Tonight I went to Epcot's Candlelight Processional for the first time this year. I don't know how many times I've heard basically the same setlist, but I think it has been scientifically designed.
Sometimes there's a noisy crowd and sometimes I've been more tired than others, and sometimes "when they saw the star, they rejoiced with great joy" seems more tacky than others, but the whole thing gets me every time.
It's really nice to be able to drop in for a few hours after work and see a quality show, or just walk around the lake. The Christmas decorations are up, and I like how everything looks that way, and then when those things are gone, it's a nice change back to "normal" after the holiday look is over.
I'm glad I can't really remember every detail of the things I like about it, and that one by one remembrances hit me and I'm simultaneously reminded and slightly surprised. Tonight I noticed the herald trumpeters, and wondered if they sound different than a shorter trumpet. It seems like the sound travels in a more focused way and that you can tell which one is playing, unlike when a trumpet is part of the orchestra and you might see where the sound is coming from, but it fills the whole auditorium. Are they louder than a normal trumpet, or just longer so they look more Medieval? The high notes at the end of some of the songs were beautiful as always, whether by soprano or violin. The songs don't seem too short or too long. I'm sure the whole thing is too old-fashioned for some, but it really seems deliberately balanced to appeal to the most people as possible. There's not too much text. There's room for a little humor if the narrator wants it. And then of course there are the drunk people drinking their way around the world.
Every time I go to Disney there are familiar things and new things, and there are so many things that there are things I may have never noticed before. I remember working at Animal Kingdom and sometimes being all alone somewhere walking through the park, and then I could really notice details and I literally noticed something new every single day. There are so many little touches.
Tonight there were a bunch of loud drunk guys in the bathroom. And one was cursing, which is kind of rare for Disney. When I got out of the restroom some of the drunk guys had joined some of their drunk girls and one of them was kicking a soccer ball through the crowds of people walking by. Even her drunk boyfriend didn't think that was the best idea.
I was struck by how unslippery the surfaces were as I walked quite a ways. I didn't even start to slip although it was the kind of slow rain that makes floors slick. I noticed one father cautioning his little girl not to slip, but instead of interpreting the situation as dangerous, she was thrilled that the floor had become somewhat like an ice skating rink. What kind of world would it be if we all more often interpreted things that way?
The rain started again and a few of the audience scurried away, but most sat still and paid attention in the seated area, even with no awning or ceiling out there underneath the stars. Standing in the back, loud twenty-somethings were talking a lot about not being able to take pictures that were close enough. They weren't watching the show much, but talking about it and looking at their phones and telling each other to be quiet. I know people talking through a performance happens quite a bit, even when they like it. And this is hard for me to understand, but there it is. Some people mind visual distractions and/or audible ones more than others.
I think when I'm old I won't be able to go to a concert or a movie without earplugs. The twenty-somethings have listened to their headphones so much that the volume in public places will be unbearable for someone who hasn't.
I sat in the rain, on the side, with no one behind me to distract me with their chatter, looking at the lake and the fires and the lights to my left and the great show in front. I remember another time, being soaked through watching Epcot's night show including Let There Be Peace On Earth, glorying in the narrative and the truth behind the glitter.
For unto us, a child is born.
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