Difference between revisions of "The Flag"

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Fitting with the meme that he had established, at the end of the concert Stewart pointed one-by-one to the many fans holding paper "flags" and "THANK YOU" signs located in the pit. The next day he posted on SC.net, saying "Well, I’m way too hung over for any sensible message to all of you nutters except to say thank YOU for your happy faces in the mosh. Glad you all enjoyed it as much as I did. We’ll talk soon…"[http://www.stewartcopeland.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=135410&highlight=#135410]
 
Fitting with the meme that he had established, at the end of the concert Stewart pointed one-by-one to the many fans holding paper "flags" and "THANK YOU" signs located in the pit. The next day he posted on SC.net, saying "Well, I’m way too hung over for any sensible message to all of you nutters except to say thank YOU for your happy faces in the mosh. Glad you all enjoyed it as much as I did. We’ll talk soon…"[http://www.stewartcopeland.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=135410&highlight=#135410]
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==Aftermath==
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After the [[2008-08-07]] concert, the Flag was kept by Stewart Copeland and carried home with him to be hung in his home studio.[http://copelandia.smugmug.com/gallery/5763249_mJx6K#358052655_BbAmq ][http://www.stewartcopeland.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8507]
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At last official word, the Flag was in the process of being framed.[http://www.culturclub.com/circus/humhum/hum-hum-0009_031108/hum-hum-0009_081108_the-police-certifiable-itw-stewart-copeland-6_7.html][http://www.stewartcopeland.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8453]([[User:DM-Kellie]])
  
 
=Fast Flag Facts=
 
=Fast Flag Facts=

Revision as of 17:13, 23 November 2008

Stewart Copeland's Flag
The Flag when it was first created in May 2007.
The Flag when it was first created in May 2007. Photo courtesy of DM-Kellie.

The Flag (also known as Stewart's Flag, The Flag of Copelandia, The Traveling Flag of Copelandia, The Little Flag That Could, The Krypton Menace, etc.) is a small green flag with the Stewart Copeland horse logo painted on the front. Originally built by a fan to make it easy to find strangers in a crowd, The Flag became a symbol of support for Stewart Copeland from the forum members of his official website. From 2007-05-27 to 2008-08-07, these fans carried the Flag to 91 concerts and one television appearance of the 2007-2008 Reunion Tour of The Police, collecting fans' signatures on the back along the way.

Thanks to the support and interaction with the Flag of Stewart Copeland himself, the Flag's appearance in the audience at Police concerts became a kind of tradition of the Reunion tour, culminating with the Flag's appearance onstage at the final Police concert at Madison Square Garden.

The Flag now resides in Stewart Copeland's home.

History

Background

The Flag was built in May 2007 by Moeskido and DirtyMartini (a.k.a. User:DM-Kellie) in order to make it easier for DirtyMartini and other forum members of the Stewart Copeland Official Site to find each other in Vancouver, Canada for the opening nights of the 2007-2008 Reunion Tour of The Police. (DM-Kellie)

Made of kelly green cotton broadcloth and white acrylic paint and built to last for only three days, the Flag was constructed quickly and cheaply to be easily recognizable by strangers in crowded locations with no eye toward durability or aesthetics. The finished flag folded too large to fit into DirtyMartini's purse, so three grommets were added to the top edge so that the Flag could be hung on the outside of her purse.

The flag served its purpose well, first spotted and recognized by samburusunset at the Vancouver International Airport customs booths.

In the meantime DirtyMartini had posted a link to a photograph of the Flag in her signature line at SC.net so that members traveling to Vancouver could recognize it.[1][2] Forum members Hannaha and Divemistress of the Dark saw this photo and requested instructions on how they might make their own flags. While discussing how the original flag -- having served its purpose -- might be mailed to others' respective concerts, Hannaha posed the following idea:[3]

I think we should make a concerted effort to get this flag to circumnavigate the world with Copeland fans.
Signing the back is a great idea too. See how many North American shows we can get it to and then send it
on over to us in europe for the next leg of the tour. Finally, after South America, Japan, Australia et al
it will return, battered and battle-worn, to Ms Martini's eager mitts!

Not only will it make hooking up with sc.netters easier it will also let STEWART know we're there cheering
him on, wherever in the world he may be!

Thus, the "Traveling Flag of Copelandia" was born.

Let Your Team Copeland Flag Fly

On 2007-06-03 a request for volunteers to carry and bear the Flag was posted: Let your Team Copeland Flag fly!!! (Flag-Bearers wanted.)

The idea was for each volunteer Flag-Bearer to carry the Flag to his/her assigned concert(s). In addition to holding the Flag during the show, volunteers were asked to make themselves available either before or after the concert so that other Stewart Copeland Official Site forum members could sign the back of the Flag. The Flag-Bearer was then responsible for mailing or physically carrying the Flag to its next goal location. The hope was to show the Flag at as many concerts as possible and collect as many signatures as possible so that the Flag could be given to Stewart at the end of the tour as "the nastiest, rattiest, lovingest, most battle-scarred keepsake that Fiona has ever banned from entering the Copeland household."[4]

Response to the idea was enthusiastic. Within the first 24 hours of this original call for volunteers, 13 fans had volunteered to carry the flag to 22 concerts in 6 different countries. Due to geographic and timing limitations as well as limited resources, the Flag was unable to attend every concert on the tour, but the Flag's schedule was adjusted often to accommodate as many locations and volunteers as possible.

Bonnaroo (2007-06-16) and Houston (2007-06-29)

Although the Flag had been carried to both the Fan Club and Opening Night concerts in Vancouver (these dates are counted in its official tally), the Flag's first public appearance after acquiring its new purpose was on 2007-06-16 at the Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival in Manchester, TN. Fan cpriddims, a volunteer for the festival, was able use his volunteer status to carry the Flag to a secure location in the backstage area and wait for The Police caravan to arrive. After an hour of waiting, Stewart Copeland's van drove through. From the back seat, Stewart spotted the Flag for the very first time and, smiling, gave the Flag two thumbs up.[5]

A few days later in Houston, Stewart spotted the Flag during a concert for the first time, and -- to the surprise of many -- gave it appreciative acknowledgment in the form of of thumbs ups and stick points.[6] This 2007-06-29 Houston concert would be the first of many onstage acknowledgments by Stewart to the Flag during a Police concert.

The Flag of Copelandia

To the surprise and delight of forum members, Stewart would continue to react enthusiastically to the Flag throughout the Police tour, smiling, gesturing, and pointed exaggeratedly at the Flag and its Flag-Bearer. Soon it became clear from his actions that Stewart was not just happening to see the Flag in the audience but actively searching for it, so in order to make this job easier -- particularly when the Flag was not located close to the stage -- "Flag-Spotting" threads were posted at SC.net describing where the Flag's location would be. Stewart's actions suggested that he was receiving these messages in the first half of the tour but had likely stopped reading them during the last legs of the tour after the 2008 spring hiatus.

Stewart's actions and reactions to the Flag generated a great deal of enthusiasm and buzz for the project, and gradually word of the flag spread to the Police fan club forum and elsewhere. As Stewart played along with "our little flag game" as he once called it, fans' excitement and desire to get involved increased, and members of SC.net looked forward to hearing concert reports that detailed stories of Stewart and his flag. Fan enthusiasm for the project became evident in a variety of ways, from avatars and t-shirts declaring "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of Copelandia" to two versions of a "Flag of Copelandia" anthem. In addition to showing support for Stewart, the Flag brought many fans together who might not have met otherwise and gave fans from all over the world a project that they could support and be a part of, whether or not they had ever met the Flag in person. (cite (and cite elsewhere))

By the end of the 2007-2008 Reunion Tour, Stewart's acknowledgment of the Flag and his appreciation for his fans' efforts and support were clear.

The Finale at Madison Square Garden (2008-08-07)

For months SC.net forum members had been speculating and brainstorming on how the Flag should be delivered to Stewart at the end of the tour. Finally DirtyMartini got word that she should coordinate with Jeff Seitz as Stewart was "keen" to hang the Flag on the gong at the [2008-08-07|final Police concert] at Madison Square Garden. Due to timing and logistical problems, hanging the Flag on the gong proved unfeasible, but Police crew members were able to construct a special rig at the last minute on which the Flag could hang next to Stewart's drumkit.

Rather than the final Flag Duty of the tour be performed by a single forum member, small paper "flags" were distributed to Stewart Copeland fans throughout the arena: on one side was an approximate "copy" of the Stewart Copeland Flag (the white horse logo on a green background), while on the other side were the words "THANK YOU," also in white on a green background. Thus, when Stewart reached the stage, he was greeted not with a single flag but hundreds located throughout the arena, concentrated mostly in the seats where Stewart had given away free tickets to many of his forum members. The original Flag was shared among forum members in the pit through the first half of the show, then handed off to Brad Sands during "Invisible Sun" to be taken backstage.[7]

At the beginning of the first encore, Stewart appeared on stage with the Flag in hand, which he passed to a crew member to hang on the rig created for the purpose and then saluted.(links) The Flag flew onstage for the remainder of the concert.[8]

The Flag appeared a number of times on the live online Best Buy broadcast, most notably during the altered So Lonely lyric "Welcome to the Stewart Copeland show."(cite) Fans all over the world watching the live broadcast were ecstatic to see their Flag on the drum riser during the encores of the show.[9][10][11][12] [13] The "THANK YOU" messages appeared on camera as well.

Fitting with the meme that he had established, at the end of the concert Stewart pointed one-by-one to the many fans holding paper "flags" and "THANK YOU" signs located in the pit. The next day he posted on SC.net, saying "Well, I’m way too hung over for any sensible message to all of you nutters except to say thank YOU for your happy faces in the mosh. Glad you all enjoyed it as much as I did. We’ll talk soon…"[14]

Aftermath

After the 2008-08-07 concert, the Flag was kept by Stewart Copeland and carried home with him to be hung in his home studio.[15][16]

At last official word, the Flag was in the process of being framed.[17][18](User:DM-Kellie)

Fast Flag Facts

  • Concerts attended: 91
  • Television appearances attended: 1
  • Continents visited: 5
  • Countries visited: 21
  • Cities visited: 66
  • Miles traveled: unknown
  • Flag-Bearers (official): 68
  • Flag-Bearers (unofficial, including assistants and rock stars): 75, plus unknown number in audience at 2008-08-07 finale
  • Flag Mules (total, including Flag-Bearers): x
  • First signature collected: Divemistress of the Dark (2007-06-16)
  • Last signature collected: BABA (2008-08-07)
  • # of signatures collected: unknown
  • Total cost of project: unknown

(DM-Kellie)

Timeline

Notable events in the Flag's history

2007

  • On 2007-05-13 the Flag is born.
  • On 2007-06-16 the Flag is first seen by Stewart Copeland backstage at Bonnaroo. He gives the Flag two thumbs up.[19]
  • On 2007-06-29 the Flag receives its first on-stage acknowledgment from Stewart.
  • On 2007-07-16 the first Flag Point photo is captured.
  • On 2007-07-18 Stewart mentions the Flag publicly for the first time.[20]
  • On 2007-08-30 the Flag enters official Police history, mentioned in an official news item and making a brief appearance in the band's European Tour Electronic Press Kit.[21][22]
  • On 2007-09-20 the Flag is immortalized in song, "The Flag of Copelandia Anthem" by BongoBoy. Stewart posts to express his approval, joking that "Andy and Sting are very exited (sic) about your song. Just the sort of new material that we've been looking for! We should have it worked into the set by Munich..." [23][24]
  • On 2007-11-21 "The Little Flag That Could" photo gallery -- a collection of photos of the Flag, of Stewart's fans with the Flag, and of Stewart's reactions to the Flag all over the world -- is announced. [25]
  • On 2007-11-28 the Flag meets Stewart Copeland for the first time. This unscheduled meeting is met with mixed reactions by forum members, and Stewart posts to express both his apologies and his appreciation.[26][27][28]
  • On 2007-11-30 JMRL drives two-and-a-half hours across Argentina to convince FedEx contractor Fast Track to release the Flag, and by doing so, makes it possible for the Flag to attend three concerts in South America.[29][30][31]
  • In December 2007 Stewart mentions the Flag in his holiday greeting on the home page of his official site.[32]

2008

  • On 2008-01-19 Stewart first references the Flag in public from the stage, shouting, "Hold that flag up right there! Right there!" [33] (bootleg)
  • On 2008-03-26 Stewart describes his Flag during a Q&A session.[34][35]
  • On 2008-05-14 an alternative, "freak out flailing version" of the Flag anthem, "The Flag of Copelandia 2008," is posted by BongoBoy. [36][37]
  • On 2008-05-20 the Flag inspires an eighth grade French lesson in the form of "Le Drapeau Vert." The semi-fictional story will also launch a classroom board game. [38][39]
  • On 2008-07-28 Stewart Copeland and Jeff Seitz have a small panic as, due to a miscommunication of information, they fear that the Flag may have been confiscated by security.
  • On 2008-07-31 Jeff Seitz signs the Flag.
  • On 2008-08-07, just before the first encore of the final Police concert at Madison Square Garden, Stewart Copeland hangs the Flag on stage next to his drumkit on a special rig created for the purpose. [40][41][42]
  • On 2008-08-21 the Flag appears in the background of photos of the Police's reunion tour finale published online by Rolling Stone magazine. [43][44][45][46][47] A few days later the Flag appears in the print edition of Rolling Stone, issue #1060, publication date 2008-09-04.[48]
  • In November 2008, The Police release Certifiable. The Flag, Stewart's reactions to it, and Flag-Bearers JMRL and stingingintherain appear a number of times during the concert footage. In addition, the Flag appears in the audience at the end of the feature "Better Than Therapy."

Flag Schedule

The Flag appeared at the following Police performances:

Date Venue Location Flag-Bearer
2007-05-27 GM Place Vancouver, BC, Canada DirtyMartini
2007-05-28 GM Place Vancouver, BC, Canada DirtyMartini
2007-06-16 Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival Manchester, TN, United States Divemistress of the Dark
2007-06-23 Dodger Stadium Los Angeles, CA, United States bella
2007-06-29 Toyota Center Houston, TX, United States Spec A!
2007-06-30 New Orleans Arena New Orleans, LA, United States Divemistress of the Dark
2007-07-02 Scottrade Center St. Louis, MO, United States Divemistress of the Dark*
2007-07-10 Dolphins Stadium Miami, FL, United States cpriddims
2007-07-16 Quicken Loans Arena Cleveland, OH, United States DirtyMartini and nancyrose
2007-07-19 Citizens Bank Park Philadelphia, PA, United States conroy
2007-07-20 Hersheypark Stadium Hershey, PA, United States samburusunset
2007-07-22 Air Canada Centre Toronto, ON, Canada nancyrose
2007-07-23 Air Canada Centre Toronto, ON, Canada Copelandous D'Amour
2007-07-28 Fenway Park Boston, MA, United States Skip
2007-07-29 Fenway Park Boston, MA, United States sockii
2007-08-01 Madison Square Garden New York, NY, United States Donna
2007-08-03 Madison Square Garden New York, NY, United States nancyrose*
2007-08-05 Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ, United States DirtyMartini
2007-08-29 Globe Arena Stockholm, Sweden copelandos_damour
2007-09-05 National Indoor Arena Birmingham, England, UK Larissa
2007-09-08 Twickenham Stadium London, England, UK dafttart
2007-09-09 Twickenham Stadium London, England, UK smudge
2007-09-11 AOL Arena Hamburg, Germany Dietmar
2007-09-13 Arena Amsterdam, Netherlands GinaSuperCat
2007-09-14 Arena Amsterdam, Netherlands GinaSuperCat
2007-09-16 Stade de La Praille Geneva, Switzerland Giovanni
2007-09-19 Stadthalle Vienna, Austria Dietmar
2007-09-22 Olympiastadion Munich, Germany phaty
2007-09-27 Olympic Stadium Barcelona, Spain Dietmar
2007-09-29 Stade de France Paris, France olivier
2007-09-30 Stade de France Paris, France Dietmar*
2007-10-02 Stadio Delle Alpi Turin, Italy Giovanni
2007-10-06 Croke Park Dublin, Ireland smudge (with assist from invisible)
2007-10-08 Sportpaleis Antwerp, Belgium Dietmar
2007-10-19 Millenium Stadium Cardiff, Wales, UK takeshi and plutonic
2007-10-20 Wembley Arena London, England, UK Hannaha
2007-10-31 Madison Square Garden New York, NY, United States Moeskido
2007-11-02 Madison Square Garden New York, NY, United States Susan
2007-11-03 Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, NJ, United States Bob from NJ
2007-11-05 Verizon Center Washington, DC, United States conroy
2007-11-08 Air Canada Centre Toronto, ON, Canada BongoBoy
2007-11-09 Air Canada Centre Toronto, ON, Canada kimmy
2007-11-11 TD BankNorth Garden Boston, MA Lynne
2007-11-17 Philips Arena Atlanta, GA, United States JSchoel483
2007-11-18 Philips Arena Atlanta, GA, United States IndyGirl
2007-11-27 Arena Monterrey Monterrey, Mexico georgygirl
2007-12-01 Estadio River Plate Buenos Aires, Argentina JMRL
2007-12-02 Estadio River Plate Buenos Aires, Argentina stingingintherain
2007-12-05 Estadio National Santiago, Chile Jose
2008-01-17 Westpac Stadium Wellington, New Zealand empty and plutonic (with assist from DrummerDaveF)
2008-01-19 Western Springs Auckland, New Zealand empty and plutonic
2008-01-26 Cricket Grounds Melbourne, Australia visions
2008-02-10 Kyocera Osaka Dome Osaka, Japan Midori
2008-02-13 Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan Uccellina
2008-02-14 Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan Midori
2008-02-16 Blaisdell Center Honolulu, HI, United States OutlandoGirl
2008-02-17 Blaisdell Center Honolulu, HI, United States D-A-O*
2008-05-01 Scotiabank Place Ottawa, ON, Canada Grace and sameoldbuttercup
2008-05-03 HSBC Arena Buffalo, NY, United States luddite lady
2008-05-04 Nationwide Arena Columbus, OH, United States AGroovie1
2008-05-10 Allstate Arena Rosemont, IL, United States IndyGirl
2008-05-16 Amway Center Orlando, FL, United States E (with assist from Lilrock and Jen)
2008-05-17 Cruzan Amphitheatre West Palm Beach, FL, United States mrs.adams
2008-05-23 MGM Grand Las Vegas, NV, United States TheEqualizer and irishrose1969
2008-05-26 Coors Amphitheatre Chula Vista, CA, United States musinggrai
2008-05-27 Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA, United States empty (with assist from demolition gal)*
2008-05-28 Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA, United States Laz
2008-06-05 SAP Arena Mannheim, Germany phaty
2008-06-07 TW Festival Werchter, Belgium rhoeckel
2008-06-08 LTU Arena Dusseldorf, Germany Maud138
2008-06-17 MEN Arena Manchester, England, UK Eugenio
2008-06-18 MEN Arena Manchester, England, UK Eugenio (with assist from stevel and gary1)
2008-06-20 Stormont Belfast, Northern Ireland takeshi, Eugenio, Giovanni, DirtyMartini
2008-06-22 Heineken Jammin' Festival Venice, Italy Giovanni and Eugenio
2008-06-29 Hard Rock Calling, Hyde Park London, England, UK smax
2008-07-05 Rock in Rio Festival Madrid, Spain Mary
2008-07-14 Shoreline Amphitheatre Mountain View, CA, United States OutlandoGirl
2008-07-16 Sleep Train Pavilion Concord, CA, United States charliearnold
2008-07-17 Sleep Train Amphitheatre Wheatland, CA, United States samburusunset
2008-07-19 USANA Amphitheatre Salt Lake City, UT, United States nancyrose, GinaSuperCat, and TheEqualizer
2008-07-21 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Denver, CO, United States policerule
2008-07-22 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Denver, CO, United States shyvixen
2008-07-25 Marcus Amphitheater Milwaukee, WI, United States Lynne
2008-07-28 Post Gazette Pavilion Burgettstown, PA, United States mairinphg
2008-07-29 Wachovia Center Philadelphia, PA, United States Schmaffy
2008-07-31 Tweeter Center Mannsfield, MA, United States perryl
2008-08-01 Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga, NY, United States MadGrad
2008-08-03 PNC Bank Arts Center Holmsdel, NJ, United States MadGrad and OutlandoGirl*
2008-08-04 Nikon At Jones Beach Theater Wantagh, NY, United States Mimimph*
2008-08-05 Nikon At Jones Beach Theater Wantagh, NY, United States Tamadude
2008-08-06 Apollo Theater New York, NY, United States Dietmar*
2008-08-07 Madison Square Garden New York, NY, United States Stewart Copeland and SC.net


*Last-Minute Flag-Bearer Substitutions

Date Location Original Flag-Bearer Replacement Flag-Bearer Reason
2007-07-02 St. Louis, MO, United States mardee Divemistress of the Dark Seating location
2007-08-03 New York, NY, United States DirtyMartini nancyrose Seating location
2007-09-30 Paris, France ilbolchini Dietmar Physical injury
2008-02-17 Honolulu, HI, United States caligula D-A-O Family emergency
2008-05-27 Los Angeles, CA, United States demolition gal empty Seating location
2008-08-03 Holmdel, NJ, United States Bob from NJ MadGrad and OutlandoGirl Seating location
2008-08-06 New York, NY, United States DirtyMartini Dietmar Seating location

Controversies and kerfluffles

This section needs more information.

Leroy Coolbreeze Fund for Melanoma

On 2007-09-28 DirtyMartini posted on the SC.net forum, proposing the idea of "attaching" a charity to the forum's Flag project.[49] After much consideration, dialogue, and research, the Leroy Coolbreeze Fund for Melanoma to benefit the Melanoma International Foundation was created, organized and named in honor of Stewart's brother Ian Copeland who passed away from melanoma on 2006-05-23.[50][51].

Although originally conceived in association with the Flag, members of SC.net quickly took it upon themselves to raise money for the Fund through various means, encouraging fundraising in such large-scale capacities as melanoma walks and charity bike rides, as well as through small methods, such as bumping the relevant fundraising thread at the holidays, in association with the passing of loved ones or celebrities, and in appreciation of Stewart Copeland for his generous donation of concert tickets to forum members for the final Police concert.[52][53]

As of 2008-09-05, approximately $5500 had been raised for melanoma research through the Leroy Coolbreeze Fund.[54][55][56]

See also

This section needs more information.

External links


References