As we all know, this season is going to be very different season and that became even more evident this past week when two games were postponed due to Covid-19 concerns.
This week’s matchup between the Tigers and Demon Deacons is going to be different as well. It also gives Tiger fans another example of how Dabo Swinney just continues to keep a loose and fun outlook, even in times like these.
Piping in noise has been used in the past to simulate what another opponent’s crowd noise would be like, but this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic it will be used at stadiums to take the place of crowds that won’t be attending or will be attending in limited numbers.
Wake Forest’s Truist Field will have no fans when the Tigers are there for their 7:30pm showdown with the Demon Deacons this Saturday. This means that any crowd noise and/or music will have to be piped in. This is where Swinney gives Tigernation another example of how he keeps it loose.
When Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson spoke to Swinney about the how the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) wanted the crowd noise and music to be handled, he got what has become what some call a “Daboism” for his response.
“I talked to Dabo yesterday. I think he wants us to play, ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ continuously for four hours,” Clawson said. “He had a whole playlist he wanted us to play, but I don’t know if we’re going to exactly accommodate him. We’re still working that out. The ACC has policies. We are going to have some ambient crowd noise. The source of it, the volume level, all of those details have to be worked out.”
He also said Swinney brought up a playlist during their talk about the piped in noise and discussed his taste in music.
“Before the game, Dabo and I will meet on the field and we’ll go through the levels and make sure we’re both good with it and that we agree on it,” Clawson said. “I asked Dabo about the background noise and he brought up a whole bunch of songs he wanted to play. I said, ‘That’s not exactly what I was talking about,’ but I did agree with his taste in music although he didn’t have Talking Heads on there. I’d say he had good taste, but not the taste that I have.”
In normal Swinney fashion, he seemed to get a kick out of the subject and just laughed when asked about it on Tuesday.
“I really don’t care. I’m just excited to play,” Swinney said. “They can pipe in Marvin Gaye or whatever they want, man. Let’s crank it up. I’m just excited that we get the opportunity to play. I know there’s a policy and levels and all that stuff, but we’re just looking forward to it — fans, no fans. We’re just trying to win the opener and move on from there and we look forward to it.”
This is the type of response or “Daboism” from Swinney that Clemson fans have come to love and helps explain why these young players love playing for him and his staff so much. From “Tweet That!” to “B.Y.O.G.” to “We win, we dance!” to him now putting in song request at opposing stadiums is just who he is and will continue to be.
