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ThursdayThursday was equally warm and partially cloudy. My hotel breakfast got reduced to a Styrofoam cup of fruit salad -- there would be more munchies available at work. This time we decided it was Teemu's turn to terrorize the traffic. One traffic cop was seen waving rather angrily to get us out of the closed lane where we had drifted somewhat accidentally. No real problems on this trip either though.
The reception assistant once again wanted us to fill in our home addresses, passport numbers, grandma's birthdays, pets' names, sexual preferences -- as if we could have meanwhile moved at home or changed the other facts. Well, bureaucracy seems to exist by its own right in all countries. Back to work.
Thursday evening was reserved for a rodeo/concert event at the Reliant Stadium. The yearly Houston rodeo was in full swing and we were being treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience (not that it would be completely impossible to get to a rodeo ever again but at least for me I think it's been-there-done-that-once-is-enough).
Firstly, we navigated the route from the plant to the stadium, according to a map we were given. The road was reasonably simple and we managed not to mess up too badly. Teemu seemed to suffer from acute driving modesty so I was once again given the wheel. Getting closer to the event, it was becoming quite a traffic jam -- no wonder since the stadium seats a mere modest 80,000 people -- that's more than half the population of whole Turku! However, we got there and found our designated parking lot with surprising ease considering all the people buzzing around the area. At first we were quite amused at the small rubber-wheeled train transporting people seemingly to and from the stadium but after empirically learning that the distance to the parking lot was nearly a mile (that's 1,609 meters for the SI system advocates, but we're now in the conservative USA so meter is a non-unit) and that the train actually took a ride through the whole rodeo fair area, quite a bit more that just the stadium itself, it made more sense.
Walking to the stadium was not a problem anyway; the target was well visible even from a distance. Getting in was way more difficult -- or rather, finding the right way to get in. The first try was what looked like some kind of a main entrance right in the middle, next to the statue of the poor deformed hoofless raging bulls. In hindsight, the lack of crowd should have signaled us, but the officials at the very latest made the case quite obvious when asking for our VIP passes.
On the other side of the stadium there was a whole [portable, I believe] amusement park with a Ferris wheel and all. At the corner there was another entrance and we went in with a bunch of brownie girls. Apparently this one was some kind of group entrance, since quite soon somebody came to us and asked whether we really were a part of the party. Swept out and armed with some instructions where to go we finally proceeded to the right gate -- one that actually looked suspiciously similar to those we were already used to at home. Now we were inside the fence. We still had to determine how to get into the stadium itself. At the corners of the building there were huge car-sized ramps leading to the various levels of the stadium. For the weak-legged or lazy there were also escalators but we opted for the slightly longer bit more scenic driveway.
Inside, the corridor around the hall was of sufficient size for a small car race (with regular-size cars). As expected, there were concession stands serving fast food and beer and also other beverages, should you want to opt for those. Equally as expected, everything was priced for maximal profit for minimal sales, well keeping in mind the fact that people would not be able to get out to greener pastures anyway. Toilet facilities included, besides the obvious ladies and gentlemen, a third stall for neuters... er families.
A large portion of the people were really dressed according to the requirements of the event: boots, a fringed suede coat and a wide-brimmed Western hat was a typical attire. Lacking such necessary basic equipment, I felt a little touristy, naked and out of place.
The hall was absolutely huge. People and animals looked like tiny ants somewhere down below on the arena. The seating arrangement was quite a regular stadium-style solution, steep and scary concrete steps, plastic seats (undoubtedly the more upscale seats far below were padded and lined with leather and lace, probably even gold-rimmed). Above our heads we could see equally huge machinery used to open and close the retractable roof but unfortunately we did not get a live demonstration of the operation; the roof remained a roof.
The rodeo event itself was... well, a rodeo event. Stetson-headed cowboys and cowgirls were riding wildly bucking horses and even wilder bulls, poor little calves were chased, lassoed and roped and there was even a wagon race. The colossal four-way display pane hanging on top of the middle of the arena was very useful in trying to follow what the insects in the arena were up to at any time. The performances were judged based on time and probably sometimes also esthetics and during the show there was a winner (of the evening) in each sport. Not having grown in the rodeo country, this whole business seemed a bit pointless maltreatment of especially the calves (OK, admittedly most sport activities seem quite pointless to me). So, as already stated, interesting to see once but not really willing to go twice. However, the historical meaning of the rodeo is obvious, a memory from the era when horse and man were the only available tools in cattle business.
The second half of the evening program was the concert. A rotating stage with mock-Greek pillars was wheeled into the middle of the arena while having some side program in the form of a (semi-)famous astronaut being horse-carriaged around the ring to convey the greetings from the Houston NASA base.
Towards the end of the rodeo and during the setup break, the crowd had been clearly growing younger and more girly, an obvious difference to the adult-heavy mix of the beginning. The lights went out and the concert began with The Star-Spangled Banner, ending with quite a spectacular fireworks display (..."the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air"...). Now that everybody was attuned to the mood, we were first treated an opening act. Headliner Beyoncé's Destiny's Child groupmate Michelle Williams, dressed in all white, was driven in a convertible from the edge of the arena and carried the remaining few steps onstage. She sang a handful of more or less traditional-sounding tunes in the r&b/soul genre, alone, to a backing track. A pretty good singer, although I was a little annoyed by the constant ornamentation (i.e. artistic wavering and twisting around the melody notes) -- but that is also a part of the tradition. The crowd did not go wild on her though, but rather applauded politely, obviously in wait of the now bigger star.
After a suitable wait, Beyoncé appeared for her hometown in a spotlight, riding on horseback from the other side of the arena -- an appropriate nod to the nature of the event. She did not need help in climbing to the stage (maybe she had had more practice?), but she did get musical and gymnastic backup from a group of singers/dancers and a live band next to the MiniGreece. Obviously a talented and charismatic performer, she managed well to grab the attention of the audience. A mandatory costume change break was inserted in the middle, allowing the artist & co. run into the black dressing tents next to the stage, while the DJ/rapper was given room for a solo performance (which was extremely well received by my dear Finnish colleague). While most of the audience, press included, was clearly pleased with Beyoncé, we opted to leave for the cars a bit before the estimated end of the show to escape the inevitable humongous traffic jam.
Finding our way home... to the hotel that is, proved to be slightly more demanding a task than estimated. Some extra difficulty was inserted by Teemu when he spotted the Holiday Inn next to our hotel far ahead. Most big cities have several Holiday Inns, so did Houston. Regardless of some detouring, we made it, and after an obligatory (and completely unnecessary) stop to another burger joint the day was done. |
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