Concert Review: China Rider ->Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

We got there a little early because we'd heard they had a crazy parking lot scene, and we were not disappointed. The lobby was packed. People were jumping up and down (peaking too soon maybe?), crying, laughing, one or two were already throwing themselves on the floor -- you could tell it was going to be an awesome concert.

The doors opened and we rushed into our seats and immediately everyone broke out some munchies. Mostly organic whole grain goldfish snacks. I had a short moment of panic as I rummaged through my bag for my munchies, but thankfully found a small packet of biscuits wedged in the back. Milo would not have to go hungry for the entire hour-long concert, thank god.

As the band took the stage half the audience got up and rushed to the front of the theater, screaming, dancing, some tears every now and then. They rocked the house for a good half and hour, but then things started getting ugly. A few concert-goers were carried out in tears. I saw two more passed out cold, slung over shoulders and hustled out the door. Someone near me started trying to eat his own seat. Someone else complained that it was his turn to hold the ticket stub.

We approached the 45 minute mark and things picked up again. The band brought out bongo drums, tap dancers, rappers -- the works. The mosh pit at the front of the stage got so crowded that people were standing more than they were moshing. Milo stuck his thumb in his mouth and asked if he could sit on my lap.

"What was the last concert you went to before this one?" Steven asked.

I thought for a moment. "A baroque harpsichord concert in France?"

"Not counting that one."

"Um. I saw Lyle Lovett at Lincoln Center. Also the Allman Brothers at the Fillmore."

"I saw Elliot Smith in Seattle."

It occurred to us that we had not gone to a concert since we'd started dating, which means we hadn't been to a concert since 1999.

"Oh wait, didn't we go see some Armenian rock band?"

"Right," said Steven. "That was it."

On stage the band was approaching the finale. Milo had was ready to go home. All around us people picked up their tired concert-goers and plopped them down into strollers. I walked out the door of the theater humming the last song they'd played: Georgie Porgie (featuring Father Goose). Yes, it had been a kid's concert, but make no mistake: Dan Zanes rocks the house.

Rainbow Connection Hostage Crisis: Day 32

Day 1
Introduced Milo to The Muppet Movie. He took an instant loving to the song "Rainbow Connection," and started asking me to sing it to him at night. It's not an easy song to sing, but I obliged. Don't know all the words so I make some of them up.



Day 5
Draw Milo a picture of a rainbow on his chalkboard so he would understand what a rainbow was. Milo begins walking around saying "Rainbow Connection" at random moments during the day.


Day 8
Milo starts saying something that sounds like "summer days" over and over again.



Day 9
Determine that "summer days" is actually "some day we'll find it".



Day 14
Milo receives gift of guitar from his grandmother. Plays "Row, Row Row Your Boat" and "Twinkle Twinkle" on it repeatedly. Erroneously believe that Rainbow Connection crisis may have passed.


Day 16
Milo plays guitar while singing the entire first verse of The Rainbow Connection, begining with "Some day we'll find it/The Rainbow Connection" and up through "Da da da dee da da dee." Whip out video camera and make him do it again. Applaud. Marvel at how totally cute my child is.


Day 17
Milo still playing "The Rainbow Connection" on his guitar and singing along. Still cute.

Day 18
Milo still playing "The Rainbow Connection" on his guitar and singing along. Less cute.

Day 19
Milo still playing "The Rainbow Connection" on his guitar and singing along. Getting annoying.

Day 25

Suggested different songs one could play and sing along with. "You don't understand me!" Milo screamed. "No one can take this song away from me! NO ONE!"

Day 30

Woke up singing Rainbow Connection to myself.

Day 31

Am now hearing Rainbow Connection wherever I go. The subway, the office, out on the street - it plays always, always, always.

Day 32

Some day we'll find it

The Rainbow Connection

The lovers, the dreamers and MEEE

LADADADEEDADADEELADEEDADEEDEEDEEDADEEEEEE

Day 3 And Counting

I have been singing the following song lyrics in my head for three days now, courtesy of Dan Zanes:
Low bridge, everybody down.
Low bridge, everybody down.
And you always know your neighbor, you always know your pal,
if you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal.

Milo doesn't even like this song. He likes:
I love you
A bushel and a peck
You bet your pretty neck I do.

He requests it by saying "Bushelpeck!"

But no matter, I am stuck singing the Erie Canal song, which always conjurs up images of my 4th grade music class, which I think is when I initially learned the song. It was part of some kind of misguided attempt to educate us about American history through music. Or something like that. It's such a depressing song, in a sad, minor key, it always made me think that navigating the Erie Canal sounded like a nightmare.

And then I lived in Syracuse, NY briefly, which is very close to the Erie Canal, and I vaguely remember going to some kind of Erie Canal museum. What I learned was that everyone navigating the Erie Canal was depressed because they were in SYRACUSE.