My Houston Aeros/Toyota Center Song List

Now as many of you who have read my posts are aware, I generally have a big problem with the music the Toyota Center sound guys play at the Aeros games. So I have decided to put together a list of the music I would like to hear them playing at Aeros games.

1. "Welcome to the Jungle," Guns n' Roses. Yes, they already play this song when the guys come out for the pregame skate. And yes, for the most part, I'm sick of this song. But...it works. So why change what works?

2. "Mama," Genesis. They sometimes play this song during the pregame, right before they drop the puck. I think they should play it every night toward the end of the pregame skate. I think that Phil Collins laugh puts the right menacing emphasis on what is about to happen. Hockey.

3. "Seven Nation Army," The White Stripes. This is the song they should play as the guys storm out on the ice for the announcing of the lineups. The strong bass line and pounding drum sets a great mood.

4. "Lose Yourself," Eminem. I think they should play this before they drop the puck. Lose yourself in the moment indeed. You got it. You want it. You'll never let it go. Talk about a fired up crowd and team.

5. "Man In the Box," Alice In Chains. I really think the Aeros should go back to using this song when a bad guy goes to the penalty box. They just need to use the radio edit.

6. "Jammin' Me," Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. And when one of the Aeros goes to the penalty box, this would be a good selection.

7. "All Fired Up," Pat Benatar. When there's a key puck drop, like when the Aeros are going on the power play, let's play this and get everyone all fired up because I believe there comes a time when everything just falls in line.

8. "Nobody Told Me," John Lennon. This is kind of mocking song to be played when the opposition goalie isn't having the best of days, say when Krys Kolanos has just really embarrassed him.

9. "Elevation," U2. This should be something that is played when the Aeros do something good, like get a key goal.

10. "Pump It Up," Elvis Costello. This songs needs to be played in full, which means we cut off the damn elementary school kid musical numbers between periods and let this play to get the crowd back in the mood for the action just before the guys come back out on the ice. It should end just as they drop the puck to start the period.

11. "My Hero," Foo Fighters. We play this in those times just after Barry Brust or Nolan Schaefer have faced a barrage of shots because the defense has let down, but they haven't let any of them in.

12. "Revolution," The Beatles. This can be played at any time during the game when the crowd and the team needs to get energized. That scream of Paul's at the start of the song should get anyone in the mood for action.

13. "Fighter," Christina Aguilera. We play this whenever we win a fight.

14. "Under Pressure," Queen and David Bowie. This can be played during stoppage of action when the Aeros are on the power play. Give the bad guy's goalie a little something to think about.

15. "Everything Zen," Bush. This is just a great song that can be played at any moment during the game when a crowd response is needed.

16. "Let's Go Crazy," Prince and the Revolution. We all know there are times when the guys have made a couple of stupid penalties back-to-back and the team is stuck on a 5-on-3 penalty kill. Let's play this song to get everyone pumped up. And maybe it will get the guys thinking about Cal Clutterbuck playing nearly an entire penalty kill without his stick and yet still finding a way to knock the puck out of the zone.

17. "Synchronicty II," The Police. There are those nights, like against Quad City the other night, when the Aeros just stink up the joint. And the fans want to express their displeasure. Sure, the booing works. But there's just something about Sting's plaintive wail at the start of this song that gets to the heart of the team's awful play.

18. "Middle of the Road," The Pretenders. This should be played for when the ref misses a call.

19. "Do The Evolution," Pearl Jam. I would like for this song to be played during the upcoming Faith Night. Also, it's a loud, angry type song, which should work when there is arguing going on with the ref.

20. "We Will Rock You," Queen. This is for after Mitch Love wins a fight. And Rob, I would demand the play the guitar part.

21. "Rapture," Blondie. This is for the end of the period -- if it's been a good period for the Aeros. And we let the entire damn song before we let the PA guy open his mouth.

22. "Dream On," Aerosmith. This is just a generic to be used for pumping up the energy of the crowd.

23. "Barracuda," Heart. This can be used for when there's no fight, but the guys are jawing at each other.

24. "Dreaming," Blondie. Ms. Conduct, this is for you, whenever Kolanos pulls off one of those special goals of his.

25. "Xanadu," Olivia Newton-John. A place where nobody dared to go...Yep, it's called an Aeros win.

26. "I Hate Myself For Loving You," Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. And this we play as the team skates off of the ice after a loss.

So, there you go. That would be the list of songs we'd hear every night at an Aeros game. I think it does a good job of getting the crowd and the players pumped, as well as helping to reflect the mood of the fans at the game.