How Chicago Bears DJs set the ‘atmosphere’ for fans — and players — at Soldier Field

Any fan who has been to a Chicago Bears game at Soldier Field has heard (or felt) the music playing in and around Soldier Field.

During Week 3 of the 2018 season, the Bears faced the Seattle Seahawks at home. It was a “Monday Night Football” game and new coach Matt Nagy was seeking his first win.

“It was a huge game and I was like, ‘Yo, I gotta go crazy. I gotta give the boys some energy,’” Jay iLLa, the Bears practice and pregame DJ, recently told the Tribune.

The Bears defense, led by pass rusher Khalil Mack, sacked Seahawks QB Russell Wilson six times and Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky was 25 of 34 for 200 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions in the 24-17 win.

“That was the first game I played ‘Swag Surfin’ pregame. They were all on the field swag surfing. They were ready,” iLLa continued. “We won that game and they played it in the locker room, and thus birthed ‘Club Dub.’ I’ll never get credit, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

One of the Bears’ four DJs, iLLa has been with the team since 2015. He can tell you how long he’s been there based on the number of head coaches he’s seen come and go — his first season with the team was in the John Fox era.

Drawing inspiration from his deep love of hip-hop, iLLa likes to mash up different genres to keep practices and pregames fun and high energy no matter the team’s record. Even though he takes requests, he says, players rarely make them. So iLLa uses his research from playing at clubs to create vibes to motivate the team.

“Pregame (music) gets the juices flowing, gets you kind of pumped up before the game. Having the right music definitely helps,” Bears running back Khalil Herbert said.

Once the game begins, the musical responsibility shifts from iLLa in the north end zone to DJ Jay Funk in the public-address room. Funk, also in his eighth season with the Bears, curates musical vibes for the Bulls, White Sox, Northwestern and Notre Dame as well. He says DJingdeejaying is his art form and freedom, but he understands he has to control the energy in the stadium.

“What you’re listening to is how I’m gonna make you feel so if I need you to get up and get loud, I want to play something very loud or very hyper, especially for (the players) in the moment,” Funk said. “And then of course if I need to bring it down a little bit because we don’t want the other defense getting hype.”

But Funk isn’t just playing what he thinks is good music, he is considering the in-game situation on the field.

“It’s the fourth quarter. We’re only down by a touchdown. It’s third down. We’re on defense. The other team has only four yards to get another first down. If we stop them here to get the ball back we could possibly win the game. Now you want your defense and your fans to get hype,” he explains.

Funk will play “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses and “No Hands” by Waka Flocka — songs with prompts to fans that it’s time to get loud and disrupt the opponent’s offense. As the in-game DJ, he has to be aware of the team, the fans, injuries and the atmosphere at all times. Though he is largely unseen, Funk says he is a very active participant in the game day experience.

Both iLLa and Funk acknowledge the job isn’t always fun — especially when the team isn’t playing well. They are not only team DJs but fans as well, so they understand the frustration fans feel. The key, they shared, is taking the emotion out of it.

Keeping Soldier Field upbeat and the fans involved has been a tough job for the DJs with the 5-8 team and an injury to starting quarterback Justin Fields that sidelined him for weeks.

“You still gotta get the fans riled up even if you’re down 40 to zero. And I still have to keep the energy up even though the fans are really down and pretty much walking out of the stadium,” Funk said.

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There isn’t just music happening for the game, at the south end of the stadium , is the Dr Pepper Patio where DJ Sasha gets the party going two hours before kickoff. Sasha, in his eighth season with the Bears, said he likes to set the mood for game day with music that “encompasses all people.” It’s his job, he says, to make sure every song is upbeat and generates excitement as fans enter Soldier Field.

“In sports, it’s definitely (about) creating that energy when they walk in. I think the music sets the atmosphere,” he said. “You’re creating the atmosphere that’s connecting the people and engaging them with what’s about to happen.

DJ Marquee, who plays the Miller Lite Ultimate Tailgate on the Field Museum south terrace starting two hours before game time, agrees the energy he and Sasha provide fans through their work is a major contribution to the enthusiasm fans bring into the stadium. He sets the mood by merging Chicago’s music culture with what football fans like.

“You try to think of your typical football fan. There’s layers to it,” Marquee said. “When we think about football, music, it’s usually rock and sometimes metal. But because we’re in Chicago, you try to incorporate that culture. We have a rich culture in hip-hop and house and juke. It’s a main point of mine, making every ultimate tailgate feel like Chicago.”

The DJs hope Bears fans know how much their energy matters to not only them but the team. Just as it’s always been, they use music to help with the atmosphere and help the team in any way they can. Though they haven’t done much “swag surfing” lately, when they do, the DJs will have the perfect tune.