The Tool Stimulus Contest

Once in a while we get together as a culture to celebrate the truly important things in life, like music, and there is no greater celebration than that of the concert.

Tool image "courtesy" of JLC

During the recent Holiday season I was thrilled to hear that our own John Labatt Centre would be host to the incomparable Tool, one of those bands whose lyrics never seem to run out of things to say. As I celebrated that I would have both the means and the opportunity to enjoy this rare treat I realized it wasn't always the case. Haven't I been trapped in the fiscal confines of school or unemployment in the past and missed out on seeing bands on my bucket list?

It was a tweet from @Kenini_I (Teri) that made me realize this. She had tweeted an entreaty to the world at large to make it possible for her to see this concert as she was just not able to make it work. It was that moment I committed to The Tool Stimulus Contest. I would give away two tickets to the unemployed and/or students of London on my own sweet whims, and the very first winner was Teri for giving me the idea and meeting the criteria. She already has her ticket.

Now YOU have the chance to win the last ticket. In the next 24 hours you must comment on this blog with your email address or Twitter account (and be following me so we can DM) and state whether you are a Student or Unemployed and include a personal anecdote about Tool. It can be your favourite song, the first time you heard it, or anything at all, but something so I know you are real.

The winner will be drawn at random, there are no wrong answers or best posts. You stand to have a VERY high chance of winning since I only have 6 semi-regular readers.  The winner will be posted here and contacted by email or Twitter after 5PM tomorrow Wednesday January 25th and I will deliver the ticket to you that evening or before the concert.

In summary.

Contest Rules:

Meet the Eligibility:
1) Student
2) Unemployed
3) A really good liar that can fake 1) or 2) and won't feel bad stealing the ticket from someone who is less fortunate (jerk)

Comment below with your email address or Twitter account (and follow @Oathbreaker) before 5PM Wednesday January 25th.

Good Luck!

Cirque du Soleil: Alegria in London

Last Friday I attended Cirque du Soleil: Alegria in London and was very impressed.  The show was well produced, immersive, engaging, musically enchanting, funny, and evocative.

The show starts with the rather queer Nostalgic Old Birds wandering around the stage and down into the floor audience only to be corralled by the bitter and captivating Fleur.  Fleur acts as our guide of sorts through the landscape of Alegria and kicks things off after a bit with a lively and participatory marching-band stroll through the floor audience.  He had us all clapping along to the beat emphatically as the lilting tune rang out joyously with the odd pause for an exultant shout of "Alegria!" from Fleur.

The actors at fairly regular turns enter the floor audience and even interact with them and pull them occasionally on stage.  Most of the main Acts do not, but much of the in-between bits do and these are the highlights of the show.

The show could be roughly divided into Characters and Acts with the Acts being of the breathtaking and impressive variety and the Characters bringing the human quotient acting as the glue holding the show together.  The White and Black Singers provide a beautiful lyrical backdrop to the Acts and the live band really pumps out some impressive beats and tunes; you would not believe it is all being performed live if you could not see them at the top back of the stage jamming away (and in costume no less).

The show does not lack in acrobatics, contortions, or visually interesting coordinated activities (I rather liked the trampoline "roads" that were choreographed on) and if you were hoping to see incredible feats of female flexibility or impressive feats of male strength, you will not go wanting.  What the show absolutely excels at, however, is the clowns.

Here is the description of the clowns from the main site:
The clowns are witnesses to the passing of centuries, the social commentators of Alegría. The clowns reflect the eternal spirit of mankind. They are grounded and realistic, telling little stories of everyday life – where everyone is a hero, where anyone can fall in love and suffer a broken heart. The clowns are visionaries – philosophers of absurdity. Endearing, comical and child-like, they turn the world into a circus.

And what a wonderful circus!  They both brilliantly mock the Acts themselves and also provide their own narrative.  From the two clowns that experience a friendly rivalry throughout the show, to the heartbreaking clown that emotes sadness in a way that only a fully simulated blizzard can top.  Yes, a blizzard makes a rather impressive bookend prior to intermission I would say.

To get the most out of this show I would encourage you to either buy a program (I did not) or read the descriptions of the Acts and Characters on the website.  There are many layers to Alegria and most of them are not apparent without some priming.  Be aware that, as in our case, the Acts on the website may not precisely be the acts performed due to the nature of staffing a touring show and the highly-skilled demands of the acts, although equivalent substitutions were made such that I didn't notice.

This was my first Cirque du Soleil performance and it will not be my last.  Many thanks to the talented cast of Alegria for putting on a wonderful show in London, Ontario!