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The Anthrocon 2013 Piano Man
12 years ago
If you've attended Anthrocon in the past, you might be familiar with The Zoo. The Zoo is a place where con-goers can go during their off-time to socialize and meet up with their friends. It is located on the third floor of the Westin Hotel in the Allegheny room, and typically has one of the highest population and concentration of con-goers with the exception of major panels and events. But on the final night of the Anthrocon 2013 after closing ceremonies, a musical phenomenon occurred, and the Zoo was unexpectedly relocated.
The piano located on the second floor of the Westin hotel is usually locked. Though on the last day of the convention, after an evening performance by the incredibly talented Fox Amoore for the convention staff, the piano was permitted to remain unlocked.
So the piano on the second floor was unlocked - completely out of the ordinary. It has been said by many that the Furry Fandom houses some of the most creative people in the world. Almost immediately, many eager furs lined up to take advantage of this rare occasion.
During the course of the evening, dozens of talented musicians took their turns expressing themselves using their command of the keys. Onlookers were drawn in, videos were taken, and songs were sung. The crowds were mostly occasional. But when a particular furry musician took to the stool, a truly incredible event unraveled.
Cosmik is a musician from Florida and, as he was about to demonstrate, a very talented pianist. Many talented furs shared their mastery of music in the few hours prior, but once Cosmik took the stand at around 11PM Sunday night, heads began to turn.
The first piece in Cosmik's impromptu repertoire was "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin. It's a fairly tough song to follow, and only a few people joined in. The difficulty of the piece was no deterrent, since the quality of the performance initiated a mass ingress of furries that wouldn't stop until every step taken held the risk of stepping on over-sized commissioned furry toes.
The influx of bystanders increased explosively when passers-by heard what is widely agreed to be the musical representation of crack cocaine. Cosmik's performance of "The Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen was near flawless, and audience participation was contagious.
Cosmik's performance and the singing furries were audible throughout the first floor lobby and the main section of the third floor where the Zoo is located. Con-goers rerouted their paths towards the music. As the end of The Bohemian Rhapsody grew nearer, I personally estimate there were about 150 fursuiters and non-suiters alike that were dancing and singing along the music, and that is a safe minimum.
One-hundred fifty dancing and singing furries and the numbers were still growing. The Zoo was no longer located on the third floor of the Westin. The Zoo had found a new home in the second-floor lobby, with the piano acting as the epicenter.
The population of the second-floor lobby continued to grow as Cosmik continued his performance of timeless songs such as "Stand by Me", "Mamma Mia", "Don't Stop Believin'", "Time Warp", and "Johnny B. Goode".
During these songs, Cosmik was joined on guitar by his mate and musical partner, the equally-talented Rhubarb the Bear. Though Rhubarb's guitar was difficult to hear from a distance, those who were lucky enough to be close to the action could hear that Cosmik and Rhubarb played in perfect harmony and complemented each other's performance with evident mastery.
Cosmik and Rhubarb concluded their act with "American Pie" by Don McLean. By this time, the second-floor lobby and beyond is filled wall-to-wall with an active and participating audience. I won't even try to guess how many were present. The ovation given to the performers was roaring and unceasing.
The entire event was a mind-blowing display of creativity, togetherness, and love. A true cultural salad bowl. People from so many different places and walks of life, who've all come together to share with each other the spirit of music. A sight like this would take even the most seasoned con-goer's breath away. Whether this is your first time attending Anthrocon or your tenth, nothing can prepare you for a moment like this, even if you've seen it time and time again.
Hugs were given. Acquaintances were made. Ten out of ten, would do again. Thank you all for reminding me why I love this fandom.
-Glelin
Cosmik's FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/cosmik/
Link found by IonOtter, uploaded by Spike Blackfang. Everyone, The Bohemian Rhapsody arranged by Cosmik: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCVw8WrMowk
The piano located on the second floor of the Westin hotel is usually locked. Though on the last day of the convention, after an evening performance by the incredibly talented Fox Amoore for the convention staff, the piano was permitted to remain unlocked.
So the piano on the second floor was unlocked - completely out of the ordinary. It has been said by many that the Furry Fandom houses some of the most creative people in the world. Almost immediately, many eager furs lined up to take advantage of this rare occasion.
During the course of the evening, dozens of talented musicians took their turns expressing themselves using their command of the keys. Onlookers were drawn in, videos were taken, and songs were sung. The crowds were mostly occasional. But when a particular furry musician took to the stool, a truly incredible event unraveled.
Cosmik is a musician from Florida and, as he was about to demonstrate, a very talented pianist. Many talented furs shared their mastery of music in the few hours prior, but once Cosmik took the stand at around 11PM Sunday night, heads began to turn.
The first piece in Cosmik's impromptu repertoire was "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin. It's a fairly tough song to follow, and only a few people joined in. The difficulty of the piece was no deterrent, since the quality of the performance initiated a mass ingress of furries that wouldn't stop until every step taken held the risk of stepping on over-sized commissioned furry toes.
The influx of bystanders increased explosively when passers-by heard what is widely agreed to be the musical representation of crack cocaine. Cosmik's performance of "The Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen was near flawless, and audience participation was contagious.
Cosmik's performance and the singing furries were audible throughout the first floor lobby and the main section of the third floor where the Zoo is located. Con-goers rerouted their paths towards the music. As the end of The Bohemian Rhapsody grew nearer, I personally estimate there were about 150 fursuiters and non-suiters alike that were dancing and singing along the music, and that is a safe minimum.
One-hundred fifty dancing and singing furries and the numbers were still growing. The Zoo was no longer located on the third floor of the Westin. The Zoo had found a new home in the second-floor lobby, with the piano acting as the epicenter.
The population of the second-floor lobby continued to grow as Cosmik continued his performance of timeless songs such as "Stand by Me", "Mamma Mia", "Don't Stop Believin'", "Time Warp", and "Johnny B. Goode".
During these songs, Cosmik was joined on guitar by his mate and musical partner, the equally-talented Rhubarb the Bear. Though Rhubarb's guitar was difficult to hear from a distance, those who were lucky enough to be close to the action could hear that Cosmik and Rhubarb played in perfect harmony and complemented each other's performance with evident mastery.
Cosmik and Rhubarb concluded their act with "American Pie" by Don McLean. By this time, the second-floor lobby and beyond is filled wall-to-wall with an active and participating audience. I won't even try to guess how many were present. The ovation given to the performers was roaring and unceasing.
The entire event was a mind-blowing display of creativity, togetherness, and love. A true cultural salad bowl. People from so many different places and walks of life, who've all come together to share with each other the spirit of music. A sight like this would take even the most seasoned con-goer's breath away. Whether this is your first time attending Anthrocon or your tenth, nothing can prepare you for a moment like this, even if you've seen it time and time again.
Hugs were given. Acquaintances were made. Ten out of ten, would do again. Thank you all for reminding me why I love this fandom.
-Glelin
Cosmik's FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/cosmik/
Link found by IonOtter, uploaded by Spike Blackfang. Everyone, The Bohemian Rhapsody arranged by Cosmik: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCVw8WrMowk
They should leave the piano open more often! Or put it in the zoo!
In this thread, he was asking if putting out a tip jar was or was not appropriate. The answer, so far as I can tell, was "The piano is hotel property, so we don't even want to think about the hotel getting the wrong idea, so we don't care about definitions, the answer is 'no.'"
Which was fair enough.
But Kage jumps in and says, as Cosmik puts it so eloquently: "Art good. Music bad."
To be fair, people doing their art and socializing in the Zoo might not want to be disturbed, particularly on Sunday night. Every con I've been to has seen the Zoo dotted with mid-tier artists desperately trying to finish out their commission queue before their flight leaves. But yes, the overall message was that music would be unwelcome in the Zoo.
Looks like Cosmik found a way around that.
And I'm sure all the desperately hard-working artists who were left behind in the Zoo were quite happy to have all the distractions move out to go have more fun than they were.
And I included the video link you posted in the journal.
And to be fair, I'm actually quite glad Cosmik managed to avoid the Zoo after all. Some of those people can't carry a tune in a bucket if their life counted on it.
P.S., by the Sunday I was calling it the "little man." You win.
And I'll look into an ultra-portable battery powered amp for future happenings.
Really, it was refreshing to end the con on such a note. Usually, the final night is sort of solemn and slow as everyone is saying their good-byes to those they may not see in the morning, but this was a total reverse. The con ended on a bang! And a very catchy one, at that.