En V. & Us

I giggle a little at the opening of the song "I Can't Do It Alone" from Chicago. The MC opens the song by speaking, "Ladies and Gentlemen: Miss Velma Kelly in an act … of desperation."

This line comes to mind today, as I learn via varying sources that the group En Vogue will be playing both Parliament House during Gay Days … and Epcot during this fall's Food & Wine Festival.

Thoughts this brings to me:

• Performing in a theme park might not exactly say "desperate" but it's not exactly where I'd expect to see truly successful acts.
• Performing at the Parliament House, even at Gay Days, just about screams "desperate" to me.
• Note that this wasn't always the case, as I recall hearing of Cyndi Lauper performing a few years back. So I'd say even PH is a little less successful at attracting talent than in years past.
• All the promo stuff for En Vogue trumpets their Grammy®-nominated-ness. They never WON — oh, right, it's "an honor just to be nominated" — and their last nomination was in 1997. ELEVEN years ago. And their last original mainstream album (ignoring the Christmas release, the indy release, and a second "best of" album in just two years' time) was in 2000. So it's hard to justify the micro-tour as promoting any new product, no?

One last thought, since I'm somehow sure their Epcot appearance will drive the annual JoyBoyz (don't ask) group outing to the F&W: While a ticket to Epcot costs more than the $30 PH is charging, the difference is more than made up in the Adult Beveraging. I can get significantly more Adult Beverage for less greenback at the park than at the P. (And better quality, to boot.)