BOYZIIMEN
I knew I would like seeing this group. I love harmony. They were one of the few groups that my children loved and I found interesting as well.
I got there early and looked around. Outside the theater there were plastic cups and the water fountain near the Restroom had fine, cold water so I made myself a drink (frugal as always) and rested my blisters in a chair in front of Roasted Bean to sip and watch the people pass, many of them going to this show. The mall played Beatles music.
Looking at the Kardasians shop advertisements I was reminded again how long gone are the styles of my youth, the “rags and feather from Salvation Army counter” look, the home crated tye dyes. On the bus on the way up I had encountered young Black girls dressed for clubbing in very elegant black, flowing dresses that created a graceful sway to their shapes, with their hair done up in intrigate patterns of weave and row. I know the “hooker” style is still popular with girls in Vegas, but I suspect it is being replaced with a classy elegance. That was there too at the concert and I hoped I would not seem too out of place in my washed out jeans and sneakers.
I had spent the afternoon with Bob, a fellow my age who I met at the Gold Spike pool. He was in a Dylan tie dye and descheveled beard. And old hippie. He talked about the hundreds of Bob Dylan concerts he has attended and the dozens of Joan Baez concerts. Soon he goes to another Joan Baez although her voice is aging.
These folks were in stark contrast to all of that. It certainly reminds me how old I am.
The bar serves drinks named about the songs. For example, there is an In the Still of the Night with Sky vodka.??ccan you find the others on line??
It was more than I expected.
The MyVegas seats were near the back, but there are not really bad seats in this concert. Unfortunately, behind me was some little chicky all full of herself and she had to talk whenever. It annoyed me. Then in my row were a group of young folks who just came it with too much beer in a cup so one or the other had to pass by me.
The theater is actually designed to that my leg fit between the seats enough to let them pass and I did not have to get up each time. It did not annoy me
But what is there about out of experience talking that gets to me. This is an incredibly loud concert with people responding out loud all the time to the music, dancing, cheering, clapping, screaming and all of that just fit together, but his little chicky with her “whatever” accent got to me.
Some places I might saw something. But I am a real outsider here. 99% of the audience are decades younger than I am. I don’t really want to criticize anyone.
It is such a contrast to the Toast of the Town ?link? There I am one of the youngest and the place is very quiet. There too when some old bitty or grumpy old codger. Someone who has lived beyond the times when social filters are working, talks over one of the songs, I get annoyed. There I do the stare and I might say something.
?? at the LA Comdedy club talked at the bar right through the first act. That annoyed me too and I though it ironic to show so little respect for the fellow comic. However, I am over sensitive.
At BoyzIIMen I got up and went a few rows up to where there were two empty rows of seats and took the aisle. That put old chickie whatever out of my hearing and the young folks could come and go more easily.
It also positioned me to watch the crowd exit at the end of the concert. It was an amazing eclectic group of people, all colors and cultures, dressed up and raggedy, all sorts. Just few old fellows like me.
Most entertaining was a heavy young Black girl with an exceptionally gentle man in a row just ahead of me. She was really in to the music and the group, ecstatic and her enjoyment was just wonderful to watch. There is a good bit of audience interaction and the singers come down and hug and dance with audience and at one point pass out roses to women as they sing. She just had to be part of that. Her difficult to walk in low heeled shoes were discarded and off she would go as fast as you can imagine down the long flight of steps as excited as a child at Christmas.
When she first noticed the band was accessible she turned to her man and shouted.
“He hugged them, he danced with them. I gotta go and be there.”
And off she went. I was thrilled she got a rose.
The music was more than I expected. It did not just do their own songs, but there was a section on Motown, and other old songs tossed in and done with all those original creative harmony. The show is a little bit of Black church gospel where the lyrics do the rhythmic preacher candence, a little bit of on the corner harmony (even one set is under a street lamp next to a trash can) and plenty of energetic coreograpy and heartfelt thanks. I thought the thanked the audience a bit too much. They redid ?Every little thing that you do? ? which they had not recorded themselves but wrote and sold only to see it in a grammy. The “stole” Yesterday from the Beatles and made jokes about guys from Philly stealing everything.
After their revue of Motown they showed a turning 45 record with a Motown label on the video screens and then up popped UTube videos of odd people doing parts of their songs in poor and funny ways. It was a great contrast to the change in times. I could relate to all that because the room was full of ?seiming” phones acting as video cameras to record the experience and I am there with my little book and pen taking the odd note in the dark.
One of the original singers when they were four was not there, but they brought in Mark Nelson who was one of the very original singers long before they were popular and when the group was five. It was great to have the originals there to sing songs they had done as long as 21 years ago. Still it is unbeliebable that the 90’s are now “back in the day”
And one of the strangest things happened to me. When they sang “It’s so Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” I cried. I cry very little in life. What was that?
Perhaps it was reflecting so much on how much I’ve aged. Or perhaps it just brought up memories of when the boys were teenagers. Or perhaps my sons sang that one in the accapello group that they formed in high school. It was a surprise to me. The words of the song are about losing a relationship, and my first wife and I divorced but I did not find moving on hard and I have a great second wife. The tone and harmony of the song could easily just be about getting old. This has been my hardest trip to Vegas physically and while I am too stubborn to quit begin frugal bus guy patching in the deals, I do feel the time coming when I have to book in one hotel for the duration and I dread it. I love the frugal challenge of Vegas ??link to expenses?? And will certainly be unhappy to have to be in one spot and taken care of by the casino personel.
And I don’t want one of those damn scooters! I want to work to avoid that time and I hope it is not coming.
Well, great show. Thanks MyVegas. What a gift!
No comments:
Post a Comment