January 1, 2010

Eclectic Entertainment


New Year’s Eve was nice. I got to spend quality time with the Wills kids in Kalamazoo. The city has a great tradition of patronizing the arts. Every New Year’s Eve in Bronson park, the churches that surround the quad play host to a wide range of entertainment from Christian rock bands, a “big band’, comedians, a cowboy with a bull whip, Christian rappers, an Elvis impersonator and the coup de grâce...a Kiss cover band call the Kings...

Well, the night was not quite as refined as the Gilmore Prize, of which Kalamazoo prides itself, but it was all in good fun and great for families on New Years Eve. They even dropped a ball like their cousins in the Big Apple. ;-)


We started out with the timeless sounds of The Kalamazoo Big Band. I must say...they had loads of talent. A great group of amateurs who are passionate about their music. In fact, that was the theme of the night...passion. All the artists were passionate...regardless of what any one else thought...


And the Kings (Kiss?) were no exception...for a brief moment they got to be their childhood heroes...how could you not be passionate when you are playing your heroes on stage? It was kind of like karaoke on steroids...


Well, maybe not steroids...but you get the idea. I wish my friend Mike Gorgo could have been there. He is a Kiss fanatic.

However, the Wills kids were appalled even though 40 plus crowd seem to love them...So, we did not stick around for the pyrotechnics or I might have more of a story to tell...I could just picture some fifty something rocker running around the cathedral with his hair on fire... ;-)

Still, I was struck with the irony of it all. Here was a band that was so vilified by parents in the ’70s and was now playing (covered) to an over capacity crowd in a Episcopal Cathedral for a bunch of gray haired baby boomers...


...while the clean-cut Christian rock band was relegated to a cold tent in the park. Irony? The times, they are a changin’ ;-) The Christian rock band was great, but the drum kit needed a plexiglass shield due to the small tent size...I think I would have enjoyed them most, but we had to leave because our ears started bleeding from the drums.


The next church we popped into startled us with a bull-whip toting comedian cowboy. While telling jokes in a southern drawl, he proceeded to snap a daisy out of his mouth with his 6 foot whip. Ouch! I hope he is not married. ;-) Then a Christian rapper took the stage next...he got the crowd hopping, but he didn’t quite connect with the Wills kids...so we decided to call it a night.


We had a great time...I try to cherish these small moments and appreciate the passion of all the artists we encountered. It’s all about sharing...you can take it or leave it, but there is no denying everyone had passion to share...

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