The Russell Wilson chant makes perfect sense. Seahawks, Phish. Destiny.
If you’ve ever seen a Phish concert, and you were lucky enough to hear the song “Wilson”, this will make complete sense. At the song’s outset, lead guitar player Trey Anastasio plays two quick low E’s, and the crowd erupts in unison “Wil-son!” It’s second nature for the band’s millions of followers — almost like the second nature of an NFL home crowd cheering “de-fense!” on a big set of downs.
The chant has now migrated from the dank, smoky stadiums of Phish concerts, to the deafening madness of CenturyLink Field in Seattle, where Russell Wilson has helped to usher in a new era of Seahawks football. Now, the fans have something a bit more cohesive to support him with.
NFL films produced a short film detailing the history behind the song, and how it came to be a staple in Seattle.
In the interview with NFL Network, Anastasio commented, “Probably last year, week ten, when Seattle really put the whipping on the Jets, I really started noticing how great Wilson is.” After a brief background on the history of the song and it’s placement in a sort of pseudo-mythology created in college, Anastasio and drummer Jon Fishman broke out in a sort of embarrassed laughter and Anastasio admitted “I don’t want to talk about Gamehendge on the NFL!”
NFL Films does a good job of telling the story for them, and the decibel count for “Wilson!” is likely to rise even further on Saturday as the Seahawks host the Saints in the NFC divisional matchup.
