Lee Jones may not be a common name like Curtis Granderson or Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, but his role on the Detroit Tigers’ roster is most definitely very important. Sure, he won’t be going yard at the bottom of the ninth or striking out any of those pesky Indians, but Jones job manning the ones and twos in the booth is one that can swing momentum in favor of the home team resulting in a game-winning play or a disastrous error. As Opening Day for the highly anticipated Detroit Tigers’ 2008 season is just days away, Metromix looked up the music man for the ball team and talked play-list strategy.
How did you get involved with DJing with theMy first involvement with professional music performance was as a for-hire pianist in the late 1990s. I began DJing for a company in 2000, which gave me exposure to providing music at many different types of events, including sporting events. I am also the DJ for the Detroit Lions.
What is your musical philosophy/game-plan for fans?
My goal is to provide music that connects to everyone in the stadium. To accomplish that, I play songs from many different genres -- such as classic and modern rock, rap, Motown, and country -- all within the span of every game.
Is there a playlist you work from? Do you take requests from the players?
As a part of that desire to connect to all of the fans in the stadium, there are guidelines in place to ensure that as many different styles as possible are represented during games. Players do have input, in the form of walk-up selections and the music played when guys enter the game from the bullpen.
What can fans expect to hear Opening Day?
I bring a very large library of music with me to every game, and musical preferences change quite frequently. Since a large part of what I do is situational, there's no way that I can tell you exactly what is going to be played, but I can ensure that the Opening Day experience will incorporate some hot new tracks to go along with some of the ballpark favorites!
Do you take submissions/requests from the local music community?
There are opportunities for local artists to submit their work for consideration as part of the in-game music pool. In the past, some local selections have been used as batter walk-up music.
Opening Day is huge in
I believe that the energy in the park on Opening Day will be as high, if not higher, than any other game at which I've DJed. Part of the challenge of my job is to complement that excitement. I always work to augment the baseball experience, without going so far as to get in the way of the game.
Compared to other baseball cities/markets – how important is music in
Do you have any predictions for the Tigers this season?
I'm certain that we're going to have an exciting season. I'm a huge Tigers fan, so I'm always expecting great things!
What is the ultimate experience for you as a DJ? Playing a specific song in the World Series in front of a sold-out stadium?
After the “National Anthem” has been sung my ultimate experience happens, every game, and I play the music as the team takes the field. No matter if it's April or October, I get the same feelings of anticipation and excitement that all fans at the stadium experience. But, as the stadium DJ, I feel those things with a connection that few will ever know.
Catch the
B.J. Hammerstein has struck out many times, but this season he plans to at least reach first base. Email the
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