Pioneer Day Commemoration Concert....

Saturday night I had the pleasure of attending the Pioneer Commemoration Concert at the Conference Center, featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir along with the Osmond Family. I have to say that I have never been a big fan of the Osmonds. Not because I don't like them but because they were before my time. My parent's never listened to them nor did anyone else in my family. So I have never been familiar with their music. But I sat next to a lady at the concert who went on and on about how much she loves the Osmonds and how she was so excited to be there to see them perform live. I didn't want to spoil her excitement, but the only way I knew how to comment on that was to say, "That's great! I wish I could say the same. But I'm here because my little sister is in the Tabernacle Choir and it's her first big concert". She did not seem impressed.

But truthfully, that is the reason my parents and I even went to the concert...because it was my sister's first concert with the choir. Otherwise, we would have been just as content to stay home and watch it on TV (if we watched it at all). But I am glad I went and I did have a good time. The Choir did a great job and the Osmonds did a good job as well. I thought they were a very entertaining part of the show.

But if I'm being honest, I will say that I found myself feeling a wee bit disappointed by the fact that it went from a "Pioneer Day Commemoration Concert" to an "Osmond Family Affair". The choir sang about four or five songs dedicated to the Pioneers and then the rest of the show was all about the Osmonds. Instead of the program saying "A Pioneer Day Commemoration Concert with Special Guests: The Osmonds" it should have said "An Osmond Family Concert with Special Guests: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Because truthfully, that's exactly what it was.

Don't get me wrong...it was entertaining and I'm sure all those who are die-hard Osmond fans loved every minute of it. I just felt bad for my sister and the rest of the choir who were simply there as back-up singers to the Osmond Family. For being a world-renowned choir, it was a little disappointing to see them to simply ooing and ahhing behind the Osmond Family. And to make it worse, the music was so loud that you couldn't even hear the choir ooing and ahhing. Basically it just looked like they were standing there for a good hour of the 1 1/2 hour show. But like I said, I'm sure the die-hard Osmond fans loved it. It was a really fun concert, but perhaps I would have enjoyed it more had I gone to hear the Osmonds instead of the choir.

My dad did not have the same opinion of the concert as I did. In talking to my family last night, my brother asked how the concert was. His comments made me shake my head in disbelief and nearly caused my brother to fall out of his chair laughing. Here are just a few of the things my dad said*:

Brother: How was the concert last night?
Dad: Are you asking me personally or all of us as a group? Because if you are asking me personally, I'd have to say it was the worst thing I've been to in my entire life. I was just telling your mother that I would have rather mowed the lawn and had a root canal than to have had to sit through that.

Dad: The Osmonds simply make up for what they've lost in talent by using a bunch of cheesy pictures and flashing lights.

Dad: They should have advertized it as the Osmond Family Has-Beens 50th Anniversary Concert. That's what it was.

Dad: They just need to retire. They've been around for 50 years. That's long enough.

Me: Dad, the concert wasn't all bad.
Dad: You're right. The choir was excellent.

Dad: The Osmonds got a 10 minute standing ovation. Never in the history of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has ANY guest performer received a standing ovation like that**.

For those who don't know my dad, he does tend to get a little bit dramatic just to prove a point. We've dealt with this our entire lives and we've learned to just laugh at him rather than try to argue with him. It was quite humorous to sit and listen to him, but it was even more humorous to watch my brother try and hold his composure.

My advice to my brother was that he should watch it for himself and make his own opinion. I offer the same advice to anyone else who reads this blog. Definitely don't take my dad's word for it.

* In my dad's defense, he had just traveled to Idaho and back in a span of 24 hours, sat through a 4 hour triathalon and had to deal with horrible traffic. So he was a little tired and cranky to begin with.

** The Osmonds did get a really long standing ovation (they got 2 ovations, actually) but it was not anywhere near 10 minutes long. And as you can probably suspect, my dad did not stand up either time. Neither did I for that matter. I only gave one standing ovation that night, and it was for the choir after they finished the concert with "Come, Come Ye Saints".