Funny Bone

I've never been one to turn down free tickets...especially to a comedy show. When I was told there was a ticket for me I jumped at the chance to go. I always appreciate a chance to laugh..who doesn't?


I was a little surprised at how tightly they packed the crowd into the place...our table for 4 would sit 2 people comfortably. But that was just me being naive. Of course they would try to pack in as many people as possible...especially if you are handing out free tickets...they'd need as many people as possible to buy their average tasting yet over priced food and the slightly smaller than average drinks with the sky's the limit pricing. Ok, having slammed them on the food and drinks I'll stop there because the comedians were great!


The first guy up was quite good but it turned out that he was the MC for the night. If it was his job to warm up the crowd he did a fine job. The headliner was Robert Kelly...he was good...definitely made me laugh..but actually the sexual jokes got a little tired for me after awhile. More to my taste was the middle guy (better known as Tom Dustin). We all agreed that he was the best comedian of the night and should have been the headliner. How do they pick the headliner anyway?


I can't begin to do justice to Tom Dustin's humor...it's sarcastic and offbeat....and possibly a little mean if you're inclined to be easily offended. I'm not...easily offended that is. I thought he was wonderful! I didn't want him to leave the stage.
He's non-assuming in his person and throws you off a bit by seeming to be a normal guy...but I certainly can't call his humor normal...it's inspired! My face and stomach muscles actually HURT by the time he was done with his act.


After the show I joined the herd of women stampeding the bathroom and when I joined my group outside they told me I just missed meeting all the comics. I was so disappointed! But as luck would have it Tom came back out and I noticed him lallygagging against the wall...back to being non-assuming I suppose. We weren't really sure it was him so I told Justin to yell 'Tom' at him. Justin did and we got his attention..probably scared the hell out of him too because we descended on him like locust at that point to get our pictures taken with him. He seemed surprised that we thought he was the best comedian of the night...so of course we told him repeatedly...hey, it was the truth!


I'll be keeping tabs on Tom from hear on in...waiting for him to come back to Ct. If you'd like to check out his face book page here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/tomdustin


Send him a friend request and tell him Elaine sent you. :)

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

When I was invited to go see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra I thought it was an actual orchestra. You know, the kind that has a nice white haired conductor, with a tux and tails, that stands in front of the orchestra waving his arms rhythmically while the oh so dignified orchestra plays beautiful music. I couldn't be more wrong! TSO (as they are known) is an orchestra in the very broadest sense of the word....but they are so much more! The show turned out to be more like a rock show with instruments from an orchestra on crack!

I was pleasantly surprised to see everyone in this 'orchestra' was young and had long hair. I have to admit I fell immediately in love with the guys with the long blond hair. I couldn't help myself. I was mesmerized by the way they tossed their heads in beat with the music...never missed a beat all night. And the backup singers were no slouches either. When they weren't singing they were dancing to the music, bodies swaying and gyrating just as perfectly as the rest of them. It was a thing of beauty and perfection to watch.

But it was the light show that topped it all off...that made it fantastic...that really wowed me. It's been some time since I've been to a real rock concert and my first thought were this reminds me of The Who from the 70's. (which I didn't really care for if truth be known). But this show was so far beyond anything that I've seen before that it felt reminiscent and yet completely different at the same time. They didn't just have a light show. They had a perfectly timed explosion of light, sound, sensation and emotions all at the same time. It was quite overwhelming and I'd gladly go see them again.

They used fog machines to the max...rolling out huge amounts of fog to encase the entire lower region of people sitting front and center. They had multiple video screens display images while lightening blasted through the air. They showed us waves of color changing with the tempo and beams of piercing lights throbbing with the drum beats. They had fire yes...fire, bursting so high I could feel the heat from my perch high up in my chair and rolling across the stage to encase the drummer. They even created snow gently filtering down upon the crowd below and then made it seem like a gift from heaven by piercing it with rapidly changing tiny beams of light to make it twinkle. Awesome to say the least! And this wasn't their grand finally..this was through out the entire performance, which lasted about 3 hrs.

But I can't neglect to mention the energy they all displayed throughout the concert. The lead guitarists and the lead violinist (who was also the conductor) continually raced from one side of the stage to the other so all sections of seating could get a good look at them. Then they had huge mechanical 'arms', which became part of the stage, extend out over the crowd and several members of the band walked or danced out on them to play their instruments as well. This was certainly NOT grandma's type of orchestra!

During a brief intermission of sorts the lead man introduced the band members and stated that the string section were all members of a Ct orchestra. They hire orchestra members locally wherever they play. I thought that was a nice touch and probably saves them money as they travel all over the world.
This was their Christmas show and I did vaguely recognize some Christmas melodies in the mix but it was so far above and beyond what we've come to expect of Christmas music. They were amazing and absorbing and so very precise at their craft that I fear I'll be ruined for any other concert from now on. Easily the best concert I've ever been to in my life.