I went to see my brother a few weeks ago. He had tickets to the Chickenfoot concert (Sammy Hagar's band).

1 row in front us was a couple that he knew from work. Now, the music (Joe Satriani on guitar and Michael Anthony on bass) was loud and, well, it's Sammy Hagar. The lyrics are full of sexual innuendo. The opening band (Black Stone Cherry) had a lot of songs about drinking, drugs, and sex. (Check out "Blame it on the boom boom!) So I was surprised to see them there. According to my brother, they are very TBM. The RM hubby and wife met at BYU, they were married in the temple, and have lots of children.

Anyway, I don't know if this is normal for Mormons, but they were both stone-faced the whole concert. They did stand so they could see the stage, but didn't cheer, holler, or even raise their hands. At the end of a few songs, and at the end of the concert, they did clap briefly. Actually, the husband looked as if he was trying to read a billboard out in the distance.

The audience was in their 40's for the most part. The couple is also in their 40's.

Is this normal Mormon behavior?

T-Bone

Emotionally unwilling to give in to the moment if it's not TSCC-spiritually approved?

But the fact that they even were there, might be because of the need for a time out (as long as it doesn't show, the way to being able to stand up to moral scutiny afterwards of course still is there -relative to all the others, those real and full heathens).

From an ex-mormon's view it's probably some hope in them going to such a concert at all - there's probably not that many in percentage of even moderately fundamentally religious that go to such unholy concerts.

But then, I'm not a fan of either of those bands.

But, plop me down in a concert that I ostensibly LIKED... and yes, that kind of behavior would be VERY strange, indeed.

I think yours_truly's response is probably close to the truth.

When I was TBM, I went to a Duran Duran concert in Salt Lake City. I was in my mid-30s then and it was kinda hard for me to relax and get into it. I have loved Duran Duran for years and it was our anniversary, so we were excited to be there. But, possibly due to lack of alcohol, it was just hard to loosen up. It's not something Mormons do. Mormons get more and more uptight with each passing year. When you are in a crowd of relaxed, screaming, dancing people, you just don't know how to act. You worry about looking foolish. And we weren't alone. We were in Salt Lake so poor Simon LeBon had a hard time getting the audience involved in their performance. It wasn't entirely like church but it was definitely more low key than other concerts I'd been to when I was younger. And different than the Brett Michael's concert I went to later as an exmo on a vacation to Nevada. Of course, there was a lot of drinking at that one so that might have been a part of it...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2012 07:22PM by CA girl.

I get a "See, we're not a weird people" vibe from this scene.

They are stepping out, mixing with the natural-man world. It ain't easy but they're making the effort. It's a way to make a sharing-the-gosbel moment later on with the unwashed and unannointed.

of any freebies, but you can't make them enjoy it!

They probably don't know how to loosen up. I don't when I go to my silly concerts. I have a hard time letting go and not seeing myself through objective eyes. Thanks all those in the world but not of the world goofy ass indoctrination seminary lessons.

Once I went to a UofU basket ball NIT pre-season game at Madison Square Garden. We were surounded by UofU fans, which was OK, since I'm one. I was with a friend from Japan. He was big on US culture and all sports.

There was a nicely dressed white couple in front of us with several children, say, 10 on down.

The wife spent the game doing Christmas cards.

Afterwards, my Japanese friend asked me if it was a Mormon custom for the wife to do Christmas cards during basketball games.

I didn't know how to respond.

What would you have said?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2012 10:37PM by lulu.

She might just not be into sports.

My SIL gave the family (6 in all) hockey tickets for Christmas one year. The children were too young to go on their own, so we HAD to take them. I spent the game reading a book. I hate sports. The kids LOVED it.

but why didn't she just stay home. Papa was there. It would have been easier to do the Christmas cards at a desk.

Mormon family togetherness even if someone isn't interested?

Never waste a moment as a Mormon?

I'm sure I'm over thinking it but his question threw me but still seems intriguing.

He thought it was a curious situation.

Or walked in a noisy bar with a couple Mormon guys from work? It's pretty common for Mormons to be reserved, detached, unenthusiastic and self-conscious in a loud, boisterous group setting. It's a cultural thing.

I recently went to a loud, raucous concert, on a SUNDAY, here in SLC that was directed at a similar demographic and saw a lot of the same reserved, uncomfortable behavior from people who clearly couldn't be THAT TBM.

Ah, yes. They probably got the tickets for free. I can't imagine anything other than Disney music on their CD player in the minivan.

T-Bone

Conditioned not to show musical appreciation from church? Even as a kid I thought it was wierd that we couldn't applaud a musical number in S. Meeting.

I once laughed REALLY loud and long at a comedy movie when my TBM husband and I were first married...he went ballistic. Apparently, in his view, women are only allowed to laugh politely and with their hand covering their mouths. Maybe this has something to do with the line [is it still there?] in the handshake house ritual where they tell you not to laugh loudly??? Maybe these people were just obeying their cult. Maybe they never laugh except when a GV geezer makes a feeble attempt at a joke??

I meant to include in my previous post that maybe they carry the laughter rule a step further and don't clap too much either????

It's hard to be a Morgbot if you let yourself go...always gotta watch that fun level.

She through her garment bottoms on stage.

went to a Hagar concert in SLC. When he returned, he had "possessed" a giant concert banner, probably 12'x 18' or so. "3 Lock Box" album, a set of lips on the banner.

I have a picture somewhere of that banner flying from the 3rd floor of R Hall Deseret Towers.

He is now a prof. at the Lord's University.

Ahh, the memories