The Flag

Stewart Copeland's Flag
The Flag when it was first created in May 2007. Photo courtesy of DM-Kellie.

The Flag (also known as Stewart's Flag, The Flag of Copelandia, The Traveling Flag of Copelandia, The Little Flag That Could, The Krypton Menace, etc.) is a small green flag with the Stewart Copeland horse logo painted on the front. Originally built by a fan to make it easy to find strangers in a crowd, The Flag became a symbol of support for Stewart Copeland from the forum members of his official website. From 2007-05-27 to 2008-08-07, these fans carried the Flag to 91 concerts and one television appearance of the 2007-2008 Reunion Tour of The Police, collecting fans' signatures on the back along the way.

Thanks to the support and interaction with the Flag of Stewart Copeland himself, the Flag's appearance in the audience at Police concerts became a kind of tradition of the Reunion tour, culminating with the Flag's appearance onstage at the final Police concert at Madison Square Garden.

The Flag now resides in Stewart Copeland's home.

History

Background

The Flag was built in May 2007 by Moeskido and DirtyMartini (a.k.a. User:DM-Kellie) in order to make it easier for DirtyMartini and other forum members of the Stewart Copeland Official Site to find each other in Vancouver, Canada for the opening nights of the 2007-2008 Reunion Tour of The Police. (DM-Kellie)

Made of kelly green cotton broadcloth and white acrylic paint and built to last for only three days, the Flag was constructed to be easily recognizable by strangers in crowded locations with no eye toward durability, quality, or aesthetics. The finished flag folded too large to fit into DirtyMartini's purse, so three grommets were added to the top edge so that the Flag could be hung on the outside of her purse.

The flag served its purpose well, first spotted and recognized by samburusunset at the Vancouver International Airport customs booths.

In the meantime DirtyMartini had posted a link to a photograph of the Flag in her signature line at SC.net so that members traveling to Vancouver could recognize it.[1][2] Forum members Hannaha and Divemistress of the Dark saw this photo and requested instructions on how they might make their own flags. While discussing how the original flag -- having served its purpose -- might be mailed to others' respective concerts, Hannaha posed the following idea:[3]

I think we should make a concerted effort to get this flag to circumnavigate the world with Copeland fans.
Signing the back is a great idea too. See how many North American shows we can get it to and then send it
on over to us in europe for the next leg of the tour. Finally, after South America, Japan, Australia et al
it will return, battered and battle-worn, to Ms Martini's eager mitts!

Not only will it make hooking up with sc.netters easier it will also let STEWART know we're there cheering
him on, wherever in the world he may be!

Thus, the "Traveling Flag of Copelandia" was born.

Let Your Team Copeland Flag Fly

On 2007-06-03 a request for volunteers to carry and bear the Flag was posted: Let your Team Copeland Flag fly!!! (Flag-Bearers wanted.)

The idea was for each volunteer Flag-Bearer to carry the Flag to his/her assigned concert(s). In addition to holding the Flag during the show, volunteers were asked to make themselves available either before or after the concert so that other Stewart Copeland Official Site forum members could sign the back of the Flag. The Flag-Bearer was then responsible for mailing or physically carrying the Flag to its next goal location. The hope was to show the Flag at as many concerts as possible and collect as many signatures as possible so that the Flag could be given to Stewart at the end of the tour as "the nastiest, rattiest, lovingest, most battle-scarred keepsake that Fiona has ever banned from entering the Copeland household."[4]

Response to the idea was enthusiastic. Within the first 24 hours of this original call for volunteers, 13 fans had volunteered to carry the flag to 22 concerts in 6 different countries. Due to geographic and timing limitations as well as limited resources, the Flag was unable to attend every concert on the tour, but the Flag's schedule was adjusted often to accommodate as many locations and volunteers as possible.

Bonnaroo (2007-06-16) and Houston (2007-06-29)

Although the Flag had been carried to both the Fan Club and Opening Night concerts in Vancouver (these dates are counted in its official tally), the Flag's first public appearance after acquiring its new purpose was on 2007-06-16 at the Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival in Manchester, TN. Fan cpriddims, a volunteer for the festival, was able use his volunteer status to carry the Flag to a secure location in the backstage area and wait for The Police caravan to arrive. After an hour of waiting, Stewart Copeland's van drove through. From the back seat, Stewart spotted the Flag for the very first time and, smiling, gave the Flag two thumbs up.[5]

A few days later in Houston, Stewart spotted the Flag during a concert for the first time, and -- to the surprise of many -- gave it appreciative acknowledgment in the form of of thumbs ups and stick points.[6] This 2007-06-29 Houston concert would be the first of many onstage acknowledgments by Stewart to the Flag during a Police concert.

The Flag of Copelandia

To the surprise and delight of forum members, Stewart would continue to react enthusiastically to the Flag throughout the Police tour, smiling, gesturing, and pointed exaggeratedly at the Flag and its Flag-Bearer. Soon it became clear from his actions that Stewart was not just happening to see the Flag in the audience but actively searching for it, so in order to make this job easier -- particularly when the Flag was not located close to the stage -- "Flag-Spotting" threads were posted at SC.net describing where the Flag's location would be. Stewart's actions suggested that he was receiving these messages in the first half of the tour but had likely stopped reading them during the last legs of the tour after the 2008 spring hiatus.

Stewart's actions and reactions to the Flag generated a great deal of enthusiasm and buzz for the project, and gradually word of the Flag spread to the Police fan club forum and elsewhere. As Stewart played along with "our little flag game" as he once called it, fans' excitement and desire to get involved increased, and members of SC.net looked forward to hearing reports of Stewart interacting with his flag.

Fan enthusiasm for the project became evident in a variety of ways, including avatars, jokes, "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of Copelandia" t-shirts, and songs. In addition to showing support for Stewart, the Flag brought many fans together who might not have met otherwise and gave fans from all over the world a project that they could support, even if they had ever met the Flag in person. (cite (and cite elsewhere))

At random intervals throughout the Flag's journey, Stewart posted and spoke about his Flag positively. By the end of the 2007-2008 Reunion Tour, Stewart's acknowledgment of the Flag and his appreciation for his fans' efforts and support were evident.

The Finale at Madison Square Garden (2008-08-07)

For months SC.net forum members had been speculating and brainstorming on how the Flag should be delivered to Stewart at the end of the tour. Finally DirtyMartini got word that she should coordinate with Jeff Seitz as Stewart was "keen" to hang the Flag on the gong at the final Police concert at Madison Square Garden. Due to timing and logistical problems, hanging the Flag on the gong proved unfeasible, but Police crew members were able to construct a special rig at the last minute on which the Flag could hang next to Stewart's drumkit.

Rather than the final Flag Duty of the tour being performed by a single person, small paper "flags" were distributed to Stewart Copeland fans throughout the arena: on one side was an approximate "copy" of the Stewart Copeland Flag (the white horse logo on a green background), while on the other side were the words "THANK YOU," also in white on a green background. Thus, when Stewart reached the stage, he was greeted not with a single flag but hundreds located throughout the arena, concentrated mostly in the areas where Stewart had given away free tickets to many of his forum members. The original Flag was shared among forum members in the pit through the first half of the show, then handed off to Brad Sands during "Invisible Sun" to be carried backstage.[7]

At the beginning of the first encore just before "Purple Haze," Stewart appeared onstage with the Flag in hand, which he presented to the audience, passed to a crew member to hang on the rig created for the purpose, and then saluted.(links) The Flag hung on the stage next to Stewart for the remainder of the concert.[8]

The Flag appeared a number of times on the live online Best Buy broadcast, most notably in close-up during the altered So Lonely lyric "Welcome to the Stewart Copeland show."(link) Fans watching the broadcast from all over the world were ecstatic to see their Flag on stage.[9][10][11][12] [13] Fans' "THANK YOU" messages appeared on camera as well.

Fitting with the meme that he had established, at the end of the concert Stewart pointed one-by-one to the many fans located in the pit holding paper "flags" and "THANK YOU" signs. The next day he posted on SC.net, saying "Well, I’m way too hung over for any sensible message to all of you nutters except to say thank YOU for your happy faces in the mosh. Glad you all enjoyed it as much as I did. We’ll talk soon…"[14]

Aftermath

After the 2008-08-07 concert, the Flag was finally in the possession of Stewart Copeland. He carried it home with him to be hung in his home studio.[15][16]

At last official word, the Flag was in the process of being framed.[17][18]

Fast Flag Facts

• Concerts attended: 91
• Television appearances attended: 1
• Continents visited: 5
• Countries visited: 21
• Cities visited: 66
• Miles traveled: unknown
• Flag-Bearers (official): 68
• Flag-Bearers (unofficial, including assistants and rock stars): 75, plus unknown number in audience at 2008-08-07 finale
• Flag Mules (total, including Flag-Bearers): x
• First signature collected: Divemistress of the Dark (2007-06-16)
• Last signature collected: BABA (2008-08-07)
• # of signatures collected: unknown
• Total cost of project: unknown

(DM-Kellie)

Timeline

Notable events in the Flag's history

2007

• On 2007-05-13 the Flag is born.
• On 2007-06-16 the Flag is first seen by Stewart Copeland backstage at Bonnaroo. He gives the Flag two thumbs up.[19]
• On 2007-06-29 the Flag receives its first on-stage acknowledgment from Stewart.
• On 2007-07-16 the first Flag Point photo is captured.
• On 2007-07-18 Stewart mentions the Flag publicly for the first time.[20]
• On 2007-08-30 the Flag enters official Police history, mentioned in an official news item and making a brief appearance in the band's European Tour Electronic Press Kit.[21][22]
• On 2007-09-20 the Flag is immortalized in song, "The Flag of Copelandia Anthem" by BongoBoy. Stewart posts to express his approval, joking that "Andy and Sting are very exited (sic) about your song. Just the sort of new material that we've been looking for! We should have it worked into the set by Munich..." [23][24]
• On 2007-11-21 "The Little Flag That Could" photo gallery -- a collection of photos of the Flag, of Stewart's fans with the Flag, and of Stewart's reactions to the Flag all over the world -- is announced. [25]
• On 2007-11-28 the Flag meets Stewart Copeland for the first time. This unscheduled meeting is met with mixed reactions by forum members, and Stewart posts to express both his apologies and his appreciation.[26][27][28]
• On 2007-11-30 JMRL drives two-and-a-half hours across Argentina to convince FedEx contractor Fast Track to release the Flag, and by doing so, makes it possible for the Flag to attend three concerts in South America.[29][30][31]
• In December 2007 Stewart mentions the Flag in his holiday greeting on the home page of his official site.[32]

2008

• On 2008-01-19 Stewart first references the Flag in public from the stage, shouting, "Hold that flag up right there! Right there!" [33] (bootleg)
• On 2008-03-26 Stewart describes his Flag during a Q&A session.[34][35]
• On 2008-05-14 an alternative, "freak out flailing version" of the Flag anthem, "The Flag of Copelandia 2008," is posted by BongoBoy. [36][37]
• On 2008-05-20 the Flag inspires an eighth grade French lesson in the form of "Le Drapeau Vert." The semi-fictional story will also launch a classroom board game. [38][39]
• On 2008-07-28 Stewart Copeland and Jeff Seitz have a small panic as, due to a miscommunication of information, they fear that the Flag may have been confiscated by security.
• On 2008-07-31 Jeff Seitz signs the Flag.
• On 2008-08-07, just before the first encore of the final Police concert at Madison Square Garden, Stewart Copeland hangs the Flag on stage next to his drumkit on a special rig created for the purpose. [40][41][42]
• On 2008-08-21 the Flag appears in the background of photos of the Police's reunion tour finale published online by Rolling Stone magazine. [43][44][45][46][47] A few days later the Flag appears in the print edition of Rolling Stone, issue #1060, publication date 2008-09-04.[48]
• In November 2008, The Police release Certifiable. The Flag, Stewart's reactions to it, and Flag-Bearers JMRL and stingingintherain appear a number of times during the concert footage. In addition, the Flag appears in the audience at the end of the feature "Better Than Therapy."

Flag Schedule

The Flag appeared at the following Police performances:

Date	Venue	Location	Flag-Bearer
2007-05-27	GM Place	Vancouver, BC, Canada	DirtyMartini
2007-05-28	GM Place	Vancouver, BC, Canada	DirtyMartini
2007-06-16	Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival	Manchester, TN, United States	Divemistress of the Dark
2007-06-23	Dodger Stadium	Los Angeles, CA, United States	bella
2007-06-29	Toyota Center	Houston, TX, United States	Spec A!
2007-06-30	New Orleans Arena	New Orleans, LA, United States	Divemistress of the Dark
2007-07-02	Scottrade Center	St. Louis, MO, United States	Divemistress of the Dark*
2007-07-10	Dolphins Stadium	Miami, FL, United States	cpriddims
2007-07-16	Quicken Loans Arena	Cleveland, OH, United States	DirtyMartini and nancyrose
2007-07-19	Citizens Bank Park	Philadelphia, PA, United States	conroy
2007-07-20	Hersheypark Stadium	Hershey, PA, United States	samburusunset
2007-07-22	Air Canada Centre	Toronto, ON, Canada	nancyrose
2007-07-23	Air Canada Centre	Toronto, ON, Canada	Copelandous D'Amour
2007-07-28	Fenway Park	Boston, MA, United States	Skip
2007-07-29	Fenway Park	Boston, MA, United States	sockii
2007-08-01	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY, United States	Donna
2007-08-03	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY, United States	nancyrose*
2007-08-05	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ, United States	DirtyMartini
2007-08-29	Globe Arena	Stockholm, Sweden	copelandos_damour
2007-09-05	National Indoor Arena	Birmingham, England, UK	Larissa
2007-09-08	Twickenham Stadium	London, England, UK	dafttart
2007-09-09	Twickenham Stadium	London, England, UK	smudge
2007-09-11	AOL Arena	Hamburg, Germany	Dietmar
2007-09-13	Arena	Amsterdam, Netherlands	GinaSuperCat
2007-09-14	Arena	Amsterdam, Netherlands	GinaSuperCat
2007-09-16	Stade de La Praille	Geneva, Switzerland	Giovanni
2007-09-19	Stadthalle	Vienna, Austria	Dietmar
2007-09-22	Olympiastadion	Munich, Germany	phaty
2007-09-27	Olympic Stadium	Barcelona, Spain	Dietmar
2007-09-29	Stade de France	Paris, France	olivier
2007-09-30	Stade de France	Paris, France	Dietmar*
2007-10-02	Stadio Delle Alpi	Turin, Italy	Giovanni
2007-10-06	Croke Park	Dublin, Ireland	smudge (with assist from invisible)
2007-10-08	Sportpaleis	Antwerp, Belgium	Dietmar
2007-10-19	Millenium Stadium	Cardiff, Wales, UK	takeshi and plutonic
2007-10-20	Wembley Arena	London, England, UK	Hannaha
2007-10-31	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY, United States	Moeskido
2007-11-02	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY, United States	Susan
2007-11-03	Boardwalk Hall	Atlantic City, NJ, United States	Bob from NJ
2007-11-05	Verizon Center	Washington, DC, United States	conroy
2007-11-08	Air Canada Centre	Toronto, ON, Canada	BongoBoy
2007-11-09	Air Canada Centre	Toronto, ON, Canada	kimmy
2007-11-11	TD BankNorth Garden	Boston, MA	Lynne
2007-11-17	Philips Arena	Atlanta, GA, United States	JSchoel483
2007-11-18	Philips Arena	Atlanta, GA, United States	IndyGirl
2007-11-27	Arena Monterrey	Monterrey, Mexico	georgygirl
2007-12-01	Estadio River Plate	Buenos Aires, Argentina	JMRL
2007-12-02	Estadio River Plate	Buenos Aires, Argentina	stingingintherain
2007-12-05	Estadio National	Santiago, Chile	Jose
2008-01-17	Westpac Stadium	Wellington, New Zealand	empty and plutonic (with assist from DrummerDaveF)
2008-01-19	Western Springs	Auckland, New Zealand	empty and plutonic
2008-01-26	Cricket Grounds	Melbourne, Australia	visions
2008-02-10	Kyocera Osaka Dome	Osaka, Japan	Midori
2008-02-13	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo, Japan	Uccellina
2008-02-14	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo, Japan	Midori
2008-02-16	Blaisdell Center	Honolulu, HI, United States	OutlandoGirl
2008-02-17	Blaisdell Center	Honolulu, HI, United States	D-A-O*
2008-05-01	Scotiabank Place	Ottawa, ON, Canada	Grace and sameoldbuttercup
2008-05-03	HSBC Arena	Buffalo, NY, United States	luddite lady
2008-05-04	Nationwide Arena	Columbus, OH, United States	AGroovie1
2008-05-10	Allstate Arena	Rosemont, IL, United States	IndyGirl
2008-05-16	Amway Center	Orlando, FL, United States	E (with assist from Lilrock and Jen)
2008-05-17	Cruzan Amphitheatre	West Palm Beach, FL, United States	mrs.adams
2008-05-23	MGM Grand	Las Vegas, NV, United States	TheEqualizer and irishrose1969
2008-05-26	Coors Amphitheatre	Chula Vista, CA, United States	musinggrai
2008-05-27	Hollywood Bowl	Los Angeles, CA, United States	empty (with assist from demolition gal)*
2008-05-28	Hollywood Bowl	Los Angeles, CA, United States	Laz
2008-06-05	SAP Arena	Mannheim, Germany	phaty
2008-06-07	TW Festival	Werchter, Belgium	rhoeckel
2008-06-08	LTU Arena	Dusseldorf, Germany	Maud138
2008-06-17	MEN Arena	Manchester, England, UK	Eugenio
2008-06-18	MEN Arena	Manchester, England, UK	Eugenio (with assist from stevel and gary1)
2008-06-20	Stormont	Belfast, Northern Ireland	takeshi, Eugenio, Giovanni, DirtyMartini
2008-06-22	Heineken Jammin' Festival	Venice, Italy	Giovanni and Eugenio
2008-06-29	Hard Rock Calling, Hyde Park	London, England, UK	smax
2008-07-05	Rock in Rio Festival	Madrid, Spain	Mary
2008-07-14	Shoreline Amphitheatre	Mountain View, CA, United States	OutlandoGirl
2008-07-16	Sleep Train Pavilion	Concord, CA, United States	charliearnold
2008-07-17	Sleep Train Amphitheatre	Wheatland, CA, United States	samburusunset
2008-07-19	USANA Amphitheatre	Salt Lake City, UT, United States	nancyrose, GinaSuperCat, and TheEqualizer
2008-07-21	Red Rocks Amphitheatre	Denver, CO, United States	policerule
2008-07-22	Red Rocks Amphitheatre	Denver, CO, United States	shyvixen
2008-07-25	Marcus Amphitheater	Milwaukee, WI, United States	Lynne
2008-07-28	Post Gazette Pavilion	Burgettstown, PA, United States	mairinphg
2008-07-29	Wachovia Center	Philadelphia, PA, United States	Schmaffy
2008-07-31	Tweeter Center	Mannsfield, MA, United States	perryl
2008-08-01	Saratoga Performing Arts Center	Saratoga, NY, United States	MadGrad
2008-08-03	PNC Bank Arts Center	Holmsdel, NJ, United States	MadGrad and OutlandoGirl*
2008-08-04	Nikon At Jones Beach Theater	Wantagh, NY, United States	Mimimph*
2008-08-05	Nikon At Jones Beach Theater	Wantagh, NY, United States	Tamadude
2008-08-06	Apollo Theater	New York, NY, United States	Dietmar*
2008-08-07	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY, United States	Stewart Copeland and SC.net

*Last-Minute Flag-Bearer Substitutions

Date	Location	Original Flag-Bearer	Replacement Flag-Bearer	Reason
2007-07-02	St. Louis, MO, United States	mardee	Divemistress of the Dark	Seating location
2007-08-03	New York, NY, United States	DirtyMartini	nancyrose	Seating location
2007-09-30	Paris, France	ilbolchini	Dietmar	Physical injury
2008-02-17	Honolulu, HI, United States	caligula	D-A-O	Family emergency
2008-05-27	Los Angeles, CA, United States	demolition gal	empty	Seating location
2008-08-03	Holmdel, NJ, United States	Bob from NJ	MadGrad and OutlandoGirl	Seating location
2008-08-06	New York, NY, United States	DirtyMartini	Dietmar	Seating location

Controversies and kerfluffles

This section needs more information.

Leroy Coolbreeze Fund for Melanoma

On 2007-09-28 DirtyMartini proposed the idea of "attaching" a charity to the forum's Flag project.[49] After much consideration, dialogue, and research, the Leroy Coolbreeze Fund for Melanoma to benefit the Melanoma International Foundation was created, organized and named in honor of Stewart's brother Ian Copeland who passed away from melanoma on 2006-05-23.[50][51].

Although originally conceived in association with the Flag, members of SC.net quickly took it upon themselves to raise money for the Fund through various means, encouraging fundraising in such large-scale capacities as melanoma walks and charity bike rides, as well as through small methods, such as bumping the relevant fundraising thread at the holidays, in association with the passing of loved ones or celebrities, and in appreciation of Stewart Copeland for his generous donation of concert tickets to forum members for the final Police concert.[52][53]

As of 2008-09-05, approximately $5500 had been raised for melanoma research through the Leroy Coolbreeze Fund.[54][55][56]

See also

This section needs more information.

External links

• Photo Gallery: The Little Flag That Could
• Video: "La Ballade du Drapeau": Stewart Copeland talks about the Flag
• "The Flag of Copelandia" by BongoBoy

References

• Let your Team Copeland Flag fly!!! (Flag-Bearers wanted.)