Alive on Sesame Street

On the last Friday of October, my family of four attended Sesame Street Live! @ 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial. Please enjoy this Dad review.

Spoiler Alert: The following blog contains plot details and storyline analysis. Proceed with caution. 

Part 1

Grover is first on stage. We are in "the pit". I could throw a football and hit Grover in his fuzzy blue head. I would never do such a thing, but this is how close we were to the neighborhood.

Music erupts early. A lot of people run around the stage. Abby Cadabby is a part of the human antics. There is some animated narrator on a big screen. A male resident of Sesame Street does a back-flip. Everything is bonkers. There is going to be a community party and there is a friendly discussion on what the theme should be - super hero or beach.

Big Bird jumps out of a video helicopter. He explains he is more like the penguin and ostrich.

Oscar the Grouch sings a terrific ballad about trash. I do not support his sentiments in regard to waste; however, his stinky song is catchy.

When Elmo comes on stage, kids lose their minds. He is the Elvis of Sesame Street. High-pitched and high-energy, the fuzzy red monster lights a fire under the kiddos.

My oldest daughter has to pee. Classic. My youngest daughter watches her mother and big sister scamper out of the "the pit". My youngest daughter cries as if she will never see them again. Cookie Monster explodes out of a gargantuan chocolate chip cookie. A fire is lit under me. I am pretty sure the hair stood up on my arms and I shouted, "YEAH COOKIE!" Apparently, Cookie Monster is my Elvis. It's 1988 all over again.

Intermission (Anarchy)

The purpose of intermission is to test parental stamina. Can you make it to Part 2 without spending money?  We did not. My wife bought my three-year-old a rich-woman's Sno-Cone, one of the easiest treats to enjoy (sarcasm). It could have been worse. What parent bought the $30.00 bubble machine? I want to scold you and thank you at the same time. Nothing brings strange children together like bubbles.

There is a ramp from the pit to the commoners. Security is light. Children run up and down the ramp about as irresponsibly as Bird Bird jumping out of a helicopter. We talk to a mother who has triplets. God help us all.

Grover announces the show will start back up soon. Parents beg Grover to start now. If I had a football, I may have thrown a tight spiral at his fuzzy blue head.

Part 2

Grover plays "Grover Says" on stage with some excited children and their frightened parents. I do not see how this connects to the neighborhood party plot and I am upset.

When Part 2 starts, it flies off the radar screen. It starts snowing. Giant inflattable balls attack the crowd. Lights are flashing everywhere. Everyone is singing and screaming. On the verge of brain freeze from a Sno-Cone no one wants to eat, I am determined to get my money's worth. Surveilance video would have shown a father with his head down using a plastic spoon as a pick axe.

"Sunny Day" takes me back and out of my Sno-Cone solitary confinement. Sesame Street was an instrumental part of my childhood. This show reminded me of the valuable lessons learned on Sesame Street. In a chaotic hour and a half, we learned about compromise, environmental consciousness, a second language, and the importance of community.

What we did not learn?  Where is Ernie? Where is Bert?  This is not 1988. This is 2018 and Ernie and Bert got squeezed out! If you would have told me 20 years ago that Sesame Street Live! would leave out Ernie and Bert, I would have told you to get a life.

The show ends with Oscar the Grouch yelling "SCRAM!"

Amen, Oscar. Amen. 

Be a good neighbor. Love your kids. Support your community. Don't buy Sno-Cones.