MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA PRESHOW

My brother is an expert on airplanes and their design. He once taught me how to make a unique type of paper airplane. I've since forgotten how to make it, but did remember how at the Mahavishnu Orchestra concert in Seattle.

My friend Ron Daniels and I had lousy seats for the concert, on the highest balcony and way in the back, near the speakers. When the concert began, the music was so loud that it hurt, and the musicians were so far away that we couldn't really see them anyway, so Ron and I ended up going out into the empty hallway and sat on the floor, listening to Mahavishnu Orchestra while we smoked grass without interruption. We probably enjoyed the concert more than most.

But my favorite part was before the concert began. The auditorium was packed and everyone was waiting in anticipation while out of the surrounding speakers came a very low heartbeat sound. Having nothing else to do in the back of the top balcony, I took a sheet of paper from the program and carefully folded it into the unique paper airplane, while teaching Ron how to do it. Then, I aimed it toward the stage far below and away, and gently let it go.

The plane wasn't perfect. It kept stalling during the glide. But each stall kept perfect time with the slow, deep heartbeat from the massive speakers, and the low point of each stall practically grazed the heads of people in the audience, as the plane headed straight for the stage. Every time it dipped, we could hear people's "whoas" and "wows" as it barely missed them. After the long, beautiful flight, the plane set down, right in the middle of the stage. And the entire audience cheered loudly! My unique paper airplane was the preshow to Mahavishnu Orchestra!

______
For the complete contents of the Butter Rum Cartoon, click here.