Outdoor Symphony Cacophony

The Kansas City Symphony gave a free concert Sunday evening, September 2, 2007. The venue was the outdoor theater at Shawnee Mission Park. There was a large crowd. Once immersed in the crowd, it became obvious that many of those in attendance were not used to the behavior protocols of a musical performance. Generally, at a concert, social protocol precludes talking during the performance. I mentioned that the KC Symphony's performance was free, didn't I? Apparently, for some of those in attendance this freeness was an invitation for conversation. Perhaps, they thought that because the concert was free, manners didn't apply. Then again, they could have thought that talking during the performance was OK, because the music was amplified. Nonetheless, it showed that among those in attendance were plenty of boors, who cared not a fig for those around them by pursuing their conversations. Despite these uncouth louts, both male and female, the concert was great and worth the donation I made.