The Insane Boston Pops Posse...

[GodSistah]

Here's what comes from too much rap music and crack!

http://us.video.aol.com/player/launcher?ar=us_en_video_320x372_snag&pmmsid=1903806

DaveM, weren't you just saying we couldn't force people to attend the symphony???

;)

~Andrea~

[DaveM]

Yes....this seems to be what happens when one tries.

I saw this on the news and wondered if perhaps the parties responsible had walked into the wrong auditorium and were upset because they were expecting a monster truck rally.

My hat is off to the conductor and to the orchestra, who maintained their decorum throughout and very possibly kept the crowd from turning into a mob.

We had the Minnesota Orchestra here in Northern Minnesota a couple of weeks ago and I attended, wondering what to expect of a crowd straight from the mining pits attending an evening of Beethoven. They weren't too bad....clapping between movements, stamping their feet and whistling, but by and large everybody behaved.

No one seemed to want to sit down in front, so I plopped into an extra comfy seat at third row center and had the time of my life. Had a seat for a free concert that would have cost me $500 and most likely a huge donation to the Schubert Club had I attended the same concert in St. Paul. Performance was wonderful, the acoustics were great, and I just basked in the whole thing.

Weird to think that there are people out there who would regard the evening as an occasion for a fight.

[Dee]

"This video clip is currently unavailable." said the voice.

[GodSistah]

And you were the first person I thought of when I saw it, Dee! ;)

:)

~Andrea~

[Dee]

Brawlers settle score at Boston Pops opener

The Boston Pops kicked off its new season with a bang — and perhaps a pow! and a boom! — Wednesday night, after a barroom-type brawl interrupted the music concert.

A knock-down, all-out fight broke out between two men seated in the balcony section of Boston's Symphony Hall, halting a performance of a musical medley from the film Gigi by the orchestra and its special guest, singer-songwriter Ben Folds.

According to witness reports, the audience was first alerted to the kerfuffle by a loud scream.

At that point, conductor Keith Lockhart reportedly looked up at the balcony but continued to lead the orchestra. He paused, however, when the two brawling men began knocking over chairs and a second, louder scream rang out.

Several local television stations, which had sent cameras to record footage of the season opener, caught the fight on film.

Lockhart briefly stopped the performance as ushers and police officers working security for the concert broke up the fight and escorted the two men — including one whose shirt was torn open in the violent struggle — off the property.

Lockhart, who has made headlines for matching his orchestra with unconventional musical acts and launching an American Idol-like search for performers via YouTube, simply waited until the men were cleared out and then proceeded with the scheduled musical salute to classic film.

A police spokesman said no injuries were reported and no charges were filed.

(source (http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2007/05/10/concert-fight-boston.html))

A medley from the film Gigi huh? Perhaps they should have been playing songs from West Side Story. :cool:

[GodSistah]

A medley from the film Gigi huh? Perhaps they should have been playing songs from West Side Story. :cool:

LOL!

"Ban that music, yes-sir-ee"!

:p

~Andrea~

[Dee]

Hey, if it was good enough for the "American" Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks, I see no reason why they were forced to brawl over music from Gigi.

[Marcia Drummergal]

I was reading about it in the Boston Globe. Apparently, a woman took her date to the Pops. His first time there. A couple sitting in front of them wouldn't shut up. In the middle of the 2nd song, the guy asked the yacker in front of him to "shush". During the third song he asked him to be quiet so he could enjoy the concert. The yacker threatened to push the guy over the balcony. The guy then got an usher and reported the threat. He made the mistake of coming back and telling the yacker that he reported him. That's when the yacker started throwing punches. Eventually, the yacker was ushered out. The guy who had been attacked tried to sit and enjoy the show but realized his lip was bleeding. He went to get a paper towel. When he came back, he was asked by the ushers to leave. At least he and the girlfriend got a refund! And now apparently, both men involved in the fight are filing civil charges against each other.

Geez. Why did that guy bother to go to the Pops if all he wanted to do was talk? When I spend my hard-earned bucks to go to the theatre, concert or movie, I expect people to shut up and be courteous to others around them. But I'm afraid it is the cell-phone/tv audiences anymore....days of common courtesy are long gone. Rant over!!!

Marcia :mad:

[aabram]

"We are sorry, but the clip you are currently trying to play is not available in your area"

:( ...and I really wanted to see this, too :(

[GodSistah]

Google it! It's all over the internet!

:)

~Andrea~

[aabram]

But I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for :(

[GodSistah]

See if this works for ya!

http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/us/2007/05/10/dnt.ma.boston.pops.brawl.whdh

Sorry Marcia...that was probably me being loud at the movie and talking back at the screen! :p

:)

~Andrea~

[ponytail]

We once saw Maureen McGovern at the Strand theater in York. We paid a lot for the tickets. It was a very delicate concert -- just her and a piano. Before the show started, there was a clear announcement about turning off cell phones. About halfway into her first set, somebody in the middle of the center section started talking on a cell phone -- and continued almost till intermission. She actually stopped the performance at one point and said, "Oh, COME ON!" The guy kept talking.

Luckily ushers were able to find and eject the guy during intermission. This brawl thing is pretty extreme, but I can understand the guy who confronted the idiot. Unfortunately, people that self-involved are probably the least likely to respond politely when called on their behavior.

It baffles me just as much, though, to wonder why this man would pay so much for tickets himself and then take a phone call during the show.