An intermission is usually reserved for the theater, ballet and other performing arts. So why can't they happen at pop music concerts?
It seems logical. Music concerts, like the theater and ballet, are usually done on a stage, with a live audience watching the action. And there are times when a music show is so good, some of those audience members don't want to leave their seats, even though Mother Nature is doing loop-de-loops in their systems.And what of those people who didn't have a chance to eat because they were going to be late to the show?
Granted, music concerts are much more lax than a theater or dance performance, meaning anyone can get out of their seats and venture to the lobby for a bit of refreshment, not worrying that ushers will lock them out until the next break.
But having an intermission is a great idea. And I'm not talking about the break between acts -- although some more resourceful-minded audience members would use those pauses to scurry off and take their own break.
In fact, there are a few music acts that feature regular intermissions during their concerts.
Johnny Mathis is one. The last time he was at the Canyons (R.I.P.), he took a 20-minute break and let a comedian entertain those who dared stay in their seats.
Rush -- Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart -- also gave its audience a chance to refresh before leading fans down a progressive musical journey full of sights and sounds.
Phish -- Trey Anastasio and the boys -- also offered a mid-concert break before returning to surprise all in attendance with an honest and loyal (for Phish) rendition of the entire Pink Floyd masterpiece "Dark Side of the Moon." But Phish didn't take 15 or 20 minutes -- the band took a full (yawn) hour.
Probably one of the finest intermissions I have experienced was during the Offspring show at the Tower Theater last Friday.
The band -- Dexter Holland, Noodles, Greg K. and Ron Welty -- stopped the concert and announced that "This is where we take our intermission."
The break was actually a recorded cut from the album "Ixnay On the Hombre," but the band literally sat back, lit up cigars, read the newspaper and took a break. Stagehands even passed out drinks to the front row as fan-laden machines blew so many liquid bubbles that Lawrence Welk would have been happy.
Intermissions and live shows -- they go hand in hand. They're part of the live experience.