How The Fratellis’s “Chelsea Dagger” Makes Blackhawk Fans Go Nuts

Well, it’s not quite a Cubs championship. But it’s still pretty damn cool to celebrate the Chicago Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup this week. And we tip our concert caps to the Champs with this special Live Fix tribute.

If you watched the Stanley Cup Playoffs or any Hawks game this year, you probably heard the same song played every time the Hawks scored a goal. And that extremely fun and catchy song is called “Chelsea Dagger” by the Scottish rock band Fratellis from their Costello Music album.

And this past Sunday June 5th, as part of WXRT’s Slap Shot Sunday, Jon of the Fratellis, did a special solo performance of the song for fans at the Metro during Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals. I love this video captured by YouTuber Hawkspride77 and I hope you do to. And I’m glad his arm strength held out long enough to shoot the video because he notes in the comment on the video that his arm was getting tired. Way to stick it out for the team, buddy!

“Chelsea Dagger” Better Than “Go Cubs Go?”

Yes, like all those fans in the video, I’m totally stoked that the Hawks won the Stanley Cup and I’ll have to do a little more digging to find out how “Chelesa Dagger” became the “goal” theme song for the Hawks. But I don’t think it will ever be better than Steve Goodman’s Cubs anthem “Go Cubs Go.” But, we all know, the Cubs have to win the World Series to continue that conversation.

I’ll Never Get Tired of That Song

The last thing I was thinking about during the whole NHL playoffs and as the celebration rolled on today in downtown Chicago, was how I never got tired of the hearing “Chelsea Dagger.” I’ve always loved that song, especially its hooky and stomping chorus. And by watching the video above I can tell other fans never got tired either.

And mashing all this together makes me wonder…

What are the key differences between a rock concert crowd and a sporting event crowd?

Do both fans expect and hope for the same moments of pleasure and payoff?

What if the Hawks stopped playing “Chelsea Dagger” at some point during the season, and switched to another song? Would fans get angry? Or would the player be less inspired?

And what about the next Fratellis concert?

Will The Fratellis fans now forever be in the shadow of Blackhawk fans?

When they look out at the sea of fans before them at their next concert, will The Fratellis be fueled by the memories and emotional ties associated with being a part of the Blackhawk’s victory? Probably.

But will that mix of emotions trump the connection that the band already has with its fans? Maybe. Maybe not.

Can A Live Show and Concert Fans Alter A Song’s Meaning?

It’s times like these that really make me think how a song can morph into something totally different, and how the emotions of fans (concert or sports) can completely alter the emotional significance of a song by how they respond to it in a live setting.

Like I’ve said before, concert fans have a lot of power during the concert experience and I think the way fans at the Metro responded shows us just how powerful the transfer of significance was for “Chelsea Dagger.”

It went from the ultra-fun pub anthem it already was to the type of uber-triumphant party and Stanley-Cup-winning song it will forever be for Blackhawk fans. And in a strange way, the song seems to have come full circle during that Metro show. But we’ll get into more of how that happened later.

For rest of this post I want to hear from all of you: The Fratellis and Blackhawk fans.

Were You At The Fratellis Special Show In Chicago?

Did you see the Hawks parade down the streets of Chicago today? Tell us all about it, and tell us what you think of how “Chelsea Dagger” will be forever a part of Blackhawk history.