You’re Not in Kansas Anymore ~ A Review of Bill Maher at the Midland Theater in Kansas City

You are in Missouri.  For some reason, although a friend of mine thinks it is weak when natives are offended, I really hate it when entertainers come to Kansas City and don't know on which side of the state line they are performing.  It either demonstrates they are lazy (as in they don't give a damn either way because tomorrow they will be in St. Louis) or they have very poor geographical skills.  Bill, you might have some justified rancor about Kansas farmers growing corn and you might be right that some people in the audience last night either are, or know, Kansas farmers who grow corn, but the Midland Theater (built in 1927 and notable because it was the first theater in the nation to have air conditioning) is in Missouri.  Oh, and I also have in on pretty good authority that the woman who got up as you were mentioning religion wasn't getting up in protest but had to go to the bathroom.  Some of my friends were sitting close enough to hear her tell her husband that she was afraid to get up because it might look like a protest, but she didn't think she could hold it.  I would imagine since you did imply that was the reason she left, she might not have returned for fear that you might question her reemergence and then she would have to fess up to the whole audience the truth behind the matter, which may have been more embarrassing after everyone assumed her delicate ears could take no more of your religious criticizing ways.

            Although the Midland is spectacular (one of those theaters built to rival European opulence) Maher had no other stage props besides a stand for his notes and a small table for his water.  His performance was what I expected it to be sort of a cheerleading session about the leaving behind of the Bush Era and the embracement of the beginning of the Obama Era.  If you watch his show 'Real Time with Bill Maher' filmed lived on HBO on Fridays, obviously it wasn't on yesterday, you may have heard some of the jokes before.  In fact, there was a set up for a joke in which Maher comments how the rightwing is complaining about Obama using a teleprompter when giving his speeches (I know, WTF, hasn't everyone used teleprompters since teleprompters have been available?  Hello, time to crawl out of the Stone Age) and he said that the real reason they were complaining was because...then some woman in the audience yelled, "Because he can read!" which was the punch line.

            I thought a lot of Maher's philosophy was on target when he talked about how America started to first lose its mojo during the Reagan Administration which was the end of the time where parents could rightfully expect their children to do better than themselves financially.  During Reagan government agencies assigned oversight and regulation of sundry industries had huge budget cuts, tax rates for the rich were cut (you know, that whole trickle down thing that never trickles) and somehow the people most affected by these changes were persuaded to praise and almost worship the folks whose ultimate goal was leech the power, wealth, and status of one group and give it to another (all because Reagan, and later Bush, confided that they loved Jesus).  Don't worry, I was clapping and cheering and woo-hoo-hooing and representing all of you who wished you were there.

            The whole evening took on that 'event' feel from the time we butted into line to park the car (I later explained to the butted-in-front-of driver that I was celebrating my year anniversary out of chemo and my friend had been laid off from her job "So please don't hate us") to when we walked out of the parking garage and were greeted by...The Lemon Sisters?  No.  The Osmond clan?  No.  Fred Phelps Family Singers and Protesters?  SPOT ON! 

          Fred himself wasn't there, but alas the family had two young children to hold up hate mongering signs about how 'God Hates Fags' and 'Obama is the Antichrist' and Bill Maher is something (I forgot what their signs were saying).  One of the women protesters was wearing the American flag like a beach towel and another had what looked like the flag made into pants except there were some rainbow colors inserted into the inseam as if she didn't quite get that the rainbow motif is associated with a certain group that she thinks have fallen out of favor with her lord...or at least her father (who I surmise must have locked all of his offspring into a basement and fed them on a steady diet of bread, water, and hate - self and otherwise). 

          It was interesting to see the Phelps folks at a protest.  The whole crazy whacked out family is based in Topeka which is easy driving distance to Kansas City, but I have never encountered them before last night.  People of course were flipping them the middle digit and others were calling them names, but I and a few others took our cues from the Phelps and had a sing off.  You have to give us Midlanders some props in that a impromptu choir of Maher ticket holders started to belt out such classics as 'Amazing Grace' and 'Jesus Loves All the Little Children of the World' (or whatever that title is) with no mind as to any describable key those songs should be sung in.  If you are interested in when the Phelps plan to protest next I found this nifty site with their upcoming tour schedule      http://www.godhatesfags.com/schedule.html.  Be sure to get there early because they bring the kids and if it's a school night they have to get to bed early.

            My friend, who is a Republican (cue dant-da-da music) said that she enjoyed the show but she thought Maher was a liberal Rush Limbaugh which I don't necessarily think he is - he is much too thin for one.  For another, I don't think that Limbaugh would have half the guts Maher has in doing standup.  Further, Maher appears to be pro education and pro educated which I perceive isn't the bulk of Limbaugh's audience.  She also thought Maher demonstrated some misogynist attitudes.  I can see why she would think that, yet I remain sort of on the fence about it.  He is very much a Hugh Hefner type of libertarian.  He appears supportive of equality for women while making statements on a perceived feminine ideology that women oppress men's sex drives through commitment - forced monogamy if you will.  Without dwelling on it too much, I understand that men might be programmed differently than women when it comes to sex, yet I don't think that women are running in the streets demanding that their men be implanted with tracking devices in order for them to curtail their cheating ways.  Commitment is a two way street and there is a very good argument that the institution of marriage is traditionally much more beneficial to men than it is to women.

            I did think that there was some stereotyping on Maher's part about Midwesterners.  Sure, there are a lot of us wearing trucker hats while supporting said hats with red necks, but even so that doesn't mean that someone with a sunburned neck and trashy hat is a Jesus freak who loves NASCAR.  (Maher did have some great NASCAR jokes BTW.)  This part of the nation during early part of the last century was known for its radical notions.  On an average day if you meet the average Midwestern you see a good person who has solid ideals (meaning that they aren't going to join a cult at the drop of a hat) and who, if you give them a listen, tend to be as opened minded as anyone from the coasts.

            I'm glad that Maher addressed the fear mongering that the right has done to persuade people to generally vote against their interests.  He had several good points including that Obama has never mentioned anything about gun control yet, apparently due to some e-mail campaign sponsored by the NRA (a friend has a gun nut work buddy who testified that was where he gets his heads up) the gun nuts are buying guns before Obama takes them away.  SINCE I HATE GUNS ALL I CAN SAY IS ABOUT THIS IS THAT I WISH IT WAS TRUE!  You see, that is the big difference between Limbaugh and Maher, where Limbaugh attracts the fearful in society, Maher tends to wake up the complicit.

            Overall, I'm glad I went to the show.  It was the sort of performance which provokes discussion not only directly afterwards, but for some time to come.  He wasn't necessarily the best standup performer I have ever seen, that mantle is still taken by David Sedaris, but there were a lot of laughs.  Although I found some of his outlook on America and Americans a tad depressing, I still thought that it was great to be sitting in an audience which was celebrating that a change has happened and that we always have room for hope.

Westerfield © 2009