I think I’m officially an adult, Dear Reader, for, you see, I have been to a Show™. Well, to be fair, I’ve been to see a few live performances in the past, Christmas ones to be exact, but this was different. This time, Dear Reader, I was an adult!
There’s something particularly Christmas-y about getting together with a group of people you care deeply for and going to a venue where you’ll watch real-live people put on a performance. It’s probably the camaraderie, both of your small circle, and then of the greater circle you become part of when you cheer with, laugh with, and dance with a bunch of strangers. The shared sense you get when you’re part of a group or crowd can actually be quite nice. Of course, it can morph into mob mentality, but let’s not go there.
Instead, let’s stay on the lighter side of crowd psychology. Losing a sense of individual responsibility, in a reasonable and ethical way, is really freeing. You laugh as loud as you want, you smile, you dance, you don’t overanalyze, you can just kind of be. This might work on a smaller scale too. Sure, sometimes around groups of people we might act a little more reserved or put on a bit of a persona, but I find that more and more I’m able to be a little sillier, a little more daring, and a little more open when there are others around in ways I never thought I’d be able to before.
So, a Show, as I said. Husband, lovely couple, and I went to see Blue Man Group on Saturday, and it was a fucking blast. I always have a great time with lovely couple, so that was no surprise, but the show itself was wicked! I have always loved theater–the idea that there are real people in front of you in real time, performing their passion is something else. No one accidentally becomes a performer, not really. If you’re on stage, you love it, and if you’re talented, it will show. You end up there because you should be there.
Blue Man Group was so unique and a whole lot of fun. Even though it was a little topical with technology references, felt timeless in that it can always be updated but since it relies on physical instruments that are clearly handmade, it will remain this familiar thing. There was something about the narrator’s voice, I felt like I’ve heard it before. Maybe, maybe not, but it was familiar. But I definitely remember the Intel commercials featuring the “Bluemen” when I was pretty young, and the show felt exactly like that. Like maybe BMG had always existed and always would. And of course, the music.
I guess I didn’t realize the show would be so musical. I knew there was drumming, but it’s more than that (not that drumming isn’t complex on it’s own, percussion friends!) The instruments the performers use are totally unique to the show, so they’ve learned this distinct skill that can’t really be applied to much else, and it’s so incredibly impressive. For as long as I can remember, music has been the most moving thing to me. I can cry at the drop of a hat, but I’m extra emotionally susceptible to sounds. The show played with that a lot.
So now I want to go to Vegas and see another show, and also see some musicals here, and I want to dress up and be a fancy adult for all of those things. That’s reasonable, isn’t it?? Oh, and I also want to bring my rock and roll career out of retirement. I think that’s equally reasonable, yeah? Being an adult is hard.
Woah, it’s so hard I almost forgot your x-mas-y video of the day! Dang!
A.K. Caggiano 