STEWART COPELAND

As a musician and music lover, I'm always interested in people's preferred methods of showing audience appreciation.

I have basically four ways of expressing myself in a rock audience.

1. The Whooo!
A band has to be doing really well to earn the "whooo!". I have to be REALLY digging on the tunes to generate a heartfelt "whooo!". I don't just "whooo" for anyone, and not on every song in any case.

2. The "Yeah!"
The "yeah!" is pretty damn good. Sometimes I use it interchangeably with the "whooo", mostly for the benefit of my fellow concertgoers so that there's not some loud moron saying "whooo" for two straight hours. But the "yeah!" can also be a brief punctuation to a specific event. Stewart does a particularly mind-blowing fill, and I give him a "yeah!".

3. The Double-Fist Victory Pose
This is me, with both my arms as high in the air as I can put them, fists clenched like a boxer. I usually reserve this one for the end of a great song, and is often accompanied by a couple of "whooos" and a "yeah!" or two. I don't plan to do this, by the way. I'm just standing there, and my arms go skyward spontaneously if the performance merits it.

4. The Crazy Loud Clap
I don't know what it is about the physiology of my palms, but they seem to form an acoustic sonic generator that rivals typical thunderstorms. When I get psycho for great tunes, I often let out a barrage of applause that tends to even hurt my own ears.

At the end of the Seattle show, I managed to get all four of these in at once, plus even a little bit of jumping up and down in a style reminiscent of a nine-year-old girl.

NOTE: I cannot do the crazy-loud thumb-finger whistle. I'm glad some people can. It's neat sounding, as long as they're at least ten rows away from me. If they're right next to my ear, they may find themselves missing said thumb and finger after I bite them off.

No, really.

these are great.

Yep. I don't whoo or yeah for many, if at all. Too many years of trying to look cool. But there were definitely whoooos (esp when they introduce Stewart) and a couple of yeahs (and a few silent whoas) during the most kinetic percussive bits.

not much of a fister. too much information?
however, my daughter mentioned her arms hurt a little. apparently there was a little flailing as mommy drummed along. I have inspected though. there were no black and blue marks.

I was saying whoo earlier when I was hearing 'River from 'The Cult.

Pretty and sicodelic drums.

I am dreaming how cool Copeland's drums sound alive, more than sicodelic I think its sounds is enough avantgarde to say Whoo!

< Banshee.

[quote]< Banshee.
[/quote]

What is that?

scale:

combo 1, 2 & 3 for total awesomeness (is that a word?)

combo 1 & 4 for just awesome

#2 if i thought it jammed, but my hair isn't standing on end... fade into #4
for about 10 seconds.

anything less rates a mild 4 with a short low #1 at the end

[quote="georgygirl"][quote]< Banshee.
[/quote]

What is that?[/quote]

Georgy, a banshee is a Celtic mythological character known for her loud wailing. So when one says that she "screams like a Banshee," it means that she makes a really, really loud yell.

In my case, when I "whoo" (as Jeff puts it), it is really long and really, really loud. (Often accompanied by clapping and occasionally, when warranted, bordering on a blood-curdling scream.)

After all, how else is the band going to hear me?

[quote="DirtyMartini"]>>>After all, how else is the band going to hear me? <<<[/quote]

And, at the end of the day, that's what it comes down to, isn't it?

Subconsciously, or maybe even consciously, you (and I, and everyone) are hoping that YOUR method of appreciation will be actually noticed by the band. It doesn't matter if you're a half mile from the stage and the band members look like little pinpoints on the horizon. You feel that if you really let loose with a respectable-enough "whooo", someone on stage will be thinking, "Damn, that banshee chick is really digging my song."

One note of personal perspective: most places I play are small clubs and bars. PLEASE, people: when you go into a little bar, on a date or with friends or something, and the band doesn't entirely suck, PLEASE show them that at least you're noticing that they're alive.

I can't think of anything more disheartening than a jaded audience (we have a lot here in LA) who refuses to note your existence whil you're playing your ass off in a shitty club somewhere.

I feel very fortunate that most of my audioences are really, really cool to me.

[quote="jeffdaweasel"]You feel that if you really let loose with a respectable-enough "whooo", someone on stage will be thinking, "Damn, that banshee chick is really digging my song." [/quote]

Ahh, but at my volume it's not only possible, it's likely.

(And, of course, all the individual sounds add up when compounded.)

The funny thing is that screaming like a banshee is so not me in an everyday living kind of way. But if someone's going to get up there and work his/her ass off for my entertainment, I want to reciprocate in whatever small (er, loud) way that I can. Performance is often fueled by energy received from the audience, so standing around silently certainly isn't doing the performer any good. I like to give credit and encouragement where due.

Plus, it really is a lot of fun.


[quote="jeffdaweasel"]One note of personal perspective: most places I play are small clubs and bars. PLEASE, people: when you go into a little bar, on a date or with friends or something, and the band doesn't entirely suck, PLEASE show them that at least you're noticing that they're alive.[/quote]

Hell yeah. Even when the band does entirely suck (assuming they're not arrogrant pricks, of course), at least acknowledge that they're alive, trying, and taking a risk just by being up there.

[The major banshee stuff doesn't apply in clubs, btw. I use a much more respectable level of whoo-ing for small venues.]

I whoo...

but i have to cup my hands over my mouth or it doesn't sound right!

Dirtymartiniii your response to me is awesome.

Banshee!

Eveyday I learn something new, with a little help of my friends.

[quote="georgygirl"]Dirtymartiniii your response to me is awesome.

Banshee!

Eveyday I learn something new, with a little help of my friends.

[/quote]

Anytime, Georgy. It's a great word.

(In stories, a banshee is often a harbinger or messenger of death, but in everyday colloquial use, you don't need to worry about any of that. Just think big, loud, and sometimes even shrill wailing.)

[quote="DirtyMartini"][quote="georgygirl"][quote]< Banshee.
[/quote]

In my case, when I "whoo" (as Jeff puts it), it is really long and really, really loud. (Often accompanied by clapping and occasionally, when warranted, bordering on a blood-curdling scream.)

After all, how else is the band going to hear me? [/quote]

I can verify Ms. Martini's "whoo's" can indeed border on blood-curdling! A couple of times at the fan club show I thought my right ear drum was gonna burst from said exuberance The girl's got some good lungs!! Luv 'ya DM

For myself, I do quite a lot of whoo'ing and definitely some double fisted victory posing. I think scientifically it works like this: You have to do the loud Whoo simultaneously with the dbl fisted victory pump. Then smoothly flow into the clap, thus evoking the crazy loudness. I also do the nine-year-old girl style jumping up and down when exceedingly psyched. I did all of the above when I saw The Boys.

And, now don't go bursting my bubble Jeffda. I am sooo sure Stewart heard me when Sting said, "Welcome to the Stewart Copeland show," I whoo'd heartily and then yelled, "Go Stew-art! Go Stew-art!"

I was doing the jumping up and down move last night. Afraid I'd give the guy in back of me a concussion. Hey, it looked like I was pogo'ing! Right? Right???

Anyone else get the Big Stupid Grin? It first made its appearance back at the Whisky gig...it seems to reappear at spontaneous intervals whenever I'm within 500 feet or so of one of the band. I think it's like that orc-detecting sword from Lord of the Rings...