My wife and I went out to dinner and a concert this past weekend to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. (The traditional gift for the 5th anniversary is wood, and the thirteen-year-old inside me is dying for someone to ask if I gave my wife some wood for our anniversary. C’mon! Ask me!)
We saw a cappella singing group Pentatonix, and it reminded me of something my friend Baron said in college. Baron and I went to high school together, and in high school we were in the smart kids clique (i.e. “nerds”), made good grades, and felt pretty good about ourselves, brains-wise. Then he went off to college, and when I got there a year later, he said to me, “There are people here who are so smart you can’t believe it.” And he was right. I had just thought I was smart. But I found out that there were people in the world who were on a level I couldn’t imagine.
Likewise, there are people in the world who are so talented you can’t believe it.
What’s amazing to me is that they had to compete in a singing competition show to get their start. I mean, they actually had to compete. They weren’t just handed the trophy as soon as they showed up.
Do you know anyone who can play the cello? Do you know anyone who can beat box? Do you know anyone who can do both at the same time? Well, they’ve got a guy.
I like to think I know a little bit about music. And then I see people like this, and think about how much they know about music and how much they can do with it, and I feel like an unfrozen caveman dumbfounded by a transistor radio. Talent is a wonderful thing. If you can see it live, I recommend you do.
I have loved PTX since Christmas before last, when I first heard Carol of the Bells. What a blast it must have been to see them live! I loooove the bass, and find the percussion absolutely mind boggling.
I thought you might enjoy this version of Say Somethng, being the cynical person that you are:
http://youtu.be/Lvls4oOmk0k
By the way, congratulations on your fifth anniversary. DID YOU GIVE A GIFT OF WOOD TO YOUR SWEETHEART? My husband has always believed it was an appropriate gift for almost any occasion, even after thirty one years of marriage. You should see my salad bowl collection.
Mamduck, you would’ve been one among many at the concert who loved the bass. Every time he sang a lead part, the place went absolutely berserk. And he doesn’t look like someone who would have a voice that low, either. Amazing.
And when I say salad bowls, I mean children (7). 😉