Concert on Tryptophan
Prince Charming and I went to see a concert on Friday night. We went to see Clint Black. We like country music, what can I say? But the entire experience was just...bizarre.There was nothing wrong with the performance. Black is an amazing musician and his band is supremely talented. And, as soon as the tech guys got the sound figured out (the first song was a garbled mess), there were no issues at all.
But, as I said, it was really bizarre. The concert was held at the Crystal Grand in The Dells. This is a terrific venue in that there are no bad seats in the house. What was bizarre was the crowd. It was like they all had a turkey dinner then came to hear lullabies. I'm not kidding when I say the crowd was somnolent.
I don't want this to be taken the wrong way, but if I don't mention it I would do a disservice to the truth. My husband and I were some of the youngest people present. By that I mean, I would estimate that 75% of the crowd was over the age of 65. Four to 5% were under 30, leaving just 20% between the ages of 30 and 65. I know, I know.
Country music pulls fans from a broad spectrum of demographics. I get it. The problem is, in this case, the crowd seemed to be a real downer on the festivities. It was painful! I felt like apologizing to the band at the end of the show. They were great, but the crowd seemed...unmoved. We were sitting in the middle of a row. In front of me was this little old lady who, I kid you not, moved not one centimeter during the entire performance. Were it not for the fact that her son kept leaning over and talking to her, I would have sworn there was some Weekend at Bernie's action going on. She seemed so frail, in fact, that I felt bad clapping! I was afraid I'd give her a heartattack or make her deaf, or something.
It was an odd experience. I was torn between wanting to clap and stomp and generally have a good time and the notion that everyone around me was so...fatigued. I didn't want to be that asshole who doesn't know when to quit. I didn't want to be the jerk who is ruining it for everyone else, but on the other hand, I'm not sure they were actually awake.
By the end of the show, I was really tired and frustrated with the crowd's response. It seemed so rude.
So, to Mr. Black and the and I say "amazing show! and Thank you" and to the people who couldn't be bothered to act interested in what was going on, I say "SHAME!"
