When I got to Carnegie Hall and the sold out event, I was seated and silently pleased. "Wow, Carnegie Hall" is what I was thinking. In the very narrow hallways in one of the upper tiers, I had caught glimpses of pictures of performers who had played Carnegie Hall. (I couldn't pause to examine any as it was too crowded.) I also remembered how Cris Williamson and Meg Christian, two lesbian political activists, had played Carnegie Hall in 1983. I wondered if it was scandalous, especially when Meg sung Ode to My Gym Teacher.
She was a big tough woman
The first to come along
She showed me being female meant you still could be strong
And though graduation meant that we had to part
She'll always be a player on the ballfield of my heart
I wrote her name on my notepad and the ink got on my dress
And I etched it on my locker and I carved it on my desk
And I painted big red hearts with her initials on my books
And I never knew till later why I got those funny looks...
She was a big tough woman
The first to come along
She showed me being female meant you still could be strong
And though graduation meant that we had to part
She'll always be a player on the ballfield of my heart
In gym class while the others talked of boys that they loved
I'd be thinking of new aches and pains the teacher had to rub
And while other girls went to the prom I languished by the phone
Calling up and hanging up if I found out she was home
She was a big tough woman
The first to come along....
I sang her songs by Johnny Mathis
I gave her everything
A new chain for her whistle, and daisies in the spring
Some suggestive poems for Christmas by Miss Edna Millay
And a lacy lacy lacy card for Valentine's Day
(Unsigned of course)
She was a big tough woman
The first to come along...
So you just go to any gym class
And you'll be sure to see
One girl who sticks to Teacher like a leaf sticks to a tree
One girl who runs the errands and who chases all the balls
One girl who may grow up to be the gayest of all...
She was a big strong woman
The first to come along
To show me being female meant you still could be strong
And though graduation meant that we had to part
You'll always be a player on the ballfield of my heart!
Looking out at the "proper" crowd in this gorgeous building, thoughts of that song and that moment in 1983 made me sit there and smile an ever-so-slight-smile. If only I had been there! Oh, but how I digress. Lang Lang. Lang Lang. 
I read the Playbill and learned that Lang Lang was featured during the 2008 Grammy Awards when he played with Herbie Hancock. Aha! That was it! That's how I knew about Lang Lang! I remembered it well! (I couldn't find the Grammy performance of Gerswhin's Rhapsody in Blue on You Tube, but I did find a later performance of the same song.)
Time Magazine said the following about the Grammy performance,
...the performance doesn't feel worthy or dull thanks to the clash between Hancock's delicate jazz fingering and the clawing, mauling style of Lang Lang.
This is not the first time I've read commentary critical of Lang Lang and what some might call his "excessiveness." Interestingly, I overheard some audience members last night during intermission speculating why Lang Lang was so reserved. One thought it was because of the music and the other because of the event - a fundraiser for UNICEF's Haiti relief. Even the New York Times review alludes to his calm demeanor last night.
The New York Times review also mentions that Wyclef Jean performed with Lang Lang last night after the long ovation. I knew Jean - a Haitian - was in attendance as it was announced by a representative from UNICEF. This representative - American born and bred as evidenced by her speech patterns - also announced that Susan "Sara-don" (Huh? Would that be Susan "Sa-ran-don"?) was in the audience as she formerly represented UNICEF at various events in the past.
By 11pm, I was so exhausted that I left after providing my applause. This means I didn't see Wyclef Jean (or Susan Sara-don). I would have liked to have seen Jean perform with Lang Lang but I was way too tired. In fact, fatigue is exactly why I'm ending this entry now. I've completely run out of steam and plan to dream of a piano-playing gym teacher playing on the ballfield of my heart.
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