Can't We Take Her to Springsteen Instead?

Before becoming a parent, nothing scared me more than the "activities."  Not diapers, not sleepless nights, not Upromise accounts...nothing.  Kids in crowds, chaotically running and screaming like spring breakers at Senor Frog's have as much appeal to me as sawing a linoleum knife between my toes.  I swore I would do everything in my power to avoid such events.

Two and a half years in and I have much the same opinion.  But that didn't stop us from buying Sesame Street Live tickets.

What the hell else were we gonna do on a cold Sunday morning?

Cheeky's love affair with Ernie and Elmo ain't what it used to be, but since I'd rather walk through the gates of hell than see Dora live Sesame Street seemed like a relatively benign way to kill a couple hours. 

Madison Square Garden--thrilled to be hosting anything but a Knicks game--was the venue.  We took our seats in a surprisingly empty section (a temporary thing, as dozens of harried parents arrived soon after it started) and I sipped my $4.50 Diet Coke (price gouging: alive and well).  As the lights dimmed Bert and Ernie took the stage to begin the sort of witty banter that appeals to six year olds and the mentally challenged.  I knew it was going to be a long couple hours.

Mind you, the whole thing wasn't bad.  The kids were relatively well-behaved, and the story, which revolved around Super Grover's lack of sleep and personal hygiene, did an admirable job of keeping Baby Bear off the stage.  But I couldn't help think that the cast would be frantically calling their agents after the show.  ("I said Susan Stroman, not Susan & Gordon!")  The music sounded like it came from a cheap boombox behind the curtains, and the periodic appearance of a random woman named Kay (you know, 'cause 'K' was the letter of the day) was an odd, undersized counterpoint to the rainbow of monsters on stage.  By intermission (!!!) my mind had slipped into a fugue in which the characters had blurred into psychedelic fractal screensaver. 

If Cheeky weren't jumping up and down on my legs I'd have slept for an hour.

We walked away a little spent, carrying one of 75,000 Elmo balloons and a heart-warming message about ....um...what was it?  Friendship?  Getting enough exercise?  Talking cheese?  I can't remember.  Cheeky had a good time, and although we felt like we'd lost an hour of our lives it was a small price to pay to see her happy.  Besides, it could have been much, much worse.

Comments

[MammaLoves]

Yet again I thank the goddess of discount designer shoes for having boys. Our events usually revolve around baseball games.

[Sparky]

We too took the boys to see Super Grover. It would have been awesome if I had a stash of strong pharmaceuticals in my purse. They really should sell beer at these things. In a scheduling error we took the boys to see Thomas Live the VERY NEXT DAY. $300 and the loss of countless brain cells later we made it home alive and proceeded to drink...heavily. I took Bird to see Cats, and it was a much better experience. Now we've signed up for Diego Live in March. Can you spell G-L-U-T-T-O-N?

[TheOtherCW]

Huh....I choreographed a lightsaber fight once. It was flippin' sweet. Wait....should I be telling you this?

[WCG]

Hey, you were lucky. When I took your siblings, I had to get up on the stage with one of them! It was so tramatic that I can't remember which one it was. Count your blessings.....

[whit]

We saw the Wiggles on tour (original line-up). Sadly, I've seen worse shows from bands I wanted to see.

[Lee W.]

As you might expect Tony, "Springsteen" in the title caught my eye, sad to see not more Springsteen related content. I'll take the opportunity to create some...Sophia (age 2) can pick Bruce out of an E Street Band lineup, bobs her head to "Radio Nowhere" and even prefers wearing her Springsteen t-shirts (yes multiple) by saying, "Bruce", or "Brooce" when wearing them. Though in general, Bruce takes a back seat to Elmo or Knuffle Bunny any day...

[WestCoastBrother2@seattle.rain]

I remember when Mom took us to Barbie and SuperMario Brothers on Ice. Pretty cool to a 7 year old. I imagine Mom and Dad probably thought I was on drugs being into watching giant mushrooms chase a fat Italian guy in a red jumpsuit. Sounds like a bad acid trip.

Wasn't as good as Smootchy on Ice but really what is...

[Oh, The Joys]

Screen door Sa-lams...
Elmo's fur waves...

Nah.