Blue Man Group 20th Anniversary Reunion Show

What a surprise! BMG, DM, with KB talk about winning!

Never seen the Blue Man Group before and no better night like this to start. Special 20th Anniversary reunion show featuring the original 3 members performing with special guest opener Dave Matthews made this a once in a lifetime experience.

Kristine and I made it into the city at approximately 5pm. Grabbed a quick bite to eat as we walked passed the venue and the hotel hosting the after-party. At 6pm the doors opened to the theater and we joined the other 297 generous and lucky souls to be a part of this reunion fundraiser. The night was to support the Blue Man Group's Blue School, a charter school in NYC with a specific mission and focus. The presentation by the new schools architect, the literature received, and the Blue Men themselves made this something definitely worth reading about!  http://www.theblueschool.org/

Kristine and I fully expected Dave to open with 3-4 songs but were so excited when he played 8 songs including a cover song he had never played before, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" by Procol Harum. Dave's voice was sounding great given the time off. He was chatty and funny as usual and brought even the attendees who didn't know him well to a rousing applause.

Full set:

Bartender
Stay Or Leave
A White Shade of Pale
Gravedigger
You & Me
Rye Whiskey
So Damn Lucky
Some Devil

I really enjoyed the Blue Men Group's performance. It was witty, funny, and current. Their skit about technology and social media and its impact on people, was funny yet extremely informative and eye opening. I highly recommend anyone who hasn't seen their show yet to go visit one time. I was hesitant and so glad this opportunity came along to open my own eyes.

Towards the end of the Blue Man Group set, one of the Blue Men walked side stage and pulled out a violinist, and grabbed Dave's guitar. He then proceeded to walk down the front of the stage and found Dave sitting with his family in about hte 10th row. He handed Dave the guitar and grabbed his hand to bring him on stage. Dave followed suit and joined the Blue Man Group on stage where they first backed him on his own song "Little Thing", then a backup vocalist joined the stage for the Blue Man Group's song "Sing Along" which Dave had previously recorded with them as lead vocalist. What a treat! Dave then departed to go back to his family as the Blue Men finished up their strong show. Everyone came back out after the encore for one final bow and a well deserved standing ovation.

After-party? umm yes!

straight up BANANAS!  Because the event was a fundraiser and the high cost of tickets, everything was free. While surrounded by many NYC bigshots and important suits Kristine and I got there fairly soon after the show ended and saddled up to the bar near the stage where ELEW would perform his after-party show. After a few cocktails and living large with the big wigs, I looked over Kristine's shoulder as Mrs. Dave Matthews walked up to the bar 5 feet away with a friend. After telling Kristine and saying "we might be drinking with Dave tonight" for the tenth time, I figured I would go use the restroom now. As soon as I got 5 feet from the bar and looked right, down the hall we walked into the party from, Dave was standing there with a few fans greeting and saying hi. I quickly ran back and got Kristine and we then waited near Dave for a quick photo op. After getting our shot, we went right back to the bar to continue our drinking. After returning to the bar ELEW came out and as we turned around to watch him perform, Dave was standing right in front of us with the Mrs., and his sis. This not being a meet and greet, or a DMB concert the audience was very chill and the exact opposite of crazed fandom, from this point on we only saw two or three people come up to say hi to him and grab a pic. Also with Dave was Eric Krasno, founding member and guitarist for Soulive. So for the rest of the night and our time there we sat right behind that group within arms reach and enjoyed the performance of ELEW who was really good, definitely worth seeing again.

Unbelievable. The ride home was bittersweet and the next morning was rough, but this was truly an unforgettable experience.

Thank you Kristine!



Photos from:

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/YcyKjfBeidm/Blue+Man+Group+20th+Anniversary+Reunion+Show/Nud95TePdh0/Dave+Matthews

Links:

http://www.blueman.com/app/webroot/20-year-reunion/

Videos: