Songs Played at the A's Last Game: An Oakland Coliseum Soundtrack

It started, as ever, on the BART bridge, walking past the bootleg T-shirts and the card-table vendors repeating “shrooms, edibles, pre-rolls” while listening to Roddy Ricch’s “High Fashion” on tinny Bluetooth speakers. As vape pen smoke wafted through the air, so did the horn-and-drum sound of a Banda group, playing for tailgaters over in the packed parking lot.

This was the last A’s game at the Oakland Coliseum, the greatest ballpark in America, where music has always played an important role. I’ve made a habit of tallying songs played at A’s games, and at the game the night before, I’d heard all the Coliseum classics: Eric B. and Rakim’s “Don’t Sweat the Technique,” Dr. Dre and Tupac’s “California Love,” Mac Dre’s “Thizz Dance.” (In a cheeky acknowledgment of a soon-to-be-empty stadium, they’d also played The Specials’ “Ghost Town.”)

This game was historic, and thus attended by more casual fans, which meant we got John Fogerty’s overplayed “Centerfield” before Rickey Henderson and Dave Thomas threw out the first pitch. Redemption came quickly, though, as none other than beloved Bay Area hurler Barry Zito sang the national anthem while a loud military jet flyover added Merzbow-esque ambiance. Zito’s best performance is still Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, but this wasn’t bad either.

After MØ’s “Final Song” set an appropriate tone, the game’s soundtrack steered into the familiar: Souls of Mischief’s “93 ‘Til Infinity,” P-Lo’s “Put Me On Somethin’,” and ATM and IMD’s “Bernie Lean,” the inexplicable only-in-the-Bay Coliseum hit that encourages fans to dance like the dead main character from the 1989 cult movie Weekend at Bernie’s.

During a jumbotron interview with an old-timer named Pete — an A’s fan since 1968 — the PA played the Grateful Dead’s “Touch of Grey.” In the second inning, for an on-screen tribute to the many behind-the-scenes stadium workers, we got Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day,” right around the same time a guy walked past us hoisting a sign that read “JOHN FISHER HAS SEX WITH COUCHES TOO.”

Let’s see, what else? The Incredible Bongo Band’s breakbeat classic “Apache” was in the mix. Accompanying a 2024 season highlights reel was Trace Adkins’ “Swing”; another montage that started with the Coliseum’s 2019 light malfunction got The Doors’ “Light My Fire.”

As a reggae song, JJ Bleday’s walk-up music of Stick Figure’s “World on Fire (feat. Slightly Stoopid)” stuck out among so many rap and metal choices, but it must’ve worked, since he hit the first RBI of the game. Shortly afterward, the PA was playing Tony Toni Toné’s “Let’s Get Down” when Stacy Samuels, the Banjo Man himself, walked right by us, finger-picking his strings to DJ Quik’s verse and creating the day’s weirdest mashup.

While the PA played Wham’s “Careless Whisper,” the screens showed a woman holding a sign that read “Today, there IS crying in baseball”; simultaneously, a man walked past our section air-saxophoning the song’s famous sax riff. The A’s then put up a third run, and what else is there to play during a rally but Rossini’s William Tell Overture, a.k.a. the Lone Ranger theme song?

I have to say: it is a minor disgrace that fans loudly sang “must be the monnnaaayyyy!” from Nelly’s “Ride Wit Me” each time Shea Langeliers came to bat, while nobody — and I mean nobody — sang the “yay arrrreeeeaaaaaaa!” hook from E-40’s “Yay Area.” All was forgotten when Barry Zito’s “Ballpark Kids” played over a fan montage, mostly because I asked myself: Do I need to check out Barry Zito’s solo stuff? (Some of his songs on YouTube have only 150 views; decide for yourself.)

Just as I started wondering why I hadn’t cried yet, after the traditional race of the big heads took place to Metallica’s “One,” in-stadium announcer Kara Tsuboi got on the mic. I didn’t recognize the song that played before it, but her farewell speech capping 16 years with the Oakland A’s was the most touching moment of the game: “Tomorrow, it doesn’t just go away, all this love that’s here!” WHO IS CUTTING ONIONS?!

Hold your jokes when Mason Miller walks out to Nickelback’s “Burn It to the Ground,” because the dude shut it down. And while I’d worried about the lack of certain Oakland anthems at the game, like J. Nash’s “Cupcakin’” or Tower of Power’s “Oakland Stroke,” I couldn’t have chosen a better hyperlocal soundtrack for the bottom of the 8th than Vell’s “Oakland.”

By now, you already know that the A’s won, 3-2, and naturally, that meant Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration.” It also meant A’s manager Mark Kotsay started a chant of “Let’s Go Oakland” — which began to morph into a giant collective chant of “Fuck John Fisher,” until the PA squelched it. Cue yet another play of “Celebration.” Drown those pesky fans out!

As fans scooped up field dirt and stole seats, at last Tower of Power made an appearance over the PA with “So Very Hard to Go.” We headed toward the gates to the Luniz’ “I Got 5 On It” remix, and I witnessed three people rapping along to Richie Rich’s timeless verse: Oakland, Smokin’.

Out on the BART bridge, walking back toward the train, the shroom guys played Mac Dre’s “Feelin’ Myself.” The tequila guys played Los Rakas’ “Soy Raka.” The saxophone player did Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love,” and the laundry-hamper drummer, my favorite busker for 20 years, played Santana’s “Black Magic Woman.”

We listened to Joe Henderson all the way home, reminiscing about the day: full, vibrant, lively and fun. I can’t count how many empty A’s games I’ve been to in the past 5–10 years, and it’s felt like living alone in the forgotten family home that once held so much joy and laughter. For one last day, though, all the kids and grandkids and neighbors and siblings and babies came back home for a family reunion, and the house was filled with music and love.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2c5GNB9CAekqxjhmRJf6Nh?si=HvWYaK2WSX2GwWWvJeKzhQ