Maybe I’m Amazed

 

June 6, 2022

Maybe I’m Amazed

I have had the good fortune to have been to see Sir Paul McCartney live many times, but he is one of those artists that when they announce a tour, I find myself scouring the tour itinerary to see when and where I can find a ticket and the opportunity to see them once again. I think I had seen McCartney six times in the five years before the pandemic and that is just the most recent shows.

I thought the latest tour, his first since the pandemic restrictions have lifted, was going to be one that I missed as he seemed to be playing everywhere that I wasn’t, playing Florida while I was away in Indianapolis and with most of the other shows similarly out of reach.

Then I happened upon the fact that he was playing for the first time ever in Knoxville, Tennessee and it just so happened to coincide with my drive from Indianapolis to Key West. I would not even have to detour all that much. I was fortunate to find a ticket on the 4^th row of the side of the stage on the secondary market for a good price and I was off to Knoxville.

The Thompson-Boling Arena is the basketball arena for the University of Tennessee and has a capacity of just over 21,000. It was sold out for what may have been one of the most anticipated concerts in Knoxville history. The crowd was beyond excited and it added energy to McCartney who at just shy of 80 years old is just starting to show the wear and tear of constant touring. As cool as it is to see an icon of music, his voice and stamina are just beginning to slip somewhat.

Having said that, it is a miracle that he can deliver a two and a half hour set, night after night and have as much energy as he does. He still gives it his all to an audience that is beyond appreciative.  He doesn’t have to be doing this at all, his legacy is beyond cemented and he could just be at home basking in his well-earned glory.

Yet there he is, performing a 36 song set that puts most current touring acts to shame both in its duration and quality. Hit after hit after hit and yet he just scratched the surface on what he could have played. He could play a few more 36 song sets without repeating and the crowd would still have known the majority of the songs.

McCartney may not be doing any spins, kicks, or jumps, but he still knows how to hold an audience's attention. From witty stage banter, old stories from his day in The Beatles, to interaction with the sea of signs in his honor, McCartney's stage presence was everything you could hope for. The band is terrific as well and the stage craft was amazing with plenty of cool huge videos and amazing pyrotechnics.

The highlights of the show are too many to mention, though the performance of “I’ve Got A  Feeling” featured a duet with the image of John Lennon performing at the famous final rooftop concert by the Beatles. The video of Lennon trading verses with the onstage McCartney had the crowd roaring and was a moment of nostalgia that was pretty damn cool.

The Lume

 June 2, 2022

The Lume

Immersive art exhibits are all the rage these days as the multi-media presentations are drawing huge crowds with their high-tech artistry and the exhibitions are popping up all over the place. Indianapolis is no exception and for about the past year they have hosted an exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (Newfields) that has joined the plethora of this type of exhibits around the globe.

The exhibit, which is a multisensory exhibit that occupies the fourth floor of Newfields , features nearly 150 state-of-the-art projectors and occupies over 30,000 square feet divided into three large gallery spaces. The exhibit features the work of Vincent Van Gogh.

Immersive animations of Van Gogh's work are shown in two galleries and along the hallway which connects them. The third gallery features no projections, instead displaying paintings including "Landscape at Saint-Rémy," a Van Gogh in the Newfields' collection for years. It hangs next to "Landscape near Arles" by Paul Gauguin and "House in Provence" by Paul Cézanne. All three pieces were painted in Southern France within a five year period and have traditionally hung together in Newfields. 

Additionally, interactive displays and activities are sprinkled throughout the experience where people can take selfies overlaid with Van Gogh filters, learn more about the artist's life and step into a recreation of his bedroom. There is also a Van Gogh-themed retail space and French-inspired café which will be changed to match the exhibition in subsequent years.

This is the third different immersive Van Gogh exhibit that I have attended and they all sort of accomplish the same thing. They are very cool to experience but have become controversial because many feel they do not give a proper appreciation of the actual art and are not a good replacement for experiencing the actual art. I can see the point, but if this technology can get someone interested in art or get people to experience works that they might not have otherwise then I have no problem with them.

This exhibit in particular featured some of the actual artwork of Van Gogh and also included admission to the rest of the museum, which is a very good thing. If people treat this as an enhancement to the experience of going to a museum or seeing art rather than a substitute than that is a good thing.

We said goodbye to our friends Matt and Deb at the museum, as they were headed off to continue their road trip. Kathy, James and I decided to visit the Indianapolis Zoo in the afternoon. One of the largest privately funded zoos in the US, the downtown zoo is located in White River State Park and includes an aquarium and botanical garden within the 64 acre grounds.

The zoo is home to over 1400 animals featuring 235 species and is the most visited attraction in Indianapolis. I have been going to the Indianapolis Zoo since it first opened at its original location back in 1964 and continued to support the zoo when it moved in 1988 to the current location downtown.

They are constantly adding new exhibits and the new alligator habitat is the latest to open with a new kangaroo exhibit opening in the near future.  The next morning I dropped Kathy and then James off at the airport before hitting the road south myself and heading home to Key West after an incredible and fun time in Indianapolis.

https://discovernewfields.org/lume

https://www.indianapoliszoo.com/