Wednesday, September 15, 2004

An experiment in speedy reporting

Tonight we went to see Citizen Cope at the Tin Angel. We went to the early show (or as my spouse described it--speaking only for himself--the "old folks hour"). I suspect the later set is currently underway, thus the lead-in to this post. He has a new album out as of September 14.

The performance was purely excellent.

When "Cope," whose given name is Clarence Greenwood, greeted the audience with "Hello Philly, how ya doin'?" I answered not with a whoop but a clearly stated: "Very fine, thank you very much."

....I was simply following Shakespeare's advice ("This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." Polonius, Hamlet, Act 1). Why fake it? I have good manners. I can't just bark like a dog. I did witness others doing so once, at a Prince concert in 1983. If they were being true to themselves, which certainly seemed to be the case, I salute them.

Quickly thereafter, I discovered that sitting still was very hard. This music invites movement. It insists on it. It's a sweet, compelling invitation. It's a question I want to answer. Why anyone expects anyone else to remain stationary under such circumstances is something I will never understand. I did pretty much behave myself (the place is tiny and if you stand up you block others' views), although I would have preferred not to.

[Please note that I don't love every show I see---I'm only motivated to write about the good ones. The last time we saw Cope, I was in the midst of a shockingly negative reaction to some ravioli, which colored the entire experience a bilious green. I did not write a single word.]

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