U-Matic
Pistons Parade, 6-15-89, Hand Held Crowd Shots, #3
U-Matic tape containing footage shot of the parade on June 15, 1989 following the 1989 National Basketball Associations World Championship victory by the Detroit Pistons in downtown Detroit. This tape includes the crowd gathered before to beginning of the parade until the arrival of the penultimate float, and is primarily composed of handheld shots. The parade itself is captured from street-level on the western side of Woodward Avenue south of Congress Street.
The footage begins with a shot of workers positioning a long chain of balloons to decorate the Grand Prix bridge over Larned Street at Woodward Avenue. This is followed by several shots of the crowd who line Woodward, including close-ups of several home-made signs. The Temptations' The Way You Do The Things You Do, Queen's We Will Rock You, and the New Kids on the Block's The Right Stuff are played over a loudspeaker during this portion. The camera also catches a baby wearing a Bad Boys cap, and a City of Detroit worker on the route, who drops his pants to show off his Pistons shorts. Eventually the sounds of pre-recorded music give way to those of the Blue Pigs, on a truck bed in the lot on the northeast corner of Woodward and Larned. Portions of their covers of Michael Jackson's Bad, Whitney Huston's The Greatest Love, Bobby Brown's My Prerogative, and Cameo's Word Up are audible during the crowd shots. The band themselves are the subjects of several shots. The camera also films a seating area in front of the Spirit of Detroit, a Budweiser advertising poster made for the event, and people watching from windows overlooking Woodward.
The parade begins with a police color guard followed by the Mackenzie High School marching band and cheerleaders, one of the team's tour buses, and several convertibles carrying team personnel. Amid the cars are cheerleaders presumably from Dearborn Edsel Ford, a group of young gymnasts, and the Mid American Pompom All Star Team. The cheerleaders are followed by a Los Angeles-themed float carrying Vinnie Johnson and Dennis Rodman. The float is decorated with giant film reels, a box of pop corn, and palm trees.
The camera then turns to the crowd, then back to the parade where the Detroit 4-H Unilights Unicycle Club ride past. They are followed by the Spain Middle School marching band, and another tour bus. The camera cuts to the Cody High School marching band's approach. The WJBK camera crew can be seen crouching in he middle of the street to record their performance. After another cut the group representing the Afrikan Drum and Dance Community passes.
They are followed by the roadster float which carries Fennis Dembo, John Long, Michael Williams, Pistons CEO Tom Wilson, and trainer Mike Abdenour. After a cut the pirate ship float passes, with Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn aboard. The Ann Arbor Trail School marching band passes next. Spectators are seen passing through the barricade around the route in the following shot.
The footage then cuts to a the parade float carrying Mark Aguirre, John Salley, and announcer George Blaha. This float is decorated with silver streamers and features a model of the Renaissance Center in its center. The recording then ends, to be continued on tape 2015.008.033.
The video is on a 3M UCA-30s U-Matic S tape with a small handwritten label on the top. The tape is housed within a black plastic latching clamshell case with a handwritten 3M label on the cover.
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