Dub-ya's Cameo at the Symphony

(the Eugene Symphony, loved by Eugene audience members)

I am going to do my best to avoid conveying any personal political views in the blog, and instead just tell this story as it occurred. Just to level the political playing field, here's a picture of John and me:

John and Me, jus' chillin'

Ok, back to the story. Since the orchestra's founding 44 years ago, there is a tradition that the opening concert of each season of the Eugene Symphony Orchestra commences with a performance of our national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. This is never published in programs or the web site and the scene usually unfolds something like this:

1. The crowd is wildly clapping for the conductor.
2. The conductor appears and, rather than acknowledging the orchestra for a few moments of bows (as is typical), instead races toward podium and throws a cue to the percussion section while applause is still loud.
3. A snare drum roll is heard, louder than the crowd's applause.
4. The crowd silences.

5. The national anthem is heard. Some audience members stand. Some place their hand over their heart.

So, the year is 2004, and it's the first concert of the 2004-2005 ESO season, which would have put the date at mid-September. This was a year after the invasion of Iraq and about two months before the 2004 presidential election, in which John Kerry and John Edwards lost to George Bush and Dick Cheney. The national political dialogue was bouncing off the bottom of the tank to such an extent that any questioning of the Iraq war was viewed not only as unpatriotic, but as an egregious act of treason. It was also the political climate that brought us the Patriot Act, the outing of Valerie Plame, the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, freedom fries, and, well, I think we all remember the rest.

Which brings us back to the concert. So, as was customary, the concert starts as described above, with a performance of the national anthem, and people are standing, some have their hands over their hearts, etc., but something made this performance unique in a way only a concert in Eugene could be unique.

In the very fresh silence after the applause is over, on the blank canvas of quietness upon which the concert itself would soon be rendered, a voice is heard in the audience. A woman, screaming at the top of her lungs, proclaims, "I LOVE my country, but I HATE George Bush!"

(George W. Bush, not loved by Eugene audience members)