Why It's Important To Do Your Research

A few months ago, I thought of a great present to get my mom for her birthday:

tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. 

I was excited about the idea of going to see a nice orchestra performance to hear Bach and Vivaldi and Beethoven and all the greats. So I bought the tickets and eagerly awaited their arrival. 

Then, I looked TSO up on YouTube. 

"What the heck is this?" I shouted to Jordan, who was in the other room. 

"What's what?"

"This is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra?" 

"Uh, yeah. What did you think it was?"

Awesome. Turned out, I was the only person in the whole state of Oklahoma who didn't know that the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was actually more of a rock show than anything else. I knew within seconds that it wasn't the sort of thing my mother was going to like.

"Well crap," I said. "What am I supposed to do now?"

So began a month-long debate about whether or not to sell the aforementioned tickets or take Jordan to the show with me instead (sorry you're just finding this out now, Mom). But the date kept getting closer, and I eventually decided that Jordan and I should just go and see for ourselves what all the fuss was about. (TSO comes to OKC every year, and it's always a sell-out crowd.)

So we went.

There were lasers. 

Many, many lasers. 

And fire. 

And smoke.

And a lot of long-haired guitarists flipping their hair. 

And a violinist playing an electric violin. The violin was purple. I want one now.

I'm glad I didn't take my mother. I am, however, not sad I went. It was pretty awesome and fortunately did not cause me to have a seizure due to all the lights (which was a concern I voiced to a friend of mine, who responded ever so kindly with, "What are you, eighty?" Let's get some perspective, mmkay?).

TSO is a great show, and I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to go at least once just for the experience of it all. The musicians are excellent, and there was this fantastic female vocalist, who I wanted to listen to forever. 

And did I mention lasers? 

As I said, it was an experience. 

I'm just so glad I looked them up on YouTube before going to a concert and thinking it was a traditional orchestra. 

Don't judge me. I promise I'm not always this uninformed. 
But learn from my mistake and do your research before you try to take your mother to a rock concert. Unless, of course, your mother's the type to love a good rock concert.