Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Feat. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

One of the guys up at the Gauntlet worked for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra over the summer and so he has connections, although maybe they are just using him to help fill the Jack Singer Concert Hall. He asked me if I would like a pair of tickets to see the show. I did so he wrote down my name and he had a pair of tickets set aside for me at the box office (regular price $40.50 each + service fees from ticketmaster.) He made the same offer to everyone else in the office as well.

It was quite interesting. For those of you who have never been to the auditorium, It's about the same size as a regular theater, except that the stage is a lot deeper, (Anna will correct me if that's the wrong term for being very long from front to back) and that there are balcony seats.

Tracie and I were in one of the balconies, right above the stage. Our vantage point made it hard to see the bass players, but I'm told that they don't do much anyway.

Over all Tracie and I give the concert two thumbs up. Four if you think that each person can give both thumbs. I especially liked it when they emptied the spit valves and the buckets they all had to hold the spit.

At the beginning of the concert they orchestra played a song, that had the sound of a telephone and then the orchestra would sing out, "Pennsylvania 6-5-0-0-0". Up until that point, I never realized that you could play the telephone as a serious instrument. You would have to be a very good dialer to get the timing just right, so maybe it's not a realistic profession for me.

I have to admit that I liked the orchestra part much better than the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy part. "Big Bad" plays swing music, which would be much better in a place where you could dance. They also had microphones. I felt that they overpowered the orchestra. It probably would have been better if they had been made first chairs instead of having mics. The drums should not have been amplified at all, because they are too loud already.

It was an interesting concert, because of the styles of the two groups are so different. The orchestra has a very rigid style, in fact you get jabbed by the little stick if the conductor thinks your getting off track. The swing band how ever improvises quite a lot.

If you have a chance to go see an orchestra, especially one from a big city, it's totally worth it. It's especially important to support the one in Calgary, because they are having such financial difficulty.