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Checking out Vegas
8 February, 2003

It really is difficult to keep an open mind. We all need structure, an organized formation of solid lines that can make up a coherent jungle gym we can latch onto, swinging from bar to bar, from idea to idea, always sure that the next bar will be there to support our assumptions. We realize that we have a lot to learn, but we cling to the perception that we have learned a whle lot by the time we are adults (or leanred everything by the time we are teenagres). Kids love surprises, but it takes an adult with a nimble mind to share that love. No, we prefer to always know what's coming.

Where did I go to ring in 2003? I went to the city of Las Vegas. And I was right--I pretty much knew what was coming.

The buildings of Las Vegas have been termed "disposable architecture". Most of Las Vegas is made of that stuff that covers most of Fantas--I mean, Galaxyland. One passes by an idyllic tropical island complete with waterfalls, the jagged cliffs of a rocky shore hiding a pirate ship, a majestic Roman edifice, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, a giant clown, an Egyptian pyramid, and a roller coaster that goes around a hotel.

How did it all get started? Well, consider this: if you ask any security person or staff memeber anywhere if you can take a photo, they say yes, as long as nobody other than your party is in the photo.

That is because, from its very beginning, Las Vegas was a place where people wen tot disappear. Las Vegas became what it is by giving people things they wanted, but would otherwise be persecuted for having.

The days of my holiday went by and I was increasingly reminded that Las Vegas is not a good place for someone like me, with anti-consumerist tendencies. Then my fianceeand I stumbled across something remarkable.

A pastime which is acceptable in Vegas is going to the many shows that light up "The Strip". We had no urge to see the aging, probably kept-alive-through-cybernatics music acts, nor the astoundingly over-priced young music acts, the cheesy hypnotists, hypnotists, comedians, and hypnotist/comedians. So we went to something different.

The Blue Man Group is one fo the best productions I have ever seen. The Fringe-like act from the streets of NEw York has, through hard work, persistence, talent, and originality, made it big.

But what sets these guys apart is their child-like innocence.

You could bring your kids to the show, as it revels in the awe expreienced by children at the simple sensory experiences offered by the world. The music is exhilerating, the sketches are quirky and the visuals are dazzling. These artists do not waste the virtually limitless budget they have been given.

By the end of the show, the whole crowd was covered in an ocean of white crepe paper thta has slithered from gigantic rolls at the back of the auditorium, neon cactuses dance on the walls, and remix of The KLF's 1991 techno dances song "Last Train to Trancentral" plays. The pure joy exuded was so intense by the end that I was dizzy.

I couldn't help asking myself, what is this show doing in Las Vegas? I don't know. What was I doing in Las Vegas? It just goes to show, you never do know.

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