Thunderstuck in a Theater

NOTE:  This is a column I had published in the April 26, 2011 edition of the Kings County Record.

This story starts over a year ago when I gave my wife a gift certificate to the Imperial Theater as a Christmas present.  The deal was that we would go see a show of her choice.  The kicker was, I had to enjoy it and if I didn't I would have dish duty for a while.  I have to be honest I am not the most cultured individual around so I was a bit worried I might not enjoy the show, especially if she chose a dance show.

I expected her to pick a play or something of that nature and was surprised when she decided that she wanted tickets to see Classic Rock perform.  Classic Rock is a tribute band that covers some classic rock bands from the 70s, 80s, and 90s.  At present they are covering AC/DC's Back in Black album.  I should tell you that another difference between my wife and me is our taste in music.  She loves the harder rock and roll and my preference is geared more towards country music.  Its not that I don't like rock, I just don't care for the same bands that she does.  Lucky for me, I do like AC/DC, as it brings back memories of high school hockey games.  When the day of the show arrived I was actually looking forward to it though I never admitted that to her.

The day started with my Mother-in-Laws 60^th birthday celebration and it was a great time with family and friends.  Shortly after that we left our kids with a sitter and headed for dinner in Saint John.  We enjoyed the time together and laughed lightly over dinner in anticipation of the show.

When we walked into the Imperial Theater in Saint John, I immediately notice the diversity in the crowd.  Good music spans generations and AC/DC is one of those bands that can make that happen and the crowd here was proof of that.  There were grey haired men in suits and young kids with torn jeans.  There were older women looking like they were still living in the 70s while other ladies were wearing the latest fashion, not that I know anything about fashion.  It felt like a great bunch of people to party with though and the close quarters of the Imperial Theater had a way of making you feel like it was actually a party.

The theater smelled lightly of alcohol and cigarette smoke.  It was like the staff at the theater plugged in Beer and Smoke scented air fresheners just to add to the mood.  If that is the case it truly worked.  When the music started I immediately started tapping my feet and a big smile kept twitching my cheeks.  As the band played loud through the evening I couldn't help but look around and watch people's heads bobbing back and forth.  Some people were pumping their fist and screaming and I couldn't help but to continue to tap my feet.  It was great to enjoy an evening out with my wife and she bobbed her head, hollered, and pumped her fist to some of her favorite music.

When the band came out and played Thunderstruck for their ovation we danced like we were in high school and I was singing the song for the next couple of days.  The Theater and the band played an equally important role in providing us with a great date night but if you're not into rock I would suggest simply picking a show and visit the Imperial Theater.  The old style architecture, the coziness of the stage, the sounds, and maybe even the well placed odors make it a great place to enjoy your choice of cultural art.