Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

FIRST® Championship Friday night entertainment FIRST is delighted to announce a free, private performance for Registered FIRST Championship Teams in St. Louis by Grammy award-winning superstar, will.i.am with special guests on Friday evening April 29, 2011 at 8:30 PM at the Edward Jones Dome.

The FIRST Championship community is invited to take part in this extraordinary evening that we hope will be the basis of a potential future television special. Please wear your team colors! Please also be aware that being part of a television audience entails possible interruptions during the course of the show to make sure the best footage is captured.

Details on the allocation and distribution of tickets are outlined in the FAQ below, and will be strictly enforced. Please be advised, lost tickets will not be replaced. Tickets to this private event are for the exclusive use of FIRST participants registered for the Championship only and transfer or sale is strictly prohibited.
Friday Evening

• Security will clear the Dome at 5:00 PM Friday.
• Doors will open at 7:30PM for the 8:30PM show.

Dinner Friday and Saturday

• Dinner will not be provided on Friday evening before the show.
• Dinner will be provided at no charge on Saturday evening after the FRC Finals and the Award & Closing Ceremonies.

http://origin-www.usfirst.org/roboti....aspx?id=19661

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Aside from the typical complaints about this, it's good to see they are making sure it's closed to the public.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Looks like:

JFLL teams get 12 tix (no extra)
FLL teams get 14 tix (no extra)
FTC teams get 15 tix (can ask for extra)
FRC teams get 30 tix (can ask for extra)

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Wonder if special guests means Karthik?

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

And Beiber ;)

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

They've very carefully termed it will.i.am and his special guests, instead of simply saying Black Eyed Peas.

Wikipedia lists:
Associated acts The Black Eyed Peas, Juanes, Far East Movement, David Guetta, Justin Timberlake, Macy Gray, Planet Asia, Cheryl Cole, Usher (entertainer), Michael Jackson, Jason Derulo

As well, the article links a myriad of other performers he's been involved with over the years.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Don't forget Morgan Freeman will be at champs. Maybe he and Will are gonna freestyle it!

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Easy Reader brings down the house!

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

YES!!!!!! I read this and jumped! This is awesome and amazing! Thank you so much Dean Kamen and FIRST!!! YOU ARE AMAZING!

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

At the cost of two divisions in the pits, it appears.

Not so amazing.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

i dont understand...

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Two divisional fields are in the pits. Ordinarily, they'd be where that stage is.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

this is a map of the dome floor (it's intended for FLL teams, but it's the only map of the dome floor released so far).

Why are there only 3 blue FRC fields? 1 is Einstein. 2 are divisions. Where are the other 2 divisions? They're on the upper right side of the map, in the Curie and Newton pit areas.

It looks like they would fit if the entertainment stage (taking up the right half of the dome) wasn't there.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

We still get a free concert....we can at least be thankful for what FIRST did for us? I am excited none the less.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

To make space for the stage for this performance, two of the FRC fields were moved to the pits. So all divisions get to play in the pits for a while, punctuated by two awkward transitions of playing field Friday and Saturday morning.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I know its a pain but dont you think a concert is neat at Championships? Its so cool! I'm really happy that FIRST made this happen! :)

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

We are in the FIRST Robotics Competition. However, it seems that in St. Louis, whoever is there will be at the FIRST Rock Concert. Still FRC, but it's not the same.

That, in a nutshell what, is what is making a lot of people very annoyed right now.

Oh, and factor in that the concert just so happens to be when a lot of teams will want to be doing such things as scouting meetings and similar things.

Concert: Idea, neat. Execution, two thumbs down, and if I had a couple more thumbs I'd be debating hard about whether to turn them down or not.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Although I agree 110% that the space the stage takes up is way too much. and the plan for the concert was POORLY executed.

We do have enough threads discussing this don't we?:rolleyes:

I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to leave this to the hype of the actual concert and the idea of having will.i.am preform and leave the poor way it was carried out to the other threads.

That's all!:)

Edit: And keep things civil before they may get out of hand.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

It looks like they would fit even WITH the stage in there if they did a little more clever layout.

If I wanted to take students to a concert I would have and it probably would have cost less than the $5000 registration fee...and the travel fees... and the hotel costs.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

but we still need to have fun dont we? Its not all about the competition, its about having fun too... (sorry if I offended anyone with that comment)

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

i couldn't disagree with you more. will.i.am is taking the center stage along with half the dome for every division to compete in the pits. we all have to compete there, it's just when is what the difference is. a concert is a horrible idea like i said here.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I thought I signed up for a robotics competiton.

Apparently FIRST disagrees.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

This is true. Sorry, I might have sounded a little harsh in my last post. I appreciate the effort by FIRST and will.i.am, but interfering with the layout of the competition was a bit much I think.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I understand but we cant count our chickens before they hatch!

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

You shouldn't have to apologize at all for wanting to have fun. This is supposed to be fun.
You shouldn't gauge your level of enjoyment at the event based on your place in the standings.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

What about for members of the FIRST Community whose team isn't registered for Champs but still may be down there Friday night? I may have missed it, but I didn't see any instructions for picking up tickets.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Its okay! Everyone has their opinions and I respect that! :)

In my opinion, I think the layout was a little shaky in the first place. They had to fit the concert somewhere! We will have to see when we get there. :) Cant wait for the competition!

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Unfortunately, it looks like you won't be able to get tickets. They have specific instructions for each Program, and each one says that tickets are only for teams that are registered for Championship.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

boo

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

That's what the SATURDAY night stuff is for!

No offense, but there are two nights of "party" stuff. The Wrap Party is Saturday night, all around the venue (i.e., doesn't take up field/pit space when it's needed). One of those nights happens to be on scouting meeting night, and moving two fields. Which one would I rather have?

Don't get me wrong, having the concert is a nice idea. But the execution had better work really, really, really, really well to make up for the fields moving, and then the divisions moving between the fields twice, and the lack of pre-planning ability that has been conferred on teams by the details being released today, when some teams are already traveling. Otherwise, there may be as many negative responses as Houston's ramps had.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

The one question I have is why isn't Einstein on the stage? All those speakers, lights, space, etc just for a concert? If we want FIRST to be like a rock concert, we should put it on a rock concert stage, especially if there is one already set up.

This also could have allowed for at least 1 other field in the dome.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Although I'm completely against having two divisions in the pits and the rest of this ordeal that these Championship plans have caused, It's inappropriate and unnecessary to call others out for not sharing your same opinion, or for being excited about whatever FIRST has planned.

Also, isn't this what FIRST is about? These plans have presented us with what some may call a problem. Last time I checked, FRC is centered around problem solving. Instead of complaining about a plan or a rule change, it's our job to find a way to overcome that challenge.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I will say one thing.

From the minute Dean hinted that will.i.am was going to be preforming in St. Louis at kick-off, I had always assumed that it would be part of the wrap party. I just wonder if that was ever an option considered?

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Heh. Remember DSKB on Einstein during the WFA ceremony a few years back?

If this is done in future, that should be considered as an option.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

You're completely right.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Now that this is official (everyone has known for weeks)...the Hall of Fame teams have been asked to bring our robots to the concert to be displayed on stage.

Still would rather have 5 fields in the dome though :rolleyes:

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I've waited a while to post my thoughts on this topic, to allow things to calm down and give details more time to emerge.

Please, please, go into championships with an open mind. On the surface, I don't like the concept of displacing competition fields for a concert either. Then again, I've been doing FIRST for 10 years, and its message has sunk in with me enough that robotics is the only sport I follow closely.

In other words, I am not FIRST's audience anymore, and this is a good thing.

People come into this program all the time for things that, in our post-FIRST view, they maybe shouldn't. Free food at meetings. That cute guy who does it. The chance to miss school for trips. And so on. I've watched countless people do these things, only to see them grow and be inspired to do things they did not think they would the day they joined.

Adding another opportunity for this to happen can't hurt things.

I have not been terribly impressed with the planned execution, but the concert itself doesn't bother me, at all. And as far as execution, I shouldn't form opinions until after the fact.

I've been doing this for quite a while now. I've watched FIRST grow, and heard about its years before me. Over that time, I've disagreed with a number of decisions made by them, and more often than not, ended up eating my words. I've learned to withhold judgment until after the fact, which is what I urge everyone to do. I don't think that this is going to be just a concert, opposite in meaning to everything we do at championships. When in doubt, I trust FIRST's judgment. They've grown this program from 28 teams to over 2000, not to mention FLL and FTC. They've had time to plan this. From looking at what's been released, I don't think it will be fantastic.

But I don't think it will be the disaster a lot of people are predicting either.

FIRST has more experience than all of us at running these types of events. And they've stood for a constant mission for 20 years. I don't think that the concert is going to be an about-face on this. I look forward to seeing what FIRST has planned for us, and any publicity that results.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Considering CD is a public forum that anyone can read (I would not be surprised if Will.i.AM has read all the comments about him) I can't see FIRST attracting any artist for a show. So I can't see them doing this in the future whether it's a success or not.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Ok, for the whiners please feel free to go back to your hotel during the concert. No better way to protest than by just not going. Then the rest of us who think this is absolutely amazing will have more room and do not have to be around cranky people.

Also, when we receive the national exposure that this will give us, please (also in protest of course) do not take any sponsorship money that this wil generate. It should be left for the teams that are not whining.

I have no problem with being in the pits. A little gracious professional will go a long way in making everyone comfortable. If you still have issues, feel free to fund you own robotics program.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Has anyone else noticed that this will be filmed as part of a TV special.??
I wonder who's special this will be... I certainly hope that this is something that will be FIRST central and not a music special...

They want us to wear colorful clothes and t-shirts...etc etc..

I have discussed this with my team.... pits and fields open at 7 on Saturday morning... we won't be back to our hotels until 12 at least...possibly later... given the level of excitement etc... the students won't get much sleep...

oh well... I guess FIRST is really not about the robots right?

I do appreciate Will.i.am's participation though (and his friends..whomever they are...he certainly didn't have to do this...and he does make great music...

Heck we even named our robot after him this year...

skunk.i.am.........................

Good luck to everyone !!

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/27/dea...nnovation.html

I've had to listen to speeches like this one from Dean for close to 2 decades. How do the plans in St. Louis jive with that? Have all of Dean's speeches been a joke? Does FIRST even believe in the things they say? What is FIRST celebrating in St. Louis? The accomplishments of 400 FRC teams, or a celebrity rock star? Take a look at some excerpts from the link above:

-----------

Celebrating Celebrity

It's not what our country doesn't have enough of, supply, it's what we have too much of compared to the rest of the world. Our kids are constantly barraged by nonsense. They are constantly barraged by every kind of bigger-than-life role model who comes from one of two places--the NBA or Hollywood. It's the only culture in the world where kids by the time they are 5 or 6 years old, they all know who Britney Spears is, and Paris Hilton is, and Shaquille O'Neal is.

And then after spending eight hours a day, five days a week in school learning, you say to any kid on the street here, "Can you tell me the name of a single, living, famous, scientist, engineer or inventor?" And they can't. Well in the free culture, you get what you celebrate. If we don't celebrate these things, why are you going to get kids to put their time, their energy and their passion towards those things? So whether they're inner-city kids with no resources or yuppie kids with more than is reasonable, they'll all bounce a ball four hours a day because it's their way out. They're all going to be the next NBA star because it's cool.

...

I think if the country could prove somehow that some foreign government was able to so radically undermine the perspectives and goals of the kids in this country as to create the generation that we've now got moving up, we would hunt them down and kill them for treason. Instead, we've got Hollywood and the NBA unwinding this country. We're doing it to ourselves. But the bottom line first I think is invention. Create an opportunity for kids to get together with serious adults in a meaningful way where there's content but it's still as much fun and as exciting as a football game or a rock concert. That's the invention. The innovation occurs if the invention finds its way into the culture and changes what we do.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

How many people can you sign up to go to St. Louis between when the announcement was made and when you leave?

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I had not really thought about this yet, were really ripping on FIRST and Will.i.am right now when everything they are trying to do is for our benefit. I realize that it was poor execution but at least try and be grateful for Will.i.am's time and FIRST for getting a world class performer for us. Complaining will not get you anywhere at this point. Will.i.am if you are reading this thank you for your time and for helping us get out our message.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

And filming for a possible TV show.

Hmm, in Michigan we had a FRC show about robotics. In St Louis, an FRC show will be about an entertainer.

"You get what you celebrate." Who said that again?

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Didn't they also say something about spreading the message? I hate to say it because I love FIRST robotics so much, but robots has nerdiness connected with it. To get past that stereotype we have to get peoples attention to show them what it is really about. A news story is great, but we now have a huge name celebrity for just us, no one else is allowed. Don't you think that might give us a little attention?

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Thank you Will.I.Am and FIRST. You guys are amazing yet again! I cant wait to see you guys at Championship and to see the competition!!! I am so excited! :) :) :) :) :)!!!!

This makes the competition more amazing than before!!

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Remember kickoff, and will.i.am's appearance there? I thought it was pretty goofy. Most of us forum regulars probably thought the same.

However, I have a couple of first-year students who got excited about this. At the time of kickoff, they were "outlying members." Now, after a year of build season, they're pretty involved, and starting to "get it." I thank will.i.am. for drawing some initial excitement from them. Did I get excited about it? Not at all. But that doesn't mean no one did. And although I thought it was goofy, who am I to judge what ultimately draws someone into this program?

As I said, I haven't yet been impressed with the execution, and do wish this had been confirmed earlier (though its been pretty clear for quite a while now). But again, trust me, there will be people out there who get excited about it.

Maybe, but i doubt it. For example...
Don't judge what you haven't seen yet.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

It is official.......

From FIRST volunteer announcement:

FIRST is delighted to announce a free private performance for assigned FIRST volunteers by Grammy Award winning super group, The Black Eyed Peas, with guest artist Willow Smith, on Friday evening, April 29, 2011 at 8:30PM at the Edward Jones Dome. The FIRST Championship community is invited to take part in this extraordinary evening that we hope will be the basis of a potential future television special.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Dean's List students?

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Oh wow!!!!! Just adds to the absolute coolness!!! My mom is flying in and even SHE is really excited!!!

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Hmmm...I wonder if Willow's dad will finally go take in a FIRST competition.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Just to be clear:

I do not mind having a concert at the Championship. It's happened before; it's just been at the wrap party instead of on Friday night, or it's been after finals but before the wrap party. Having it on Friday night, before the event is over, is just new--if done right, it could be really awesome. See next points for why I'm commenting in more of a negative vein.

I do mind the movement of two fields. Said prior concerts never had the fields moved. They've also never even been in the same venue, to my knowledge (though Epcot might be the exception there--I only went once). Again, could be quite awesome, if done right. See next point.

I do mind the lack of official explanations for said field movement until today. Even a "Hey, we are having a special concert with [name redacted] on Friday night" would have been better than "We're doing something cool, just wait for more info"--which is exactly what we got for the last couple of weeks. Even knowing that there would be a concert--for sure--would have been a vast improvement over the rumors that were around, even though those rumors did turn out correct.

I would not be entirely surprised if the concert is comparatively sparsely attended, not in protest, but because people planned ahead to be doing something else at that time due to the lack of information. That lack of information is my main complaint; the fields moving can be dealt with, even if it is uncomfortable for a while.

For next year, there are two things that would help this continue: 1) Say that there will be a concert as soon as that is known (or that you're working on a concert if you don't know for sure by, say 1 month before--"something cool" won't cut it). This allows teams to plan to be there. 2) Try to have it displace as few fields as possible--for that, some clever floor planning or using a field as a stage may be needed. This allows more teams to play where they were expecting to play this whole time, for more time.

As far as a performer giving a concert just for FIRST participants getting attention: I don't think that will quite get the message out, even with a national television special. However, if there was some way of getting word out that [insert favorite celebrity here] was going to be at this robotics competition, and they would be [doing something for their fans] if [fans in question do some easy task like finding a cool feature on some random robot], or [celebrity] was acting as a traffic director/MC/tour guide of cool robots/some other function that gets them interacting with the public, I think there would be a really massive invasion of the general public. Maybe some of them just come for the celebrity. Maybe some of them get the FIRST bug and start looking hard into STEM. As a matter of fact, that's what Morgan Freeman did with that video he did for FIRST--"I'm going to be here on these days, come join me in watching" (paraphrased).

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I'm going to make two separate statements here, and then banish this thread from my thoughts until Sunday.

1) To Will.I.Am and guests (whoever they may be): Thanks for coming--hope you stick around for the robots and the people.

2) To the people with the robots: It's the first time (or at least the first time in a long while) for a lot of things at this year's championship. Keep an open mind, and we can tell FIRST exactly what we thought of their plan on Monday morning.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

When I first heard about the whole two fields in the pit thing I was all bent out of shape over it. Because the field has been relegated to the puts doesn't mean the competition won't be any less intense and it doesn't make the event any less fun and it doesn't change the fact that I still have a job to do no matter where the field is located and I'm still gonna do it.
At least the pits won't be flooding (we hope).
Heck now I get a free concert out of it. Sounds like a good time. I think I'll go and have one. After a season of hard work I think I and the many volunteers and members of FIRST deserve it.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I agree with you! I think it's great that FIRST is trying to make Championships even more exciting than it usually is this year. Although we do have to adjust to a new layout, I think it's a minor sacrifice. I saw the Black Eyed Peas last August and while I wasn't crazy about them at the time, they put on an amazing show and Will.I.Am was a great performer. I think we should be really grateful that FIRST is trying to bring more attention to the program - even if we do have to use famous entertainers to do so. The point is, this is a great thing to get FIRST some positive media attention and I'm sure we're all going to have fun on Friday night. :)

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I'm sure that exceptions will be made on a case by case basis. Just have to figure out who and early on, how to ask.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Thank you Dave...my feelings exactly.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Or, you might be able to join a team that is planning to go and has extra wristbands already for the weekend.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

For the most part I agree with what's being said here, but I disagree with how much is being said. FIRST is holding a concert, something we've been unofficially aware of for quite some time. People have spoken their opinions, and the details provided have been analyzed down in classic FIRST style. Now, I would reccomend e-mailing FIRST at frcteams@usfirst.org and explaining your concerns. Once you've done that, pack your things (if you're going), make the trip, and enjoy the event with a positive attitude. If you don't want go to the concert then don't go. I'm sure there are plenty if nice restaurants in St. Louis that would be more then welcoming for your business.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Agreed, but for the 352 teams at the event, their season of hard work isn't over yet.

I know we are struggling with how to handle our picking list meeting on Friday night. Do we tell students they cannot go to the concert? Do we rush it and do a bad job and do it in between the end of matches and the concert? Do we work after the concert untill 2 or 3 am and then get up at 6 am the next morning? Do we let students go to the concert and hope we aren't in picking position? Do we let students go to the concert and have mentors work on the list, which doesn't involve students or show them what it takes to be successful? I'm really not happy with FIRST for putting us in this position.

It's dope that there is a concert, but I don't think it should effect the Robotics Competition this much.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

It looks very likely the concert is a primary reason for 2 fields being moved out of the dome. If this is the case I hope those in charge of layout for Championship agree with the complaint that this was not the best way to put the concert in and set something similar to a goal of guaranteeing all four playing fields are in the dome so teams don't feel like they're being pushed aside and hurt because of an event after the day ends. For me it looks like the fields being moved is a negative that is the biggest factor that affects the most people. The fact this concert occurs what is typically scouting meeting time is a concern that people would not have the choice to enjoy a concert and work hard so their team can compete at their best in elimination matches. This negative of the concert, I feel should also have a thought in the future events planned.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Im so excited!!! :)

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

There are two things here: 1. concert for FIRST community at the World Championship and 2. Two FRC division fields got moved to the Pit.

Yes, you can try to connect the two and probably they are related. But let's see it this way, if the four fields have been on the dome and FIRST still have concert, would most people complain about the concert? I think not. Everybody will be raving about how great FIRST is.

So, this gets me to think that the core of this, is not because FIRST host a concert or that the artist performing is BEP. It's because two fields got put into the Pit.

Now, what is so wrong about this?
You are at the World Championship. You WILL get the chance to play at the dome. I don't see much problem with this. Yes, it's an inconvenient for teams, but again, YOU ARE AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. Enjoy it..
Now, think about all the other teams that don't get to go to World Championship. And just be glad that you got to experience this.


Note: only about 10% of FTC teams got the chance to go to this event. And only less than 1% (yes, that's right, less than ONE PERCENT) of the FLL teams got to go to this.
On the other hand, about 20% of the FRC teams are at the World Championship. Is this fair to the rest of the FIRST family (for FTC, FLL, and JrFLL)? Most FTC and FLL teams would give the world for the chance to compete at World Championship, even if they NEVER got the chance to play at the Dome and only play at the Pit.

Jeff

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I don't have digital
I don't have diddly squat
It's not having what you want
It's wanting what you've got


From Soak up the Sun by Sheryl Crow (Fellow Missourian)

I plan on having a great time hanging out with a bunch of great FIRST people and kids who traveled to St. Louis. I hope you'll have a great time too!

DeAnna

FEED THE FISH!

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Alright, I don't like this. Why don't they just do things like they did in Disney? Back when I was little I remember Mandy Moore playing on the stage they had the outside field on, and she did fine. Why couldn't they have just stuck Will I Am and his, "guests" on the Einstein field and kept the other two fields in the dome. I understand that FIRST is excited because they know this will being lots of publicity to the program, but isn't this just going to put a fog over FIRST that a concert is more important that the real thing that started this all, robots and the kids being inspired about STEMS programs...

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

This kicks it up a notch - the potential for a television special. What that means exactly, we'll find out, but they are definitely planning footage of the 'fans' in your team colors.

It also means that the possible interruptions could lengthen the evening further which will push scouting discussions back further. Some tough decisions are being asked of the teams.

Jane

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

And it begins...

"We are what we celebrate" (or something like that). Why are we celebrating this man and his terrible music? Or perhaps we're celebrating ourselves, with his music? Or is he celebrating us?

In any case, is this really who we want as a role model? I don't see how someone who has never been an engineer has any credibility in telling kids it's important to become one.

Some think we need FIRST in every school quickly. To do that, we're bringing in "hip" musical performers? I don't understand the connection.

For a decade, I've listened to Dean's speeches at kickoff and elsewhere mentioning how many kids aspire to be musicians and never make it, and that we need more kids aspiring to be engineers and scientists. I'm not exactly sure what message this concert sends.

So let me get this straight, we now presumably have dangerously loud pits. If you're lucky, you might be sitting in a somewhat quieter dome this year. Then we go blast your ears out with a presumably way-too-loud concert on Friday night. It seems that would just make for a terrible Saturday.

Furthermore, based on what I saw during the Super Bowl from this guy and his "special guests", I would not attend this concert if you paid me. About the only thing they had to offer there were some nifty LED suits on all the dancers.

A successful program needs to be driven by and publicized with results (cough: Vex), not flair.

If the idea is to attract new people who wouldn't have been attracted to FIRST otherwise, again, bad move. Go watch the quality plummet.

I would never want a student joining my team because will.i.am said robotics is cool, or because he thought he'd get a free concert out of it.

I'm sorry if I'm not supporting the mission of FIRST here (which is what, now?), but this is not the same FIRST I grew up with.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Dave,
Thank you for posting the quotes and reminding the community about the message from FIRST in the past 20 years.

This is quite a year for FIRST. They have a game in that the rules have changed deep into the competition season. They have a side game (mini-bot) whose purpose was to support cooperation between FTC teams and FRC teams, but they give out awards to FRC teams that mass produce mini-bots. They toss the six week concept out the window for building the mini-bots. They are apparently still planning the agenda for champs while teams are arriving for it. Now they embrace the culture they have been battling for years with a media event they they want you to wear your team colors to because they are going to show the world what a great time you are having being involved in FIRST.

I don't mind change. I love that the challenge FIRST gives us every year is new and different. What I am troubled by is that the message has changed. FIRST used to be about changing the culture, one mind, one student at a time. We are now embracing celebrity for what purpose? To accelerate the "growth" of FIRST at the expense of the culture of FIRST?

I am not an engineer, my job on the team is to keep this program going year after year. I go out and try to sell the impact that this program has on students. I have to sell this program against sports and the popular culture. The FIRST program is different. It has a different purpose. It isn't superficial, it's results are long term and lasting.

I hope that FIRST is still on message.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I'm in agreement with most of the people here that the concert as a concept is great, but the execution is at fault. However I feel that the fields being moved isn't as big of a worry as the timing. Moved fields, however inconvenient, aren't (hopefully) doing any actual damage. However the timing means the some teams will have to cancel previously made plans to go, or carry out their original plans at the cost of some unhappy students feeling denied of an opportunity. The scouting issue has already been covered, but I simply don't see any reason that FIRST could not have had this concert during the Wrap Party or some time on Saturday when they knew plans would not have been made.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I don't like the Einstein field location cause it's on the end of the dome. It's going to be so crowded in the stands during ceremonies and Einstein eliminations. On the other end is BEP's production company's set up taking up a third of the dome area.

The Special guests are the black Eyed Peas. In the volunteer invite it says "Black Eyed Peas & Willow Smith".

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I really don't get all the complaining over this. Change happens and First is trying to give everyone a better experience, emphasizing the celebration part of the championships.


Look back to when the championships were in Disney. Plenty of teams signed up for a robotics competition but got a theme park trip too. Back then the division set up was quite similar it was to what it is going to be in St. Louis.

When the championships moved to Atlanta teams felt like First was taking the fun away out of the championships (mostly because they couldn't see Mickey Mouse), a few people also felt that by taking the fields away from the pits the event had a completely different feel to it (it felt nothing like a regional to some). People have grown accustomed to that in the last few years in Atlanta, but now we are in a different venue with different people and First has the ability to shake things up, so why not? Bringing in entertainers is something that I would call "Thinking Outside of the Box" for First, its never been attempted before on the scale like this, so you need to give it a shot before you go ahead and complain.

Having some level of competition in the pits should bring out the regional feel a bit, and I think having a world class entertainer will be a little bit more entertaining than having somebody speak again. But remember, those nutty people in Manchester who run this show are watching too, if it doesn't work out too well, they'll learn their lesson, but if it does work, oh man we might have found a way to solve the lack of STEM education in the world.

Also: For all you people who are wondering why they can't have the performers perform on the field: many of their contracts stipulate they cannot perform unless they have a stage that meets certain specifications. FIRST fields do not currently meet that.

Some words of advice: Go into it with an open mind, you might be surprised.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

One positive side of the Pit fields is the incredibly easy access for robots.

Even the trip to the Dome is easier than Atlanta.

One downside is that the seating may be tight in the Pit fields,

An upside to that is that we may finally see some real spirited intensity at a Division match that has not been present since Disney World. A dome tends to suck a lot of spectator energy out of a competition. There may even be dancing? There certainly will be at the concert.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Nothing is tighter than seating at off season competitions. Organizers have fire codes in mind when figuring out how many seats to have there. You might be cozy with your neighbor, but at least you are closer to the action.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

This cannot be more true. When you get up to the level of performer that the Black Eyed Peas are at then there are many contract stipulation that FIRST doesn't have any control over.

FIRST, I believe, had the unique opportunity to bring a world class performance (this can be an arguable on opinion, but lets just face facts here ok) for little or no cost on their part. Part of that I'm almost 100% sure that BEP had some very clear stipulations laid out before FIRST for this to happen – one of these might have been not disclosing the concert until 3 days before.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Why does this concert have to be about "ruining the message of FIRST" and "contradicting what Dean says every year". Cant you guys see it for what it is? We have worked hard for a whole season and FIRST is rewarding us with a high profile band performing a concert. Try not to make everything about the message of FIRST. The competition will go on but they gave us an extra FREE event. If your into their music go to the concert and enjoy it. If you do not like their music, go do something else. If it turns out bad I will have a different opinion on Monday, but as for now, show some faith in FIRST and let this go.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Overall, is anyone not surprised by this? Considering will.i.am was at the FRC launch back in janurary. That was a good clue that there was going be some kind of concert at this bigger area

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

[Citation Needed]. For all we know our registration fee is paying for this.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

OK, here are my 2 cents worth. Number one, quit your complaining. (didn't use better word). One of the goals for FIRST competitors is to overcome any obstacles and meet their original timeline, just like in the real world. There will always be obstacles in the real world, get used to it!
Don't forget this is the 20th year for FIRST & they want to celebrate their success!. Enjoy it. I am unable to attend the Championships, But even at the age of 50, I enjoy almost all music, except ghetto rap. I would've loved to attend & take in all the commotion.
Yes there are people who don't particularly like BEP's. Nobody says you have to. As has been already said, those who don't want to go to the concert can take the extra time to study their scouting.
Please try to see all the effort that went into planning this event. Make the best of it. Enjoy your time there, there's no guaranty that you will qualify next year.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Well said Marc! I'll see you there!

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I think this is all pretty cool.

Play half our matches in the pit area. Awesome. A 30 second commute. The pit crew can watch matches. The drive team can watch matches.

Play half our matches in the dome. Awesome. Cool to be on the arena floor. More room to sit and spread out.

Concert on Friday night. Great. A top entertainer is performing at our event. Maybe a TV special. Even if it is BEP focused, look at all the people that will tune in and see FIRST and robots and kids in team shirts and want to find out more.

Late night Friday? Sure. Challenge for the scouting team. Sure. Does every kid on the team focus on scouting? Probably not. Would they be in bed at 10 PM if they were back at the hotel instead? Probably not.

Open your mind. Try it. Enjoy the weekend. There is no reason you cannot enjoy a great Robotics competition and a great concert. And then on Monday generate some more excitement at your school when you talk about everything that happened in St. Louis at the FIRST Championship.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I agree with Chris and Marc, well said indeed.

I have not been seriously on CD for a while. After having been absent for a couple of weeks and then seeing this thread this evening it made me sit back and wonder what is happening here.

FIRST is having a 20th birthday party. Some people seem to think it is the would think it was the end of the world... Really ?? ( Is that what "2012" is about. )

Enjoy your trip to the Championship, enjoy the party. Happy 20th, FIRST !!!

Unfortunately I'll not be there to party so y'all have a good time.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Two things

1. "Don't Fail Me, Education in America" will be filming pieces during the championship. If they do end up filming this concert, I hope that CNN sticks to it's idea of being fair and balanced by filming the teams that actually have scouting meetings Friday night as well.

2. Like a lot of other people have stated, This is a great idea, it was just executed very poorly.

3. To our performing guests. we're glad that you guys are here and we hope you stick around and enjoy the robots on Saturday afternoon. The execution issue that i listed earlier is a matter to be dealt with between the teams in the FIRST program, and the people at FIRST HQ in Manchester.

When dean said FIRST isn't about the robots, he was right.

I don't have a team here at Championship, so i guess I'll be at the concert.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I have been trying to feel out my thoughts on this event over the past few days as the event comes closer every day to happening and I think I have finally come to a sense of feeling I can post.

I wont lie when I say that one of the things that drew me to starting FIRST was the opportunity to go to Disney. I'm not saying I wouldn't have joined FIRST if it wasn't for the trip to Disney and a week out of school, but what kid is going to complain about a trip to Disney. If this concert, the production piece that comes from it, or other "events" in the future draw people to FIRST, is that a bad thing?

As for the performers who will be playing, whether it is Will.I.Am, The Black Eyed Peas, Willow Smith, or any number of other potential guests, Who has said they did not approach FIRST and volunteer to do this for us? I am grateful to whoever will be playing together for FIRST that they are doing so and potentially will help FIRST's programs grow.

Also for those of you that have been around FIRST for a while, you may remember a certain PSA video that was done with Will Smith in 2002(?). In the video he says to keep doing great things and making better technology so he can stay home with his kids. Well now his kids are grown a bit and well, they are coming to us. I know that to me, this is inspiration to keep doing what we are doing.

While some of you may glance over my thoughts, and the few cents they are worth, maybe just maybe this concert will attract some student with no plans for a future, to join a FIRST team, and a decade later will be standing in front of a class of students teaching and inspiring them to have a future of their own!

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

They didn't have to have the concert at all. One solution to the problem of the concert stage taking up room otherwise available for FRC fields would have been not to have the problem in the first place.

I have recently come to understand that many people truly do not have the ability to tell the difference between great music and not great music.

I plan to attend the concert, if only to find out what message it presents. (I also plan to wear earplugs.)

FIRST doesn't have to remain unchanging forever. I know my focus has changed in the eight years I've been part of FRC, though the broader goal is still the same. If FIRST's direction is changing, I'd like to know what the new target is.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I gotta agree with Dez. Great concept. Lousy execution.

However, the last time FIRST had one of those was the sudden spring of the Dean's List last build season (I'm not including the Minibot here). They got the bugs worked out for this year, or at least I haven't heard of a single issue there. (Even last year, the main issues were time and the mentors not wanting the students to know who was being nominated in some cases, but needing to use STIMS to submit. Both were fixed easily before Kickoff this year.)

When FIRST has a great concept that is poorly executed, at least in some views, they change it to make it even better. The original alliance selection system had unlimited declines (and no elimination backups, and you only knew that these X teams will be on the field until 2 minutes before your match). The 3-team elimination selection was originally non-serpentine. The last time there was any form of minibot, it was optional and tethered to the main robot (2002, and you don't want to know how many entanglement issues were called/not called on those).

I think that if they learn from the main complaints this year (namely, teams couldn't plan for it due to late-ish notice, plus the fields moving with no reason given) and address those, there is great potential for this to be really, really, really great. The great unknown is whether they will learn from those errors--I think they will learn. The only questions will be: How well do they learn, and who's playing?

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I can't support this. It's great that we have support from celebrities. It is not great that we are compromising a competition we paid $5,000+ in order to further glorify a celebrity in lieu of what we're actually here for. Whatever happened to "you get what you celebrate?"

According to FIRST, will.i.am is more important than half of its flagship program. Really?

No! This is awful! We had an opportunity to reach out and get THE GENERAL PUBLIC into a ROBOTICS COMPETITION and we threw that out. This is the first time in FIRST history that a FIRST competition is closed to the public, and I really don't think that is consistent with FIRST's mission at all.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Conor Ryan had the right statement about the fields.
Who cares where they are? the compition wont be easier. The chalenges wont be less intense. It will just be different.

I am not a BEP fan, BUT something has to happen to help get the name of FIRST out there. If it is a concert video, great let FIRST be like other celebrity causes such the chrisis in Uganda issues where celebrity fame can inform more people about the issue.

Bono isnt a doctor, but I appreciate the fact he uses his fame to do goood. Perhaps your next mentor will join because his/her 10 year old BEP fan kid introduced them to FIRST, or the next buisness you go to raise money from has heard of of FIRST because of this.

The least of my worries for our FIRST robot matches. If you teach the values I would be happy playing matches in a waffle house parking lot

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Chris, normally I see eye to eye with many of your posts, or at least can understand your point of view, but not now.

How is this a compromise to the competition? Is anyone being shut out of the competition because of the concert? Is anyone not getting to compete now than before the concert was announced? Is this the reason a team signed up for the championship instead of competing to begin with? I think not. Unless FIRST allows teams to sign up today, and their sole reason to sign up is to see Will.I.Am perform, than how is this a compromise?

As far as the two fields being in the pits, my guess (and from your listed rookie year) you never have been outside of Atlanta for Championship. Back in the Orlando days, when we had Championship (then Nationals) in the Epcot parking lot, or even before, in Disney, this was a normal occurrence. Yes they were separated by tent walls but you were also normally rotated among the different fields to get to play on the "Big Stage" too. Be happy your pit wasn't moved outside into the rain or onto a pitchers mound where you don't have a flat floor.
I actually think the fields being in the pits is a GREAT thing. When was the last time at championship you saw the general public walking through the pits? I know in the 6 years I was in Atlanta, Year in Houston, and time in Orlando, I can't count it off one hand. Now with two fields there, the public (and VIPs) who may attend will have a reason to go to the pits, and see the teams doing their thing off the field. I can see a major plus there. Will the seating be an obstacle, more than likely, but it wont be anything that hasn't been overcome before.

And as for this competition being closed to the public, I must have missed where it said that. The concert on Friday night is nothing more than the team socials of past years. Whether it was Disney in Orlando, Six Flags in Houston, or Centennial Park in Atlanta, the parties have always been closed to the public. The competition is still open to the public, but when the matches end and the dome closes to prep for the concert, everyone will have to leave. Doors will then reopen later to only those who have wristbands as a ticket for entry.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

From this page:
http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...t.aspx?id=4190


Only this special concert is closed to the public, only people with wrist bands can get in

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Is anyone else (not so) secretly hoping that the Black Eyed Peas do a version of the FIRST Rap?

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I am reminded of weddings where the guests wait in the lobby for an hour while the photographer takes pictures, and the ceremony itself seems to be run be the photographer, not the preacher. Are the pictures of the event, or is the event to take pictures? Something about the tail wagging the dog.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

For everyone saying FIRST is now celebrating celebrities instead of robots you are wrong. FIRST is getting celebrities to celebrate us and get our message out into the world. I think it's pretty cool that the BEP and other celebrities are willing to take up their time to come celebrate science and technology with us.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Bingo !!

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

BigWill has got it right in my opinion. Two-Thumbs Up.

I know it's hard to think about how the world works today. We've all been brain washed in the form of sports and celebrity culture. We view Will I.Am as a celebrity and "think" it's natural that all celebrity want in the spot light always. It's not about Will I.AM. It's about a culture change in what it is you and your team are doing by earning the right to show us this weekend. Will I.AM is coming to celebrate YOU and YOUR team, and your accomplishments in the FIRST program. This is his way to help you celebrate those new found skills or accomplishments in being on a world class robotics team. As Chris Fultz and many others have said, try to enjoy the weekend and let it sink in.....that someone is there to appreciate what YOU and YOUR team have done.

I recently read an article linked to us news from our own North East Indiana Talent Made Here Initiative:
http://www.usnews.com/education/blog...stem-standards

In this article sums up the culture change...

Tom Kalil, the White House's deputy director for science and technology policy, said in order for the United States to catch up to countries such as China, India, and South Korea, America needs to fundamentally change to embrace STEM.

"In China, Bill Gates is Britney Spears; in the U.S., Britney Spears is Britney Spears," he said. "We need to teach our kids that it's not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated—it's the winner of the science fair, too."

Best of luck to you teams competition at the World Championships. I'll be there Friday late and some Saturday, with a small group of kids but probably won't be able to see the concert because of the ticket structure. Someone can fill me in later...enjoy the fact that Will I. Am thinks GEEKS are kewl...or Nerds in the case of Woodie Flowers...

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

Regarding celebrating celebrities:
I've seen pictures of Fred Armisen, several Mythbusters, Shaka Smart, Barack Obama, and that dude that makes cakes on TV on CD-Media. In none of those corresponding threads has there been grumbling about "pandering to celebrities" or "celebrating the wrong culture".
When will.i.am was part of the 2011 kickoff, before the splash page fiasco, people thought that was pretty cool, and were excited about the prospect of a live performance. People on this forum were practically foaming at the mouth, looking for some nod of the head to FIRST during the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

So what's different about this?

I appreciate concerns about crowding in the pits - there's another thread devoted to that. But what's done is done, we've got a tremendous opportunity to once again promote FIRST to the public, why not take advantage of it?

I, for one, am very happy about the way this has been handled, and the way our gracious STL hosts are treating us. IMHO, most of the times when FIRST is displayed to the general public (usually as a side story on CNN or 20/20 or 60 Minutes or some such show), it's displayed as this cute little boutique program. I'm yearning for the day when FIRST is above that, is given the same publicity as, say, an NCAA basketball game or NBA football game or the Chicago Marathon. For twenty years, the PTB in NH have been working to make FIRST a household-known entity; having a closed-doors concert by an internationally known act - and not in such a way as to portray us as a "charity case" - is a great thing.

Sure, it's a PITA. I completely agree that we should voice concerns about the space situation. But let's leave the pitchforks and torches at home.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

I think this performance would not be complete without a cover or two. I really hope Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen are both another one of Wil.I.Am's guests:
http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/neil-young-and-bruce-springsteen-whip-my-hair-111610/1260532/

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

All of those things you mention were provided to FIRST teams at no cost; they were each a neat bonus that did not appreciably affect the experience they have as participants in a robotics competition.

This time, their experience IS being affected so as to accommodate this performance. Now that the lunch isn't free, so to speak, people are thinking more critically about what is most important to them. The stakes are higher.

I am having trouble getting all riled up about it. While I'm fiercely competitive, the most valuable parts of FIRST for me have always been when we get to celebrate our achievements -- whether that was winning the event or making new friends. This concert could be a move toward making the Championship more of a celebration of our FIRST culture (again) and less about trying (and failing, in my opinion) to mimic sports.

At the same time, I also accept that some people think being on the floor of a major stadium is awesome. I never really felt that way. Upon reflecting about that some more this morning, I came to realize that the thing I enjoyed most about competing on the floor of the Georgia Dome was that it was, frankly, really quiet. That's probably not a ringing endorsement for branding this thing we do as the Super Bowl of Smarts, though.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

One Hundred years from now, no one will care who performed or why. If it ends up benefitting FIRST, our teams, or even a couple of students, so be it.

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

this better be webcasted......................................... .. haha

Re: Friday Night Entertainment - will.i.am with special guests
 

This is sort of irrelevant but Stephen Colbert's latest tweet: