As I said, my buddy Tav works as a Man, in a Group, that's Blue. He hooked it up and brought me backstage for the show, where I got to see the unique preparations and pre-show rituals that happen for every show. I'm not going to share those photos, because mystery is better than the real thing sometimes...
However, I got to watch the show from the band loft, where three veiled musicians play the soundtrack that accompanies the antics of the main characters on stage. To say they are an integral part of the show is a bit of an understatement; if you've ever seen any iteration of the show, you'll know that these guys are some of the best of the best at what they do. And what they do, they do in a tiny little loft high above the stage, under a blacklight. It's cool to watch them from the house, because you only can see the parts that glow (their makeup and some parts of their instruments), and even cooler from inside the little box, one, because I was veiled in all black so I couldn't be seen from the house (Ninja!), and two, because the drum kit was about the only thing in there that I recognized.
The other two musicians play some interesting instruments, the main ones being an electric Zither and a Chapman Stick. The Zither is sort of like an electric harp or hammer dulcimer, basically a bunch of strings on a table, and is played with a slide and fingerpicks. Running through a bunch of pedals and an Orange amp, it's pretty fucking sweet-sounding. The Chapman Stick is kinda like a guitar, well, to quote the makers, it's a "two-handed fretboard tapping instrument." Again, the thing sounds awesome. Here's a taste of an old favorite on the Chapman Stick. And when you're done with that, you might as well see this guy beat up on this ukelele, just because that guy needs the 10 or so hits that I'm driving to his video...
It was a real treat to stand next to these guys totally owning these strange instruments, alongside one of the best drummers I've ever seen.
Lastly, during the scene they call "The Feast," I was able to go right behind the action and watch the magical backstage stuff go down. Here's the view behind the screen.
-llg