“You must have been born before July 3, 1987 to purchase alcohol,” the sign at the Top of the Park beer tent read.
“I was HERE on July 3, 1987!” I exclaimed to the kid behind the counter, who seemed singularly unimpressed. This year, a little teeny glass of Pinot Grigio set me back $6. In 1987, we could get a WHOLE BOTTLE of White Zinfandel for $6, ‘cause a friend was a bartender and she gave us the employee discount. Sigh. I feel old.
Between our trip to New Orleans and the crazy weather, I didn’t spend as much time this year at T.O.P. as I would have liked. Popped by to see The Dream Engine on one of the few nights it didn’t rain. A Cirque du Soleil-esque troupe of acrobats, we saw the “human tether ball” show, which alternated nights with the “floating balloon people. “ (my terms, not theirs)
“It’s pretty damn amazing that we can see something like this for free, “ I commented to The Accountant. “In this economy, I bet people are taking advantage of this sort of thing as much as they can.”
My musical highlights this year were performances by Zebula Avenue and Bugs Beddow. Zebula Avenue was a revelation . They’re a Detroit band comprised of desk jockeys who crank out some wonderful Caribbean-infused world music on the side. And we also enjoyed Mandy Patinkin at the Power Center.
Once I built a tower, up to the sun, brick, and rivet, and lime; Once I built a tower, now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?In addition to the expected roster of Sondheim and show tunes, Patinkin threw in a couple Yip Harburg compositions. Many people know that Harburg wrote “Over the Rainbow” (which Patinkin sang beautifully,btw), but I’m sure not many know he also authored “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?” during the Depression.
Do you suppose this was Patinkin’s own particular form of commentary via music?
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