Renovated Michigan Stadium takes sound to a new level
9 Comments. Comment Now
It looks bigger. And it sounds bigger.
The University of Michigan opened the season at home with a 31-7 victory over Western Michigan, and the updated and continuing renovations of Michigan Stadium were on display.
Fans said the noise levels are higher and the more finished look of the stadium is impressive.
The deep blue concourses towering on the west and east ends of the stadium seem to be one reason the noise from the Michigan marching band and Michigan fans - 109,019 in all - was noticeable all game long.
“I think it’s a lot louder and it echoes more,” said Michigan alum Allison Spratley, 24. “And I’ve heard that the sound on the field is a lot louder, so it bothers the other team some more.”
“The reverberation from the student section over on the south end of the stadium makes a huge difference,” added longtime Michigan fan Mike Marcotte, 35. “I don’t know if the crowd is in it just because we’re winning but the sound is a lot different. It’s a lot different than last year.”
On top of that, “It looks sharp,” continued Marcotte, who lives in Shelby Township. “From the outside it looks great; it looks more like a stadium rather than just a big pit in the ground.”
“The stadium had a ‘wow’ factor when you walked in,” added Spratley, who lives in Alabama and attends about three Michigan games a season, “and now it has a ‘wow’ factor from the street.”
Get the Ann Arbor RSS Feed
I watched the game on TV and, while i couldn't tell how loud it was on the field, I'm pretty sure the score didn't end "xx-x" --- if it did however, did "xx" win?
(Flag this Post)
Posted Sep 5
Yes, xx did win, by a score of 31-7. That's been fixed.
AnnArbor.com Staff
(Flag this Post)
Posted Sep 5
The Big House got loud in spells, I wish the fans at the game will keep in rocking all game long, GREAT WIN, HAIL TO THE VICTORS GO BLUE!
(Flag this Post)
Posted Sep 5
Thanks to the inordinate amount of flack RR and UM have had to endure this week, it looked like the crowd was a lot more fired up than usual. Combined with the stadium, I'm sure it resulted in a lot more decibels.
That is really good for UM, because being the quietest 100,000 crowd in the world wasn't really much of a homefield advantage.
(Flag this Post)
Posted Sep 5
can't wait to see and hear it next saturday! go away haters, you can't stop us!
(Flag this Post)
Posted Sep 5
TV announcers said crowd was 107,000 something. Which figure is correct?
(Flag this Post)
Posted Sep 5
109,019 was the announced attendance.
(Flag this Post)
Posted Sep 5
I like the rock music they are playing during the breaks. It sure beats struggling to hear the band play another drum cadence (they should be positioned in the endzones, not the sidelines, so they can be heard by as many people as possible). As soon as the crowd gets used to it, the team's entrance to AC/DC's Thunderstruck should be really intimidating.
(Flag this Post)
Posted Sep 6
I was at the Big House yesterday. I can't say I enjoy the same old, same old AC/DC etc. "Rock Riffs" that seem to blare from almost every sports stadium these days.... but the decibel level of the crowd noise during the game was (borderline pain threshold) AWESOME!
I had never heard anything close to that level in the Bighouse. Here's hoping the "true Blue" faithful make it even louder next week, so the Michigan "D" can inflict maximum pain and suffering on Weis, Clausen and company. ALL IN FOR MICHIGAN!
(Flag this Post)
Posted Sep 6