Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Do It Now - Taking in Live Perfomances

When you live in a city that you think you are always going to live in (or will live in for a long period of time), it's really easy to take things for granted.  I was the queen of doing that before I was relocated to Charlotte.  Minneapolis has a lot to offer but I wasn't always great about making the most of it as I thought there would always be time to do the things I wanted to do. But after living in Charlotte, I knew that when I moved back, I needed to have more of a "Do It Now" perspective as you just never know when life is going to throw a curve ball at you. 

I'm applying this "Do It Now" perspective to multiple areas of my life, but one area I'm applying it to lately is taking in live performances.  Luckily I live in a city that has lots of opportunities to choose from.  In fact, Minneapolis has the second most theater seats per capita - we are second only to New York! Here are some of the live performances I've taken in or will be taking in over the coming months!
 

Last month, a couple of friends from work and I snagged a Living Social deal for tickets to Mary Poppins at a local dinner theater.  I loved this movie so much as a child so it was very fun to see the live production version of it! Both of my co-workers enjoy going to live productions so I can see us doing something like this again!


Tonight, Phil and I are going to "An Evening with Neil deGrasse Tyson" at one of the theaters in downtown Minneapolis.  For those of who aren't familiar with him, NDT is the host of the popular show, Cosmos, which is a show about all things science.  NDT is an astrophysicist but he has a way of explaining complex things in a way that the average person can understand.  I bought the tickets to this show as part of Phil's Christmas present.  He loves NDT so I was really excited to surprise him with this gift.  We know 2 other couples that are going to the show so we'll all have dinner together before.  It should be a really fun night. 



In June, I'm going to an Ingrid Michaelson concert with 3 other friends.  Ingrid has been on my "bucket list" of artists I want to see live for many years so I am excited that I will finally get to see her in concert!  I own all of her albums and have been a fan for years so I am really excited to see her live!



Last, but not least, in June I am also going to see the musical production of Once with my friend Courtney.  We actually bought tickets for this the day they went on sale in November because I wanted to make sure we got great seats.  I loved the movie Once and I have heard great things about the live production!

I don't know that I'll take in as many live performances in the second half of the year as I will during the first half of the year, but I'm excited that I've got so much to look forward to in the coming months!

Do you like to go to live performances?  Is there something that your city/area of the country offers that you tend to take for granted?    

16 comments:

  1. This is awesome! I love going to shows and performances but I SUCK at actually following through with it, which is a shame because we live in such a great area for this. Maybe I'll make this one of my goals this year too. (Also, SUPER excited for you to see Ingrid Michaelson!)

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  2. We try to take advantage of the performances in NOLA, too - this year we subscribed to the philharmonic season. It's easy to assume they'll always be there, but why not enjoy now? Plus the arts need our support!

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  3. As you might expect, live performance is quite a passion with this ex-theatre major and theatre board member! Next week it's "Hair" at the University. (I am also taking a "Hair" class!) I've been lucky enough to see Mary Poppins -- lots different from the movie but charming. But the real pleasure in this list of things I've seen was Neil D.T. He is mesmerizing and I hope you enjoy it. When I saw him, I think the Q&A lasted as long as the talk!

    Tried to get tix to Once but sold out too quickly. All fun. Yes, whether you see a good local or university company or a wonderful roadshow or pro company -- keep getting out there and supporting live performance!

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  4. Oh my gosh my husband loves Neil deGrasse Tyson! That sounds like such a fun event!

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  5. Living Social had Chanhassen tickets?! I need to check that out more often. Ingrid will be awesome! I'm going to NYC in May with my mom and brother to see Aladdin, and I'm also hoping to get TKTS for Finding Neverland.

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  6. I love plays and concerts and this weekend, we are going to the last FM Symphony Orchestra performance in Fargo. I am so glad we got seasonal tickets again this year, as when we didn't, we just didn't go! You are lucky to live in an area that has so many live performances!
    Have fun tonight! I am sure Phil will enjoy it a lot!

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  7. How fun! I love live performances. I've been going to the theater (sounds so fancy) about every six weeks since my dad has season tickets to a local playhouse. They put on some great things! We've seen Midsummer's Night Dream; a Johnny Cash tribute; Guess Who's Coming to dinner (SO GOOD); and last Vasha, Sonya, Masha & Spike (hilarious). I saw Phantom for a bachelorette party at the Fox and this summer I'm taking the girls to see Aristocats, children's theater! Oh, and we have Shakespeare in the Park so D and I have a night planned to go do that as it's so awesome. I love live events a LOT, D only somewhat, so I have to find a balance of things that he will like to get him to go :)

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  8. I love NDT... he has such a great, soothing narrator voice (J and I have been watching Cosmos on Netflix!). I am so glad you get to see him live! And yes, we do have to remind ourselves sometimes to take advantage of what our current living places have to offer!

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  9. How fun! The kids have really loved going to the local community theater recently. They take in every show, and Ella has even auditioned for one! It really is a fun evening out.

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  10. LOVE this perspective Lisa :) And I usually hit up a live performance about once a year in some capacity. It's one of those things I hem and haw about because while I enjoy it...I usually would love to spend those $ on outdoor gear and options :) Haha. Oh man. But I think it's so great and totally fun to experience. Sounds like you're getting in some great venues and performances!

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  11. We have a fairly active live performance scene in Tampa, but I have only seen one or two performances in my whole life! It's sad, but it's just not something I feel like splurging on, I suppose!

    This post reminds me, though, that I need to watch Cosmos. I lovvvve astronomy and want to learn everything I can about space!

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  12. We used to go to live theater all the time when we lived in New York (obviously) but have only seen one show since moving here. We saw Once a few years ago, when my friend's niece was the Girl! Anyway, I will just say that the show is really good, but I felt it was different than the movie. Not bad, just different. Anyway, I hope you like it! :) And I'm always up for going to a show if you need someone to go with.

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  13. So much fun. I cringe when I think about how much money I spend on tickets to sporting events/concerts/theater/etc. but it is always worth it. You clearly agree!

    I saw Once earlier in the year and looooooved it. I am sure you will, too.

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  14. Oooh, what did you think of NDT? I haven't ever heard him talk, but I think he's one of those people who would be fascinating to hear.

    I love going to hear live performances - music, theater (though, not usually musical theater, ha!). We are trying to find ways to introduce Gavin to both. We are subscribers to a small, local children's theater. We take Gavin to local kid's concerts. And, we're taking Gavin to a blues festival in a few months, because Trombone Shorty is the headliner (it's going to be a test, but we figure that at $10 a ticket, it's worth the risk that we fail miserably!). I think having an appreciation for performance off-the-screen is really important - it gets you out of the house! hahaha.

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  15. I absolutely LOVE going to live performances!! We saw a couple in New York and one before we left ... and there are some plays at a local theater I'd like to check out soon.

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  16. Wow you are taking in a lot of live performances this year! We actually have a really awesome theatre company here and get some great live performances but we NEVER go. I just never think to go. My coworker is really into live plays and goes all the time. We really should try to go one of these days.

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