An acclaimed violinist and pyrotechnics came together to deliver a spectacle for the ages
Fenerbahce's Game 3 pre-game show goes viral!
Before Game 3 of its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoff series against AS Monaco, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul treated a sellout crowd of 12,780 at Ulker Sports and Event Hall to an outstanding pre-game show that instantly went viral on social media.
Last week, Fenerbahce claimed home-court advantage in the series against Monaco with a 91-95 overtime victory in Game 1. Once the series moved to Ulker Sports and Event Hall on Wednesday, Fenerbahce made sure that the home crowd got involved even before it started.
Shortly before the player introductions, the lights went out in the arena and fans were asked to use their cell phones as flashlights. As thousands of lights shined all over the arena, the logo on center court was illuminated and violinist Ayca Torunoglu started to play Promentory's Last of the Mohicans to the accompaniment of the Rhythm Arena percussion team and majorettes waving light sticks. A special banner was raised that covered an entire section of the stands. It depicted a race car driven by Yellow, the team's mascot, and in the back seat, a driver holding aloft the EuroLeague trophy.
As the music speeds up to Linkin Park's 'Hit the Floor', the choreography accelerates and a video screened on the jumbotron. Then, the MC takes the mic and - with Metallica's 'Wherever I May Roam' playing, the Fenerbahce players are introduced.
When posted on the EuroLeague's Instagram account, the Fenerbahce pre-game show immediately went viral, reaching 2.5 million views, and counting, in less than 16 hours. A quick look at the comments says it all about how much people loved the show.
"One of the greatest introductions in basketball," Antonis Doumas said. "Goosebumps", "stunning" and "perfect" were some of the words used by Instagram users from around the world.
"As someone who has performed in front of large crowds many times throughout my career, I can say that I have never experienced the synergy that was there that day," Torunoglu said. "13.000 people around me, millions behind me, one heart on the field and Fenerbahçe Club, one of the biggest communities in Turkey (from the fans to the managers) who organized it perfectly! Going viral is the natural result!"
Fenerbahce used the opportunity of the EuroLeague Playoffs to celebrate Turkish tradition, local pride and elite basketball, putting it all together to create a pre-game show for the ages!