Has the bleeding stopped?

We went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra last night. The last time we saw them they were sort of Manheim Steamroller with more rock. This time, they had gone quite heavy metal. I found that if you tear a business card into quarters, you can make earplugs for two people. Give half the card to a friend, put a quarter of the card on each side of your mouth, and chew till you have reduced it to a well-moistened pulp. Then stick it in your ears. You may have to use tweezers to get it out, but it reduces the aural assault to below the pain threshold.


The thing that did me in, was the light show. Evidently, performers want you to know what it's like to be in the spotlight. They had spots and lasers directed at the audience, and when everything went on at once, you could feel the heat from twenty rows away. Flash! Then black. FLASH! then dim red. Twinkly, twinkly background lights, sparkly dancing background lasers lancing up through the backstage fog banks, then FLASH!!! Twenty minutes of that, and I began watching the concert with my eyes closed. Migraine effects initiated behind my eyes. The "music" pounded against me. I could feel it vibrating in my collarbones. Finally I told DH, "I can't take the lights any longer. I'll be out in the front." I'm grateful that there were handrails to grip on the way up the stairs, because I wasn't all that steady on my feet. I got out of the arena and found a chair, sat down with my hands over my eyes, and just breathed for a while. DH and our guests soon showed up and very kindly left early to take me home.


We agreed: 1.too loud 2. visually assaultive 3.dischordant, quasi-Jimmi Hendriks versions of classic Christmas carols not to our tastes. 4. All the guitarists must have practiced for hours to get that fabulous shampoo-model hair flip move. They all thrashed their heads around through every song.
5 Vocalists voices just not that great. 6.seats were hard and far too close together. 7. This was a once in a lifetime experience - thank god!

The rest of the audience was delighted, so I guess we qualify as puckered old farts. Oh well. We can wear it with pride. The joy of being an old fart is that you don't have to do anything you don't want to, just to impress other people.