The Chant
The legendary 'Rip City' fan chant of the Portland Trail Blazers, born in the 1970s and still roaring at the Moda Center.
The Chant is the iconic 'Rip City' fan chant of the Portland Trail Blazers, echoing through the Moda Center and originating from the team's early days at Memorial Coliseum.
Quick Facts
- Origin location
- Memorial Coliseum (original home of the Trail Blazers)
- Current venue
- Moda Center (formerly Rose Garden)
- Primary identity
- Rip City
- Key figure
- Bill Schonely (original Trail Blazers broadcaster who coined 'Rip City')
- Notable song
- 'Rip City' (fan chant, not a song by a band)
- Cultural impact
- Home Court Advantage
- Era started
- 1970s
Lore & Background
The 'Rip City' chant was born in the 1970s, spontaneously coined by legendary Trail Blazers broadcaster Bill Schonely during a game. It quickly became the rallying cry of Portland fans, echoing through Memorial Coliseum and later the Moda Center. Unlike a band, this chant has no formal members—it belongs to the entire Trail Blazers fanbase, who have passed it down through generations as a symbol of team pride.
Reader's Guide
The Chant released Three Sheets to the Wind in 1985 on Safety Net Records. Their album Two Car Mirage was released in 1989, produced by The Chant, John Keane and James Klotz, with Bill Ashton as executive producer, recorded at Atlanta's Channel One Studios, on Safety Net Records (cutter NET 12). It is also available in CD format, which includes their debut album Three Sheets to the Wind sans one track. They released a Christmas single We Three Kings in 1990 (b/w Charlie Pickett's Bullshit).
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