This was actually a couple weeks ago, and all of the snow (and the man thereof) are gone, now.

Performance vs. The Real Thing

Adminisk8or

12/18/2023

For the holidays, it was a slower week than I would've expected.

In fact, honestly, probably the most notable thing that happened in the last seven days was just a few hours ago- I went to a choral concert for a charity donation. As it turns out, despite the main act being the big focus and the reason most people went, I actually went for the preshow, as my father was singing in a barbershop group. Yes, those still exist. And they were great!

And here's where I need to address the conflict of interest- yes, I went for the preshow; yes, I could easily be partial to the preshow because I had a family member performing in it; yes, I'm weirdly enough a sucker for barbershop- but all of that aside, when it came to the main show... they were just alright. No more, no less.

I do what to emphasize first and foremost that they weren't bad at all- in fact, they were quite good! But the problem was that it ended at "good". Well, okay, to be fair, their harmonies were pretty tight. And their bass singer was pretty talented. And their beep boxer was pretty skilled. And those were the big, impressive things.

Then there were the problems. They had one style. Just ONE. And when it came time for the intermission, I was like "wait... this isn't the end? ...are you sure?" On top of that, and I say this with all due respect to each of them, as I'm sure they're each great individuals... but most everyone on that stage had the same, boring personality. When it came time between songs to hear them talk a little, I wanted to hear each of their unique attitudes and ways of thinking... but it was almost all the same happy-go-lucky schtick... which is just not very interesting to hear as an audience of a show. The last issue is a nitpick, and you could probably just as easily attribute it to me not being a cool, hip kid of the present day; but with it being a charity concert, especially themed around Christmas, I thought their lighting effects were WAY to active and over the top... like, maybe it would've worked if they had more energetic and unique personalities, and had more than one style, and were able set the tone of it being a real party... but with all things otherwise, it just felt... plastic... cheap... I don't know, like it was just there to try to compensate for the lack of hype.

Now having said all this, I'm not going to pretend like I would succeed in their shoes. I'm sure, given that I were part of a renown acapella group performing in venues all around with the same set of songs over and over, and it was exactly one week til Christmas, I would probably be ready to sit it out for a week or two. But circumstance or not, it was what it was. And I think there's good that can come from it.

All of these things I noted- good or bad- are just things that you, I, and anyone can observe, think about, and apply- whether it's in a public charity concert or in day-to-day living. For example, the overcompensation of the lights is something that can be corrected on a stage set- but also something that can be corrected in ourselves, when we stop putting on a show to pretend like things are great, when, in reality life is weighing heavy.

A group can learn to widen their vocal styles to include various energies and genres of music to keep an audience engaged- while in my own life, I can learn more about other people, the way they do things, and why they live the way they do- and appreciate some of the cool, new things I learn!

On a stage, a performing group can emote their actual, real personalities, including expressing both the good things in their lives and the bad, and specifically their feelings in certain circumstances. And in your life, in mine, and everyone's, it isn't always easy to let down our shields, but we can admit that sometimes our current circumstances are really, really hard- or perhaps, we are just feeling that seasonal depression- or maybe, when that tragic event happened 11 years ago, it was tough at the time- but you are still feeling the weight and residual effect of it even now.

I find it interesting that, even in the context of a literal stage act, letting real character and emotion flow- even if it's displayed in a different way than you would in a conversation between another person, can be all that much more powerful. I'm not saying every concert and every performance ever should be that way- sometimes it's just fun to get a good party vibe on, I'll be the first to admit. But why not begin today, by removing the masks from our faces and letting our true character show- after all, whether we like it or not, it's our most unique possession, and whether you believe it or not, you and your soul add something to this world, which is irreplaceably and indescribably vital. Gee... I actually didn't even notice until this moment that my thoughts this week are almost exactly on par with last week's. What are the odds?

So, I hope you have a good holiday until next week- and if you don't, that's okay too! And I hope things will go better for you soon. And if fate may will it, I hope I can be part of that change in your day. Until next time, see ya!