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Copyright |
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©2005 Jason Cross
All Rights Reserved
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I had intended to write about The Matrix Reloaded since I went to an 11pm show last night, but I've decided to wait a while so I can get into spoiler territory after most of you have seen it who care. |
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The Dixie Chicks brought their Top of the World Tour to Hilton Coliseum in Ames on Tuesday and thanks to tickets I had spent way too much money on a couple months ago, I was there along with over 13,000 other fans - a sold-out show.
My seats were in the 14th row of the balcony, but thankfully the show was "in the round" so they were actually a very good view of the entire stage. I still found it bittersweet, however, for the fact that my original tickets when ordering online were 3rd row floor - which were subsequently lost when the Ticketmaster site crashed on me.
There has been much controversy of late surrounding the Chicks' comments regarding President Bush II. Even today when telling an associate about the concert I was asked, "Did they at least keep their mouths shut?" Frankly I find it very sad that people who cry so loudly about preserving freedom and the American way of life also try to brand those expressing their views as "unamerican" and "unpatriotic".
The concert was awesome, probably the best production I have ever seen at a concert. They used a giant video screen walkway as a path, displaying video images below them in synch with the music and coordinated with the four large video screens of them above.
Joan Osborne opened up the concert as well as sung along with the Chicks on one song.
As we left the concert at 11:30 or so, there was a torrential downpour. Unfortunately I was parked about a mile away, so we were pretty much soaked through by the time we got to the car. Lucky me I have leather seats! |
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Last Thursday I went to see Mannheim Steamroller live and in concert at the Civic Center along with Lori and her mother. Why Mannheim Steamroller you ask? Because Lori's mom wanted to go for Mother's Day and Lori asked me to come along - and since I'm a sucker for A) doing weird things and B) Lori, I did.
Ahh Mannheim Steamroller (pronounced MAN-HIME by the group rather than Lori's preferred German-sounding MAHN-HIME)...that perennial Christmas favorite... Many times I have laughed at my step-mother Sheila's penchant for their Christmas CDs, so I was surprised to hear that they have non-X-Mas music too. Another surprise was finding out that the main band members all play electronic digital instruments rather than the main thing, except the drummer sometimes. And the girl who played the chimes. Chimes are rather analog.
The first half of the concert was pretty straightforward, with them playing selections from their past Fresh Aire series entries (1 through 7). There was one song where they played this video showing the band playing along with odd dancing kids, medieval figures riding horses, a mad scientist pianist and two sword-fighting warriors...that was a bit odd.
Then the second half was composed of the entire Fresh Aire 8, including the video portion which was "four years and five million dollars in the making". This was where it got really out there.
Fresh Aire 8 uses Infiniti as it's theme (you see, an 8 on it's side is like the infiniti symbol...), and as such there were 8 sections all devoted to various concepts of infiniti. Highlights included:
* A section with Greek Philosophers. Though it seemed more like a story of Greek philosophers written by a high school student, talking about "infiniti" between some Greeks and what looked like Romans and Egyptians. Then the "belly dancers with fake breasts" as Lori called them came on.
* A section on space and The Big Bang, with lots of CGI space shots, photos, LOTS of images of the Horsehead Nebula for some reason, and zooming by the planets remeniscent of the opening to Star Trek: The Next Generation
* A section on fractals that was very 1995 and computer screen-saverish.
* And my favorite for trippiness, a section where a cartoon Steamroller (complete with a smiling face and cartoon eyes on the windshield) be-bops through a cartoon town and comes upon a live-action 50s-era sock hop at a school and - get this - dances with a girl there. That's right, a live action girl twirling around the dance floor with a smiling cartoon steamroller.
I was not expecting that.
Ok, so I make fun, but I was also glad I went. The music was pretty good and it was certainly an experience. :) |
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Jason here, aka "He Who Is Near-Shamefully Bad At Updating", to fill in some events from the past couple weeks. Read on, my Five Readers, and ye shall learn of wonderments like ye have never seen...
Though as I write the above, I realize that the layout of my site will cause you to see this entry after all of the updates. Ironical! |
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