's program, the night's soundtrack included Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change" and Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl."
The DJs themselves are not just volunteers pulled off the street.
Sean Bovelsky is the man with his finger on the "play" button at UBC Thunderbird Arena, one of two Olympic ice hockey venues. A native of Tampa, Fla., Bovelsky is the music director for the NHL's Lightning, the NFL's Buccaneers and the AFL's Storm. He was also the DJ at 2002's Salt Lake City Olympic hockey games.
From 3,000 songs supplied by VANOC, Bovelsky whittles out playlists for each situation a game might present--walk-in playlists, warm-up playlists, injury playlists--while keeping a list of "hot songs" in his back pocket for getting the crowd into the game.
"Each game is unique and I try to feed off the energy of the crowd," Bovelsky said. "Once the puck drops, I'm always looking ahead. I have to pay attention to what's happening and I have to stay one step ahead."
At events such as freestyle moguls and aerials, music plays during the athletes' runs. Halfpipe snowboarders have authority over music played during their time in the pipe.
U.S. rider Elena Hight kept her song selections patriotic.
"For the Olympics, it was more about the U.S.A.," she said of her picks.
Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." were both selected by Hight in Vancouver. On her finals run, she went with Miley Cyrus' pop anthem, "Party in the U.S.A."
But since she is listening to her iPod during her runs, Hight said the loudspeaker music is meant more for the fans. It lets the athletes "express [their] own personality" to the crowd.
Hight's headphone music helps her take her mind off everything but her competition. It "blacks out any distractions."
The same effect is had by loudspeaker venue music on an event's audience. It keeps their minds, and sometimes bodies, in the event.
Bovelsky, UBC's music man, has a simple goal: keep it about the game.
"The game is what people are here for. We're here to make their experience even better."
Photo by Joe O'Donnell
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