Tradition!

Before I even get started, I want to let everyone know that this post is most certainly not about Fiddler On The Roof. Maybe I’ve been in this business too long when I can write one word like “tradition” and instantly have a show tune stuck in my head.

Seriously, though, that’s not what I’m writing about. I just wanted everyone else to remember that song, too.

What I’m writing about are those traditions that patrons almost never get to see. Of all the things that happen backstage, nothing is held as sacred as a tradition.

Some performers have to do certain things before they can go on stage. I’ve seen crazy dances [like the ‘peanut butter jelly’ dance], I’ve seen circles that start jumping around, I’ve seen people talk to themselves. There have been group prayers, group chants, group drinks, group tunings, and group hugs. I have even gone so far as to attempt to try to participate in a Maori haka dance [i failed miserably].

There are also traditions that end up in a contract rider [that’s the information we get that tells us what kind of food to serve, what people need/like in their dressing rooms, what kinds of lights to hang, instruments to have, etc.]. There’s the legendary ‘no brown M&Ms’ tradition that might even be urban legend at this point. A few weeks ago we were asked for thirteen matching black hand towels. We’ve been asked for more different kinds of juice than I thought existed; water that is bottled, still, fizzy, imported, cold, and room temperature; and been told time and again that a tray of deli meats does not a true meal make.

But all this is fine and good, but it’s nothing like the tradition that I stumbled across a few days ago when Natalie MacMaster was here with her band. That’s when I met Hootie.

Hootie, for those of you that didn’t get to see him, is a two foot tall plastic owl. You read that correctly: a two foot tall plastic owl. He's not the singer for a 1990's pop band from South Carolina that had such hits as "Hold My Hand" and "Let Her Cry." Just wanted to clear that up [and maybe get another song stuck in your head].

No, Hootie hails originally from just down Interstate 64 in Newport News, Virginia. He had taken up residence at the Yoder Barn Theatre at Christopher Newport University. Apparently he used to just like to hang out up on one of the rafters with all the lights. He mostly kept to himself, not making much noise, yet excelled at keeping away crows. That's what two foot tall plastic owls do, they keep constant vigil against crows, and do not go on tour.

Until now.

Hootie has been picked up for the duration of the Natalie MacMaster tour. He goes to every house, takes lots of pictures, and always does the meet and greet. He has his own place on stage, and even gets his own spotlight! Hootie even has a birthday, 4 March 2008, which is the day he left Yoder for life on the road. If one could be jealous of a two foot tall plastic owl, this would be one to be jealous of. I heard some talk of him one day picking up another tour, but there's a big world out there for a two foot plastic owl from Newport News. Right now he's on tour - seeing the world and rocking it one show at a time. He's also in the spotlight - getting the best solos and standing ovations, and getting phone numbers from the ladies in the front row.

Mostly, though, he's a new tradition.