Friday night, I went to see the Nashville Symphony Pops series with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. BBVD is one of my favorite bands and I was thrilled to see them play live! I got gussied up, a good seat in the tier and settled in to watch the show.
One would think that the cost of the tickets would skew the crowd to a more refined segment of the population. One that knew how to behave in a large concert hall. I could not have been more mistaken.
Apparently I was in the redneck section of Jackson Hall.
To my left was Darth Vader minus his costume. His breathing was so heavy and loud I could barely hear the music in some parts. Add to that the constant chatter between he and his wife... and Mrs. Vader singing along to Moon River. Oh yeah. But my night just kept getting better.
Three - THREE - rows in front of me, I heard all about this one couple's saga regarding the purchase of real estate. The poor girl behind them kept asking them to be quiet but they just would not shut up.
Intermission. The Vaders go home and I'm blessedly alone for the most part. 2 seats open to my right, 3 seats open to my left and those immediately in front of me are also vacant. Those that were left behaved themselves in the first act.
Then come in Mr. and Mrs. A.S. Hole. And I am almost literal in that description. Cue BBVD. Place is jumping. Everyone's having a good time save for the Holes. They are talking. Not whispering. Talking. Elena can tell you... if there is anything that will send me into levels of pissed off rarely seen it is talking in theaters, concerts, movies, etc... when one is supposed to be QUIET! Why would you pay $9 at a movie or close to $70 for the Symphony to sit there and talk? You could do that at home or at a restaurant for much less money and it would be in an appropriate venue. So, I leaned forward and nicely asked if they could keep their whispering down. Mrs. Hole looked at me as though to kill me and said "yes."
Two seconds later, Mr. Hole turned around and asked "Is it ok if we sing?"
"Only if you can sing in tune."
So for the next three songs, Mr. Hole tells everyone around him to be quiet when it's time to applaud between songs. But no one else said anything to Mr. Hole. They just let him continue to be a Hole. I hoped hoped hoped he said something to me again.... because I was going to say something so childish, immature, non-Christian that I dare not repeat it here.
After that experience, it is highly unlikely I will ever go back to the Symphony or TPAC for that matter.
