Cirque Du Soliel: Delirium (Charlotte, 4-29-06)

Well, I finally saw Delirium (4-29-06, Charlotte) and I had great seats on the floor six rows back.

Let me start with a disclaimer that I love Cirque Du Soliel. I've seen:
Ka (3x Vegas)
Allegria (3x, 2xBiloxi, Miami)
Mystere (2x Vegas)
O (1x Vegas)
Verekai (1x Miami)
Drallion (1x Miami)
Quidam (1x London)
Journey of Man (film, 1x)
La Nouba (2x Orlando)

And, I enjoyed them all to varying degrees and if I didn't like them, I loved them. It's a love-love relationship between Cirque and myself. So, it was with great excitement I got tickets to Delirium. I was going to see it in Sunrise but nobody here wanted to go with me due to the cost (Philistines, the lot). So I went and saw it in Charlotte with my friend Maury. Somehow, seeing Cirque alone would be depressing.

Turns out the Philistines here were smarter than I was -- they saved about $100. A show I was excited about had none of Cirques magic, none of its joy, none of its fun -- in short I was bored off my arse along with everyone else near me. People were getting up, leaving, and not coming back -- in droves. The applause was tepid, like you'd hear at a golf match.

Worse, anyone who sees this as their first Cirque experience, will never go again. It was a shame that Cirque's management let this show out of the gate as is. We were told it was a musical experience, but it wasn't even that. Cirque's own site says:
The DELIRIUM TOUR is a multifaceted event of unprecedented proportion featuring Cirque du Soleil music remixed. Driven by this urban tribal beat and awe-inspiring visuals, musicians, singers and dancers transform the arena into joyous frenzy.

Further, we were stuck with a 'concert' by a vocalist before the show started. Although she was fine, it wasn't my kind of music, it wasn't Cirque's kind of music, and the audience was obviously bored and disinterested judging by the amount of conversation taking place during that part. It was, happily, only 25 minutes long and followed by a "20 minute intermission" which was actually nearly 40.

I am not knocking the performances in the show itself because the performers were all fine -- music and what pitiful little acrobatics there were. Each one did their assigned task wonderfully. But there was nothing behind it. There was no magic at all and despite their release, there was no "joyous frenzy" -- it was a random collection of unrelated, unenjoyable things. Even the Grande Finale, "Allegria" was set to a techno beat and lost any magic it had.

And my opinions aren't alone: witness this review. I'd write more but it's just too depressing.

TMJ, Clicking, Tinnitus, and Roofers Redux -- Eclectic Isn't It?

Wow. What an eclectic mix of subject we have in today's update.

First, I went to the dentist yesterday because my tooth was hurting (tooth #3 if you're counting). Not a big deal, really. Went in. They took an x-ray, saw it was infected, gave me an antibiotic and told me to come back in 10 days. Didn't even charge me. No dentist will work on an infected tooth without urgent need. No big deal. Remember the dentist didn't do anything.

Ever open a jar and close it again? Press the pop-seal lid down. It makes and odd clicking noise, right. Well on my left side (opposite of #3) I now hear that in my ear whenever the left side of my jaw moves. Started last night not long after my dental visit. Went back and she concurs with my self-diagnosis of a TMJ problem (TMJ = Temporo-Mandibular Joint). Said might be related to the infection or stress or by favouring not-hurting side of mouth. She said to tell my dentist that when I come back in 10 days. Suggested I take Ibuprofen for it and apply heat. Sadly, this is in my good ear. My bad ear has tinnitus. So far am getting no relief and am cranky about it.

Roofers have cleaned up their mess. My roof now has a full coat of new plywood, asphalt infused felt, tin tabs, and nails for same. Next up (who knows when) are hot-mopping and installation of tiles. Frankly, I am looking forward to losing the dumpster in my front yard.

Rob Barry's Blog

I often visit Rob Barry's Blog because he's a little weird like me -- which I mean in a good way of course. You should go there.

Today's gem is a reference to a letter to Dr. Laura entitled "Why can't I own a Canadian?" It's hysterical. And if you love the bible, you probably shouldn't read this because the author is clearly poking fun. But if you've got a sense of humour, go right on over. If you ever want to reprogram a newer soda machine he's even got a link for this. You never know what you will get at Rob Barry's Blog.

And of course my roofers came again. There is now a roll-off dumpster in my driveway.

I have roofers!!!!!!!

Yes, indeed, today the roofers finally started. So, after six months of waiting I now have less of a roof than I did after the hurricane. I am certain this is a good thing. They are removing what's left of the old roof (except the underlying particle board) and hauling it away. They are going to put proper plywood over the particle board. Then tar paper, nails with tin caps (to Dade County Standards), then hot mop it. Then it will set for a long, long time until the inspector shows up. Which is, in theory fine, because god knows when the fucking tiles (concrete rectangles to be exact) will ever show up.

Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!

Why I want to own a Casino

I own one share in every public casino company so I can get the annual reports. They're fascinating. Plus I love to gamble. If I lived in Las Vegas, I'd need gambler's anonymous, I'm sure. Happily, I go there 2 to 4 times per year and stick within my budget every trip.

So in today's mail I got my annual report for Harrah's Entertainment.

Total revenues for HET were $7,111,000,000 -- yes that reads 7 billion dollars. Most of it, you know, is cash. ::drool:: Of that $6,071,500,000 were revenues from Casinos, another 1,097,500,000 from food and beverage. Can you imagine selling 1 billion dollars in food and liquor. Only 791,800,000 from room revenue. Of which they gave out in comps 1,351,300,000 -- yeah, they gave away 1.3 billion dollars. Baby, I love Vegas.

Let's talk about this. $16,634,246.58 in daily revenue. That's a staggering $16.6 million dollars in cash taken in every single day (over their portfolio of casinos). Now, you may think that's not that much. Remember the casino vig, as I recollect, is around 4% or so. Vig? Oh, let's say you're paying a 98% slot machine over time -- the casino will keep 2% of what you wager, or about $2 for every $100 you wager. $16 million is the 4% vig. That means actual wagering of $415,856,164.38 or $415 million dollars per day is wagered -- most of it given back to patrons with the casino keeping their 4% or $16.6 million.

HET is a great company and I admire them, spend money at their casinos, on their shows, and in their hotels. I love HET and I often do my best at their properties. However, I don't expect to get rich. You do not collect $7 billion dollars in revenue from people winning. When you go to Las Vegas remember that.

Writer's Block

I get writer's block sometimes. That's not true, I get it often. Here's a great article about it that I felt I had to share. If you're a writer or a friend of a writer, read this article.

Florida Panther Season Ticket Renewals Redux

In a previous entry on my blog (Florida Panther Season Ticket) I talked about the Panthers. Here's more news. I finally got an e-mail asking if I was going to renew. Here's my edited reply:

We had talked before and you were going to call me back. It's been about eight weeks. Anyway, that's besides the point. I am not renewing for a number of reasons, some of which you can control and some which you can't. (Fron here on down, when I say "you" I refer to the team and not you personally)

1. Cohen and Keenan deserve each other -- I on the other hand can't deal with them. It's like Jekyl and Hyde -- or maybe it's Sybil. I'm not sure.
2. You've turned into a marketing organization. You care far more about your sponsors than your fans. I hear this all over the arena. Everything has a sponsor. You've got so many ads in the arena you don't even have a CLOCK anymore. Yeah, no way to tell them time. Nice.
3. Important issues like fixing the broken lights on the B&W matrix LED displays go ignored. For an entire season I asked for this to be fixed so I could actually READ what was on the board. It's okay if you don't want to fix it, but I won't reward you for bad behaviour.
4. You send out letters insulting people who stuck with you -- renew now or else seems to be your attitude -- go ahead. Tell me whatever you want. When I got your playoff plan was the final insult. (I pay to park at the arena and even I was insulted by your organizations desire to charge people who chose to walk. Absolute lack of class and tact.)
5. I've written a few blog entries about my travails and opinions if you want further reading.
(A) nov 05 http://www.darsys.net/2005/11/whither-yon-nhl-florida-panthers.html
(b) feb 06 http://www.darsys.net/2006/02/florida-panther-season-ticket-renewals.html
6. And, when I come to the arena, I get raped at the concession stands.
7. 7pm games suck -- you start them at 7pm but I live in Dade county. You have basically said you don't want us Dade County folks there. We got the message. Thanks.
8. You make promises and fail to deliver. You promised us our season ticket holder gift and the season is almost over, dammit. And the in-arena 'premium' giveaways are, quite frankly, everything but premium. (Okay, the Panther Potato Head was REALLY cool. I admit it.)

All that being said, I support the team. I just don't support management. I'll probably just buy combo meals at Miami Subs and go on the free tickets they (or any of your 1,000,000,000 other sponsors give away). There is zero motivation to buy. [I'm sure you're a nice guy and you don't have to take it personally but I run a business and if I ran my business the way the Panthers did I'd have NO customers.]

I want to give Mario full credit. He actually called me after getting this e-mail. At least he isn't the typical cowardly rep that vanishes when things go wrong. He's going to come by my seats and introduce himself after the game Saturday -- something his predecessors haven't done in over five years.

Queen and American Idol

First, there was the new Queen, see my review at: Queen + Paul Rodgers (Miami Concert Review w/set list) and now there's American Idol doing Queen. Many Queen fans expected a train wreck, and indeed a train wreck is what we got.

Fat Bottomed Girls: I never pictured this as a country song. I am not a country fan. "I didn't hate it" is the best I can say.
We Will Rock You: I'm not sure who he rocked but it wasn't me. I was not impressed.
Bohemian Rhapsody: As Simon said, "it didn't look good on paper" -- it wasn't. But it could have been much, much worse. Let us hope nobody ever tries to be Freddie -- because you can't.
Who Wants To Live Forever: Puke. Execution for this singer. Please.
Somebody to Love: Entirely forgettable. Thankfully forgettable. The singer looked like he was taking a dump while singing with his facial expressions. Distracting.
Innuendo: Whomever came up with this idea just ought to be shot. This just proves the judges aren't Queen fans. I hate the judges. Morons, the lot.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love: I actually liked this. Really. It was Elvis doing Queen but I enjoyed it. And I'd listen again.
Show Must Go On: She had a great voice but not for this song. At least she didn't embarrass herself.

More reasons airlines suck

Airlines to Begin Charging for Amenities
Excerpts From Associated Press Article on April 03, 2006 7:23 PM EDT

(My comments interspersed in colour)

Airlines are starting to charge for many services that once were free - such as assigned seating, paper tickets and blankets. What? They haven't started charging for toilet paper yet?

Air travelers who don't fly often may be in for some unpleasant surprises when they reach the airport this summer. Actually, most people who've flown since 9/11 already have experienced plenty of unpleasant surprises.

Many airlines no longer serve meals on flights, instead charging for snack boxes and sandwiches. Most people probably don't miss airline food. However, once your flight is much longer than six hours, any food starts to sound good. People say "oh, but you can bring your own food" -- and in theory that's a great idea. Ever sit next to someone with a foul-smelling curry? Or perhaps some greasy fast-food? Or worse, some seafood that they shove in the seatback when done? It smells wonderful quite a few hours later, let me tell you.

American spokesman Tim Wagner said that passengers have made it clear that their first priority in buying an airline ticket is price. The company offers a la carte services - such as snack packs - for those willing to pay for them. I agree with American Airlines -- this is the customer's fault. Most consumers are not willing to pay more for a better product. Your message is clearly "Treat us like shit and we'll still fly your airline as long as it's cheaper." Enough of you, stupidly, have sent this message that the airlines are, indeed, listening. I gladly pay $20 a flight more to fly an airline I like. The longer the flight, the more I will pay my preferred airline. (I wish American to note, that they are not that preferred airline.)

There are limits to what passengers will pay for. American Eagle, which flies commuter flights for American, experimented in January with charging passengers for soft drinks. "The customer response was, 'No, we don't want to pay $1 for a soft drink.'" The test ended. Duh. You needed to run a test to find that out. Trapped on a plane with no food and no drink? Um, whomever thought that idea would fly was hopefully fired.

Talking to an airline reservation agent instead of booking a ticket on the Internet will add $5 or $10 to the price of a ticket. A travel agent, adds $20 to $50 per ticket. However, I wish to point out, that on many flights the travel agent will beat the Internet. The more expensive the flight, the better your chances with a competent travel agent, especially on transcontinental and international flights. (My travel agent has got me in first-class for less than $20 more than a coach ticket any number of times, not to mention suggested a connection through an alternate city for less money. And don't forget something simple like a time-change on that return. Most travel sites can't handle that -- and if you want a wait list for an upgrade, forget any discount travel site. Those fares aren't generally upgradable, and more often now they don't even earn frequent flyer miles.)

United Airlines charges $24-$99 to sit in the Economy Plus section, which has five extra inches of leg room. Some international carriers also charge for aisle or bulkhead seats. Northwest Airlines in March began charging $15 for exit rows some forward aisle seats. That's just crap. It doesn't cost them more to seat you there. Are they giving you a discount when you're stuck in the middle seat in the last row by the lavatory? I think not. It's got to work both ways.

Northwest (which now charges $15 for an aisle seat) spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch said Northwest has to be able to compete against low-cost airlines like Southwest, which doesn't assign seats at all. Which is laughable as an argumebnt, because Southwest doesn't charge more for aisle seats either. This is flawed "logic" at best.

But Southwest doesn't offer services such as assigned seating or keeping an eye on an unaccompanied child who's making a connection. If your 14 year old really needs a baby sitter to fly from BNA to OAK then you probably should send him on an airline that offers and provides for baby-sitters.

Continental Airlines is one of the few that still offers hot meals on domestic flights. And bless them a million times. They'd be my airline of choice if they actually went anywhere from MIA.

I used to love flying before 9-11 and I could easily love it after -- the extra security (as worthless as most of it is) isn't really all that inconvenient other than an extra 1/2 hour or so at the airport before departure. Yet, flying now sucks and it's getting worse and worse: even though the ticket costs "less" on the surface, you really are paying more. Most people are just too dumb to see this. As many of the trunk (old-fashioned major airlines) disappear and competition decreases, what do you think is going to happen to your airfares? If you expect them to drop or stay the same, I hope the police know you're using that crack-pipe.

The saying "Getting there is half the fun" became obsolete with the advent of commercial airlines. -- Henry J. Tillman