Pretty cool, right? I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it is to be in an auditorium full of people who are just as excited about video games as Jerry. We took Jerry's friend, Shea, with us and he loved it, too. The boys were beaming when we walked out of the theater.
Getting to the theater in the first place was a little tricky, however, because game 7 of the NBA finals was happening right next door! Originally, I only had two tickets and I was going to drop Jerry and Shea off at the Kodak Theater, which is in Hollywood, and go have dinner at the Hollywood and Highland mall. But the day of the show I realized I was mistaken. The show was at the Nokia Theater, which is right next to the Staple Center! Luckily, I decided I didn't want to be wandering the street with all those Lakers fans (not that I have anything against them–I married one). I just didn't think it would be very safe. So, I found a ticket on Craigslist and agreed to meet the guy just before the show near the box office. We made one other change in plans, as well, and decided to take the subway rather than driving. It was definitely the right thing to do!
We got off the subway and walked toward the theater and about 2 blocks before the Staple Center we came to a row of cops. Actually, it was more like a wall of cops. No, make that a sea. It was unbelievable and completely freaky. They were all saying, "Tickets. You need a ticket to get through." So I ended up explaining to about four different officers that I had tickets for Jerry and Shea, but would be picking up my ticket at the box office. Here they are from the back (once we made it through the blockade). It's hard to see because we were in the shade and I was using my phone camera, but those are all cops. And there were a lot more across the street.
Anyway, we made it to the theater at last.
And I got my ticket. And we went in together.
I just love the passion that gamers have. I was thinking, as I was sitting there watching the show, how lucky I am that unschooling brought me to this acceptance and celebration of Jerry's passions.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention the other event that was going on nearby, just beyond the Staples Center. E3!! The Video Game and Electronic Entertainment Expo. So, there were lots of guest conductors coming onto the stage. They were the composers of the music we were hearing and it was so neat to hear them talk about their inspiration for the music.
I know I already said it, but I just have to say again how cool it was to be in an auditorium full of people who share Jerry's passion for games. There was a 16-year-old kid sitting in front of us that was just bopping along to the music–head and shoulders moving to the Mario beat. And when the guy who played the Mario theme blindfolded on the piano asked for requests, this one girl was about to faint she was shouting "FINAL FANTASY 7!!!!" so loud. She got her wish later, when the full orchestra played it. :)
All in all it was terrific evening. We made it back to the subway all in one piece. The revelers from the Laker game weren't too obnoxious to do any damage (at least by the time our show was over) and we were still buzzing from the excitement when we got home.
We'll be making a trip to Blockbuster today to check out some of the games that were in the show last night. The fun never ends when the world is your classroom!
