Patriots quarterback Tom Brady revealed his playlist of bands that get him hyped up before a game.
The lineup spans multiple genres, but there were a couple of surprising ones.
Jay-Z was an obvious one. His walk-out music at Gillette Stadium, for years, has been Hov’s “Public Service Announcement” from 2003.
He then went with normal 40-year old white male favorites in Pearl Jam and U2.
We could totally see that coming.
Pearl Jam had their rise to fame in the early 90s, with the Seattle “grunge” movement that brought us bands such as Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Candlebox, and more.
U2 has been an arena/stadium rock band since the late 80s, with their most popular album “The Joshua Tree” becoming a must have album for any pop or rock fan.
But after that is when it got a little surprising, at least to me.
First, we’ll get into Coldplay.
Coldplay is one of the absolute most mellow bands on the planet. Even when they try to be up-tempo, Chris Martin’s vocals still bring it to an easy level, keeping things fairly tame. So the fact that this could be “pump up” music just strikes me as odd.
The other surprise, to me, was Kendrick Lamar. I’m going to assume that a younger teammate got him turned on to Kendrick, because I don’t know of many 40 year old white guys that listen to him (I’m 35 and I listen to him… but I’ve still got 5 years to go before I’m completely out of the loop with what’s popular).
Let’s run this down. Here are Tom Brady’s 5 “pump up” bands:
- Jay-Z
- Pearl Jam
- U2
- Coldplay
- Kendrick Lamar
This got me thinking about my own hype list. Y’know, music that gets me pumped up to do the only physically active thing I do – workout. Whether it be running or jogging, or lifting weights, etc, I have to have music to get me amped up for that.
And not just any music.
Coldplay ain’t cuttin it here, fellas.
I need heavy grooves that will keep my feet moving and my heartrate jumping.
This is my list of artists that get me fired up before a workout.
1. A Day To Remember
The perfect combination of pop-punk and heavy music, almost every song these guys have is uptempo and high energy. The perfect band to get somebody fired up to compete.
High Energy Song Example: The Downfall of Us All
2. Sevendust
Atlanta based metal band with some awesome melodies, they’ve been one of my favorite bands, and one of the best “pump up” bands since 1997. Everytime I listen to these guys, I instantly feel my heartrate go up. Great tunes to keep the energy flowing.
High Energy Song Example: Enemy
3. Run the Jewels
Killer Mike and El-P, from Atlanta, were already hip-hop legends before starting Run the Jewels several years ago, but the mix of these two has been phenomenal. They’ve got a ton of songs that just get you in the mood to get after it.
High Energy Song Example: Legend Has It
4. Bring Me The Horizon
BMTH used to be completely hardcore metal – nothing but screaming and super heavy “chugga chugga” riffs. With their album “Sempiternal,” they started writing more listener-friendly music, with more singing and more uptempo grooves. The example below is from their most recent album.
High Energy Song Example: Happy Song
5. Rise Against
The modern day radio punk rock band. Almost every song they’ve put out has a perfect excercise beat to it. They’re all high energy, up-tempo… hell, whatever word you want to call it. Their live shows are crazy, and when they come on while I’m working out, I find myself trying to keep up with the tempo, which gives me a much better workout overall.
High Energy Song Example: Re-Education (Through Labor)