UCLA @ Stanford Photos and Videos

by Telemachus on Oct 5, 2009 2:12 AM PDT Comment 17 comments

Despite the outcome, I can think of worst ways to spend an afternoon. It was great to see a lot of Bruins fans at the game. Parked next to a family from Redlands and sat next to an alum from the East Bay. General admission got me seats closer to the field than I've ever been (video after the jump).

Solid gold sound of the UCLA Band

Can't get enough of our band!

Team makes its entrance and opening kickoff

I wandered around the stadium and was able to position myself at the 50-yard line for the Bruins field-goal drive at the end of the half (as well as the halftime show which was in my earlier post).

UCLA's hurry-up drive at the end of the first half

Also got in quite a few photos; I just wish more of the action had been on our side of the field. Logan Paulsen goes airborne

Click photo above to browse through the photo gallery or click the "Slideshow" button once in the gallery for a full screen slideshow.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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Once again fantastic pictures/video Tele

Question for you and others. Do you know the way Stanford stadium is built it has the ability to provide a formidable home field advantage if it actually sold out every home game?

It looks pretty cool from the videos/pictures and makes me wish having a stadium like that on our campus even more. I wish we could turn Drake into venue that would hold 64-69,000.

by Nestor on Oct 5, 2009 5:19 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I went last year

and I found the stadium pretty bland, but that’s probably because it was half empty. The facilities were pretty nice IIRC. The tailgating scene in the surrounding areas was pretty cool.

by paulucla on Oct 5, 2009 6:28 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Stanford Stadium

Got pretty loud during the game. I went to a Chelsea v. Club America soccer match there which was sold out and it got very loud. The second tier seating has a metal floor and when fans start stomping it really echos. The stadium is very vertical so the fans are closer to the field than at the Rose Bowl. So the potential for a real home field advantage is there—they just have to get more fans to attend the games. Tele—thanks for the pics.

by PaloAltoBruin on Oct 5, 2009 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It could

It’s not going to rock like Autzen (I feel so nauseous when I watch games from there) but it’ll get loud. If people would actually show up.

For the hour it took me to get out of the darn parking lot, it sure felt like a freaking sellout, although I knew better.

For one, they didn’t have ushers checking my tickets. Therefore, we were able to go directly into the UCLA section, just higher up, and move periodically. No one around us minded, as we were all of the “hey, we’re all Bruins” mentality. If someone had a claim on the seats, we’d just move. No biggie here. Once the team starts selling out they might actually start escorting people to their seats.

I seemed to be around a bunch of younger alums and students that drove up for the weekend, and they were stomping on the metal of the bleachers to their advantage. It was SHAKING.

by freesia39 on Oct 5, 2009 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was in the upper UCLA section

And found the whole experience quite enjoyable (other than the expected final score).

It is quite fun being with an outnumbered group of UCLA fans. Most that were at the game were knowledgeable so lots of good between play discussion with people you had never met before.

Stanford stadium shows 4 things: 1) if you are going to completely renovate your facility than do it — dont go cheap on the concessions, sound system and restrooms (hint to the UCLA redo of Pauley) 2) how nice a dedicated stadium for football can be 3) be sure to figure out the parking (we were over an hour in the parking lot trying to exit too) and 4) the students in the 50’s that voted down the stadium on campus really made a mistake.

Drove home from the Bay Area late yesterday afternoon/evening. I5 was flooded with Bruins and Trojans headed home.

by Bruin Dad and Grad on Oct 5, 2009 9:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Voting down the on-campus stadium at UCLA/chronology

For the record, that vote took place when I was at UCLA, and I attended in the 60’s. I know that is a long time ago, for you young pups, but it was in the mid-60’s. As I recall, there was no requirement to ask the surrounding neighbors about the resulting traffic, so that would have helped get it done.

There was a discussion about building the track stadium in a way that would be expanded for football, but due to the vote, IIRC, it was built so that expansion would be difficult. The mood at UCLA was anti-most anything having to do with the administration (the free speech movement from UCB was trickling down to Westwood), and the administration sponsored the proposal (never quite figured out why the students were allowed to vote on it anyway except it would affect the use of the student fees.. weak administration leadership on that one).

It would have been great, and again, IIRC, the capacity would have been somewhere in the 50,000 range, and the understanding was that the SC game would continue at the Coliseum.
Bill

BillSouthBay

by Mensgym on Oct 5, 2009 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My father in-law claims to have voted in the early '50's too

So maybe there were multiple votes.

There is NO doubt that it would create total grid-lock in West LA…so I am not sure it was so practical at this point. But it would be nice to have an on campus stadium in the world outside of reality.

by Bruin Dad and Grad on Oct 5, 2009 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was in the lower general admission section

The Bruins stomping on the upper level certainly did make their presence felt; the overall effect was a seemingly louder experience than my recollections of the Rose Bowl (albeit the late Toledo/early CTS era), though not quite as loud as the noise that Stanford was pumping into the lower bowl on key plays.

by bruinhoo on Oct 5, 2009 11:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"Cozy"

That was my thought as I walked around. The stadium seats 50,000 and the way it’s set up the fans are closer to the field than the Rose Bowl. Yeah, it ran through my mind that it would be great to have a stadium like this on campus. On the other hand, I can’t imagine what parking/traffic would be like (as I was waiting in my car for traffic to die down). If we had some billionaire donate the money, maybe we could get a stadium built with double deck access roadways, ala LAX.

by Telemachus on Oct 5, 2009 9:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Superb!

Love the band coverage.

Thanks so much.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Oct 5, 2009 5:58 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Awesome photos Tele

Mine look so washed out compared to yours.

by freesia39 on Oct 5, 2009 9:46 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Question for someone that's been in the band

How often to we add songs or change up our song list? I love our band, but my friend who went to his first UCLA game in a few years against Kansas St. commented to me afterwards, “aren’t all of the songs the same ones they were playing five years ago?” I know a couple have been added here and there, but I thought about it and realized that the core of the song list for both football and basketball has been the same for a while. I also noticed that I don’t notice the band as much as I used to, maybe because I feel like I’ve heard it all before?

I could very well be off here. I am by no means an expert on anything music related and could very well just be thinking this because I only notice the songs with which I am familiar, but I’d like to know from someone who has been in the band.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on Oct 5, 2009 10:13 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

We added four songs this year

The system that we add/remove songs from the list is that band members vote which songs they want to keep and which songs to discard and suggest new songs to the directors. As such, there are certain songs that band members actually really enjoy playing which is why they remain on the list for years.

by tsunugundam on Oct 5, 2009 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fair enough

I still wish it would be changed up a bit more and even add a few songs mid-year. I don’t know if that’s possible, but after listening to the band at football for the year, then the same songs for basketball, by the time you hit February for basketball you want a little variety. It seems like a solid system though and the band does a great job with the songs they do play.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on Oct 5, 2009 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

We definitely do have some core songs

such as “Word Up,” that have been around a while because they’re recognizable and are good songs to energize the crowd. But we do rotate a good amount of new songs in; for example, we currently have eight songs in the rotation that we weren’t playing three years ago. Not every new song is from the last couple years, though… For every recent hit like “Stronger” by Kanye West, there’s an older hit like “Take On Me,” by A-ha, which was just added. We play the new songs often, so keep listening for those.

by HailRover on Oct 5, 2009 10:57 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

We are not alone in repeating songs

Am I the only one that hate SC games because they only play: “This is the only song we know….This is the only song we play” Every first down. Every key tackle.

Though I agree a little more variety would be good.

Seems like the pep band at basketball has a little more variety. (Though I dont know why we play the “Movin on Up” since it has us moving to the Eastside when we are the school on the Westside…..

by Bruin Dad and Grad on Oct 5, 2009 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs