Big Lead Sports Bar

8/25/2006

Pirates Fans Hated the Skyblast Band

The Pirates hosted a "Skyblast" event on Thursday night, which their website describes as:

"Skyblast at PNC Park only happens once... twice... THREE times a year! Catch the premier fireworks and music extravaganza in the city after the Pirates take on the Astros. "

Another presentation brought to you by the hardest working marketing department in pro sports

Tonight's band du jour was Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (here's a
link to their really annoying flash-media website). For those who don't feel like putting forth the effort and actually feel like reading real words, here is their Wikipedia page. Apparently the Gimmes are a punk rock band of some repute.

Gimme Gimme some of that

The band would play a cover of a popular song, then they would shoot off some fireworks while the original song played in the background. And this process was repeated as necessary until about 11 PM.

Don't worry, John. Skylights is right around the corner

Shortly thereafter, I was tipped off by regular contributor Worstavid to turn on the Fedko Fone Zone for the fan feedback. Why he was watching the Fedko Fone Zone, which consists basically of John Fedko staring at his computer screen while taking calls, is another topic. So I change the channel over to PCNC, and then hear caller after caller totally bashing the Gimme Gimmes. By their account, they were driving people from the stadium by the bushel.

Anyone else catch this, in person or on TV? Fedko predicts this will be a hot topic tomorrow. I've never known the Mondesi readers to be shy with opinions, so what did you think of SkyBlast and the Gimme Gimmes?

10 comments:

SAMO said...

Skyblast yay! Anything to keep the Pirate fans entertained.

Anonymous said...

Haha, I know who they are.

Why did the Pirates hire them?!?!

They're a joke-punk rock band that does purposely bad, sped-up, covers of shitty old songs.

I didn't even think they toured let alone played in ballparks. They're made up of members of other bands that just sort of do it for shits and giggles.

It's good to see they're still good at pissing off people I guess...

Anonymous said...

Sorry for the double post, but I'm still shocked that that actually happened.

First off, I don't think that type of music would play well to a crowd that would be at a Buccos game anyway you slice it.

Second, I'm guessing they fleeced the Pirates for a lot of money for that thing.

I mean, seriously, I'm a fan of some of the real bands the members are in and I can tell you that the Gimme Gimmes are a joke cover band.

They play super sped up versions of Neil Diamond songs and the like for laughs for Christ sakes! Who in the Pirates organization thought that it would be a good idea to put them in front of a baseball crowd.

A crowd with older people that actually like Neil Diamond and don't want to hear his songs butchered and ridiculed by a punk band?!

Whoever is involved in this was really dumb. Except the Gimme Gimmes. They're probably on a plane back to California right now with a bucketload of McClatchy's money laughing about pissing off 32,000 people simulaneously. I think it's pretty funny myself.

How do the Pirates fuck up FIREWORK NIGHT!?!?!?!?!

Anonymous said...

That band was so bad that my wife made me change the channel (yes I was actually going to watch the fireworks).

Anonymous said...

me first is an awesome band. people in pittsburgh just don't get it. if its not lynyrd skynard they hear blasting they scream and cry their drunken heads off. give me a break. maybe if pittsburgh had a REAL new music station you would have heard and been hearing bands like me first long ago. and you would have respected them for just going out and doing whatever, whenever and for whoever just to have a good time. news flash: there is other music in the world than the force-fed crap played on DVE, KISS, The X, and the 'KROQ poser'....

Anonymous said...

It was kinda interesting at the end because we didn't know how we could both boo the band and cheer for the fireworks.

Anonymous said...

Wes,

Me First is an underground punk rock band.

It was just the wrong band to put in that situation.

You can't put a band that's going to make fun of Led Zepplin and Neil Diamond in front of a bunch of people that love Zepplin and Neil Diamond and expect it to fly.

Either way, I heard that the Gimmes got paid SHITLOADS of cash to do the fireworks thing. Gee... what could the Buccos have better spent that money on, I wonder?

A band like Me First would rock the house at a punk rock show at a club like Metropool (or whatever it's called now, I moved away)... but putting them in front of a crowd that includes old people, middle aged people, or younger people that are fans of more "mainstream" music is just idiotic. The Pirates now have proven they have NO clue what they're doing in every facet of their operation!

I'd be very interested to find out exactly how they got involved in the Skyblast thing in the first place.

There's an article in the Post-Gazette today about it that pretty much sums up how I feel about the debacle.

And like the lead singer of the band said in that article, "We're a punk band. If a mainstream sports audience hates us, it actually makes us viable."

Anonymous said...

The joke is on Pittsburgh for not doing their research. I think its great that Me First got paid and got booed. I love that band!!! Pirates suck anyway and surprised anyone was at the stadium to witness this momentuous occassion

Anonymous said...

David Littlefield has done it again. Another incredible deal made by the Pittsburgh Pirates front office.

Anonymous said...

I asked this over at Pat's (WHYGAVS), too, but is Me First pretty much just a Dickies knock off?