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What Live Event Did You See (Rate it)?

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Jimmy Higgins

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Well, we have TV, Movies, but nothing for events, concerts, musicals, comedy, etc... so we probably need to have a thread on it.

I happened to do a couple of things this past weekend.

Fun Home (musical) - A musical about a lesbian cartoonist who is trying to come to grips with the death of her father. I'm not giving much away there, they let you know what happens a few minutes in. The show covers three primary times of the cartoonist's life, her childhood, college, and present day (from where she narrates the musical). It is a small cast and enjoyable, though a bit intense here and there. I thought some of the lyrics was a little labored (maybe trying to hard to be West Side Story?, but I'm not a musician, so I may be full of it). Enjoyed the show, but I wouldn't consider it something I would consider an essential.

One thing completely messed with my mind. There is one character that comes to work at the home, the age of the guy completely didn't sell to me he was a teenager, I thought he was in his 20's, which led to some confusion on my part regarding the significance of some events involving him. 3 of 4

David Sedaris (comedy) - Ifyou are into NPR, you know about David Sedaris. He is a satirist, not as much of a comedian. The show consisted of three main readings and then excerpts from his diary which will be chopped down into his next book. The show was entertaining, as Sedaris has a great amount of wit. He concentrates on creating or forming stories, often the stories can be about almost nothing (such as a fox) or about something deeply intense such as his sister who committed suicide, and then twisting absurdities into them. To be honest, for intelligent humor, I prefer Eddie Izzard, who is easily one of the greatest comedians ever. Sedaris has his niche though and delivers his lines much like a Steven Wright... if Wright was reading a long story. 3 of 4
 
About all I can contribute is that I was there when Christopher Hitchens debated William Dembski:

[YOUTUBE]D6K43WSZrmI[/YOUTUBE]

It was one of the last public events that Hitchens gave before he died, so that was poignant. Still, he performed well and, in my opinion, strongly out-performed Dembski. Of course, this was given at a church, so the majority of the audience was on Dembski's side, and he got more applause than Hitchens. The event was formally hosted by a private school, so the audience was mostly middle- and high-schoolers, but it was open to the public.

Dembski, however, didn't seem to know his audience. To be fair, as I recall, he was brought in as an alternate when the original debater bowed out, so I don't know how much time Dembski had to prepare. But his performance mostly went over the heads of the school-age kids in the audience. He focused on obscure minutiae that none of them could properly evaluate, and he quoted obscure philosophers to buttress his points. "Some eighth-century Christian author that you've never heard of wrote "God blah blah blah" and I agree with it so you should too." (polite applause) Toward the end, Dembski said, "I only have time for one more remark, so hopefully it's a zinger!" It wasn't, for no other reason that the best way to deflate a clever remark is to telegraph it beforehand.

I don't have any evidence for it, but I suspect that for a long time Dembski has been wanting to formally debate Richard Dawkins, so much so that he even wrote up a standard outline of what he'll say when that fateful day finally comes. Then, when he was called up at the last minute to debate Hitchens, he thought, "Eh, one Horseman of Atheism is pretty much like another," and whipped out his canned speech. That's why it was heavy on biology (which Hitchens is not qualified to counter) and why Dembski kept calling him the wrong name. At one point while he was reading, he said, "My opponent Richard . . . Hitchens . . . believes that..."

Dembski also made the mistake of praising Mother Teresa as a shining pillar of Christianity, which of course prompted Hitchens to viciously respond. Anyone who is familiar with Hitchens at all would know not to mention her.
 
I've seen many many live events, the most recent being Twenty One Pilots (great show). I've seen Weezer/Panic at the Disco, Jimmy Buffett (numerous times), U2, Journey, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Tim Curry (still love him), Harry Chapin, RUSH, Black Sabbath, The Animals -- and more. I love musicals and have seen many.

BUT, the live performance that stands out the most to me - it made me laugh till I had tears, and cry real tears in the same show was John Barrowman. If you ever get a chance to see him live, it is well worth it.
 
The OP was more about what have you seen recently, like the movie thread.
 
Ghost (concert)
8/10
I went to see Ghost about two weeks ago at The Pageant, which is venue here in St. Louis with a capacity of about 2,000 people. If you are not familiar with the band they are a progressive/ pop metal band with a black metal aesthetic. All of the members of the band are anonymous, with the lead singer going by the pseudonym Papa Emeritus, and the rest of the band referred to only as "A Nameless Ghoul". One member of the band has been identified via song writing credits as Tobias Forge, but no one is sure if he is Papa Emeritus, or one of the guitarist Ghouls. Before they kick off every major tour, they announce that they have fired the previous Papa Emeritus for having failed in his mission to overthrow earthly governments and churches, and replaced him with one of his younger brothers. Before this tour they announced that Papa Emeritus III is the previous singer's younger brother by a full two months.

The put on a great show, with P.E.III dressed for half the set as an evil pope, and then changing into a tuxedo later. The Ghouls all wear identical masks and outfits. The backdrop depicts massive cathedral sized stained glass (printed on cloth, so not really glass) depicting Satanic images like demons, sacrifices, and orgies. They act as if they are conducting an evil catholic mass, not really a black mass, as they are obviously going for a more tongue in cheek depiction of Satanism. At one point, they brought out two women dressed as nuns, the "Sisters of Sin", and provided communion to the concert goers in the front row.

Their music is not what you would expect from a band that dresses and acts the way they do, however. Their sound is very progressive, but changes from song to song, and even within a single song. They have one song that as it starts out sounds very much like something Yes might play, but quickly changes into an almost carnival ride like tempo and sound. I thoroughly enjoyed the show, and the music, but the odd thing is that I was watching Monday Night Football last night, and heard one of their songs being played in the stadium before they cut to break. It just shows how accessible the music itself is that it could appeal to such wide audience, as long as they cut it off before it gets to the lyrics. The song I heard was the song Ghost starts their concert off with currently "Square Hammer", and if they had kept it playing the lyrics probably would have drove some people into fits:

Are you on the square?
Are you on the level?
Are you ready to swear right here, right now, before the Devil?
 
Loreena McKennitt (concert)
9/10

Loreena McKennitt came to St. Louis for the first time in her 30 year career, for a smallish concert at The Pageant. This was a trio performance (occasionally adding a 4th member on the violin), where she normally tours with a larger backing group. It was part Celtic history lesson, part travelogue, and an entirely enchanting performance. In this format, her voice shone above everything else. She is an amazing vocalist, electronic recordings simply do not do it justice, you must witness it live. Go see her if you can.
 
Finding Neverland (Broadway) - A musical about the development of the story Peter Pan. The author of Peter Pan found inspiration for the story within a family he befriended, primarily within the children of the family. The plot anchors with the children and the author's conflict of trying to develop a new show, that wasn't as formulaic as his previous shows. *disclaimed, I know almost nothing about JM Barrie, so I have no idea how much of that was true*. Of what I actually looked up, the plot took a bit of liberty by killing off the father of the children (the children are dealing with the death for a while at the start of the show), which didn't actually happen for three years post Peter Pan release. This sort of thing really robs the show of some emotional appeal. People near me seemed more impacted by what I thought was blatant emotional blackmailing of the crowd. It was also quite a bit lazy, by doing the typical let's turn a gray world into black and white.

The troupe was really good and well experienced, the main female lead having filled Menzel's shoes for Elphba in Wicked on Broadway, though you could only really tell she had Menzel's Merman's like ability to belt. She appeared to have greater vocal range than Menzel. The production was very good, much more involved than the previous month's show Funhouse which was much simpler.

It was enjoyable overall, but while not knowing any of the story before hand, I could suspect where we were being manipulated by a false history. That robbed an otherwise very good show of legitimacy that I always seek, but apparently most others don't give a flip.

3 of 4
 
Something Rotten (musical) - Saw this a while ago and surprised I didn't review it. This show was brilliant. Extremely funny and maintains a coherent plot for a comedy, ie, a two brother writing team trying to compete with Shakespeare. Some of the jokes are a little cliche, but overall, it is a remarkable show. The opening song (I Really Hate Shakespeare) is a quick indicator of what was to come. There were two large song/dance numbers that resulted in extended standing ovations from the crowd, and well deserved. My one complaint is there was a reference to a particularly famous 80s song that I think the writers of the show completely botched in including into a song. It could have been much better, but just a few moments of a great show, so hardly detracts.

4 of 4

Curious Incident of the Dog at Nighttime (or something like that) - Also saw this a while ago. Mixed feelings. The story was too transparent. But that wasn't really the point of the show. The point was to try and use broadway and some impressive tech to help people understand how it is to live as a person with Autism. They accomplish that pretty well. But as I noted, the plot is way too transparent to be surprised by anything.

2.5 of 4

And then I recently saw this piece of crap. I did manage to stay awake, but it was a fight at times.

Love Never Dies (musical/opera) - Two words, "Avoid it!" Have season tickets and this was one of the shows. It was awful. From the conflicting synth music with the lead's voice, to the second lead male overpowering voice over the lead male's voice, to the worst written story I've seen on stage. Pretty much, set up a love triangle involving a successful loving woman with two complete selfish doucebags, and then the ultimate anti-climatic lazy ass climax?! The only good things were the staging and costumes. Fuck you Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Wait, let me restart.

Love Never Dies (musical/opera) - Five words for you. "Fuck you Andrew Lloyd Webber!"

1 of 4 (a generous one for the stages and costumes... and talented cast who were fucked over by having to do this show)
 
Hamilton (musical) - Wow! Talk about a trigger fest! Not only are black people playing white people, but using rap and hip hop instead of traditional music?!

I suppose the alt-right hates the theater anyways, so that is why they didn't know where to go to protest the show.

The show is long... nearly 3 hours with a 15 minute intermission. The show starts a little slow, but then the music starts to wrap around itself in a Pulp Fiction sort of way and there is a cohesive show. The songs are great, there are a lot of songs, and plenty of catchy hooks. The comic relief comes in the form of King George. One thing I thought was silly was obviously, this show has some incredible hype behind it, and people were almost too in to it, from the get go. I'm thinking... "We haven't seen the show yet... let's wait before we become enamored." King George appears three times. The first time, he is clearly being used to establish a gag... the trap hasn't sprung yet with the comedy... but people are laughing their asses off... at lines that weren't funny and were actually serious. But, some people just want to show "they get the hype".

So we get to the next portion... how realistic is it... how much privilege does the show take with history. And there is a lot of history that entangles with this show... from the Revolution to the election of 1800. I'm still uncertain about this. It definitely takes dramatic privilege regarding Hamiliton's children (dramatically reducing it to only one). Then there is the Burr v Hamilton rivalry that is uncertain to have existed. Certainly the final climax between the two would suggest some level of a rivalry, however, the show doesn't create an unreal Jedi v Empire rivalry. So ultimately, I think the show was fair enough to history.

Finally, how does the show end? What does it all mean? I think this might be the best aspect of the show. We've watched the show... so what... and the story tells you the what, the legacy. I walked out of the theater wondering if this was the best show Broadway has made. Sadly I lack the history to be able to say that with any authority. I will say, that this show does certainly come close to reaching the epic hype that surrounds it, which certainly was a tall order. I can't say it was the best, but it certainly is the best I've seen.

4 of 4
 
Catching up...

Aladdin (musical) - Oi! A show for children. The sets are nice, the cave set was incredible! The flying carpet was very impressive. Singing, acting all par with what you'd expect. But the story is so unbelievably simple. By the time there is a resolution to the simple plot, you get the feeling there wasn't much need for a resolution. The Genie was Robin Williams like (and I think he was the understudy!). 2 of 4

Rent (musical) - Revival... not a remake. :D 20th anniversary of the epic Rent musical. I was in college in NYC when Rent first came out. And boy... have things changed. The controversial angles in the show... not so controversial. Personally, I didn't get the story. The guy gets in with a gal that has issues. He needs to get out of it because it will be destructive to him. This is represented as if he is running away from the problem... not actually doing what was reasonable. The opening number felt dumbish. The other songs were good... and the musical segues were unique. Funny to think a show could be controversial and in just 20 years almost be behind the times in a way. Though, the struggle of addiction certainly is applicable today, perhaps even more so. The show didn't blow me away, but it certainly wasn't average either. 3 of 4

The Humans (play - dramady) - This is about as real life and normal as a show gets. In fact, I was left wondering whether it was compelling or lazy. Simply put, it is a family of four and a grandmother and boyfriend having Thanksgiving dinner.

I'd say this is Mel Brooks comedy at its best, and I don't mean it is Spaceballs slapstick. "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die."

That is this show. You are laughing because it isn't you at that table, and you darn well know that it has been you at that table. That is what makes the show work, it is a universal experience that everyone knows... family is great, family is a pain in the arse.

The show, by no means is a blockbuster. It doesn't open your mind to a new experience... you've already been there (and that is the point). I could live without seeing this one again. Unfortunately, its simplicity and common experience quells the impact of it. The acting is very good, you care about this family, but it seems a little too real. Glad I saw it, but would have little interest in seeing it again.

2.5 of 4
 
I live in Manhattan, so get to see a lot of great stuff.......recently, though:-

Stomp. Simply the best rhythm/percussion/dance show in existence. I've seen it 6 times, but as they change the show and the cast every 6 months or so, it's always new. Hugely comedic too. Just go.

Hamilton. Went about 5 weeks ago. There are no words for how great this show is. It's expensive, but worth every penny. One of the current stars, Brian Terrell Clarke (plays Washington) is a friend, and we got backstage passes. It really is a once in a lifetime experience.

The book of Mormon. Trouser-wettingly, hysterically funny. Worth making a special trip to see it. The treatment of the mormon religion is viciously, excellently, appropriately, scathingly funny. It has many great songs, but my favourite is "Hasa Diga Eebowai!".

Something Rotten. A wonderful, irreverent, show based around how Shakespeare got all the attention an d money, causing competitors at the time to struggle. Clever, and funny as hell.

Jazz at Kitano. This is an unlikely, but fantastic place to get live Jazz every day. it's a Japanese tourist hotel with a jazz club on the ground floor, which does 2 sets every night, year-round. It's always world class, and we go back about once a month. I think it's as good as Dizzy's at the Lincoln Center.
 
Les Miserables - I was really looking forward to watching this and was terribly disappointed. I wasn't certain what I was watching, a love story, a story about revolution, a story about overcoming the odds. It just seemed to be all over the place. The singing was great, the special effects were impressive, but I was bored to tears... I mean not as bad as Love Never Dies, but I just

Chicago - Really enjoyed this and not because of the nudity. The show was just great with a strong cast and left me wondering, "Did Eddie George have a Hall of Fame career?" I really have no idea. Great overall humor and consistent job of selling the publicity premise. Also, contains my newest favorite line.
 
Miss Saigon - Man, it is a kick to the teeth! And not in a Love Never Dies making you wonder why you are still there and haven’t walked out by now?! This show was remarkable in telling an inconvenient consequence that America rather ignore because they want to move on from a big mistake. The opening song of the second act makes it clear the truth exposed in the show.

The talent on stage was impressive, despite the general lack of pedigree except for The Engineer. Will complain that I couldn’t resolve most of the lyrics of the chorus.

My one problem with the show is the attempt to retell a story that is about general indifference of soldiers and shifting the soldier into the role as a hero or at least empathetic, more so than that is justified.

3.5 of 4
 
Cage the Elephant.

I wasn't a big fan, until I saw them live. Fantastic performers.
 
Remembered I saw Alan Parsons way back in like November.

Great show. A pretty decent size band playing alongside Parsons. They performed the I Robot album en masse and in order, so that was what made the price of admission worth it. The vocals were wonderful, who knows how much is piped in, but based on the number of vocalists, it had to be somewhat legit. Definitely a lot nicer seeing a concert in your own city, not having to drive a couple hours. Akron does have a nice theater, be great if artists used it more. Sure, you can't actually drive in Akron right now due to an onslaught of construction everywhere, but Civic Theater is real nice.

I wish Parsons would play from TAO, On Air (Apollo, One Day to Fly), and Time Machine (Ignorance is Bliss). He pretty much only does the Project era material. Probably going to have limited times to see him in the future, if at all. He ain't no spring chicken... and he is all there is from the original band. About all that is left would be playing Ammonia Avenue in whole, though I'd expect them to do Eye in the Sky first, if they went that route. First Turn of a Friendly Card suite, then I Robot. The show I saw back in '99 they did most of Tales (and stuff from On Air and Time Machine).

And with front row seats at $70 a pop? 4 of 4
 
MST3K Live - Had Joel, Jonah, Pearl, and the bots. Full movie for them to riff on, and an invention exchange too.
 
A Bronx Tale - Boyz in the Hood for white Italians. Trying to be Italian with a strong New York accent does intercept the great vocals. So we are left for the Motown singing of Jane which stood out as a level of its own amid a vocal score that really wasn't that impressive.

2.5 of 4
 
I saw a road troupe do Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream. I thought it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen. A simple stage production, no famous actresses and actors, and no special effects.
 
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