≡ Menu
jaced.com

STOMP’s basketball and kitchen sequence

Ah, one of the reasons I love YouTube: it frees you up to clean out that cabinet of VHS tapes that hold things you plan on watching again, but never really take the time to do. I love the convenience of just pulling up a clip online whenever I feel like it.

Here’s a classic from the STOMP OUT LOUD HBO special in the nineties. It includes the utterly sick basketball-kitchen sequence for six performers. Love this one, particularly once they lock into that shuffle a couple minutes in.

I first saw STOMP in New York in the mid-nineties. I’ll never forget it. They opened with the broom piece, and it was all over for me. Coolest thing I’d ever seen, hands down. I was hooked, and a fan for life. The music smoked, and the eclectic mix of performers made for a refreshing show loaded with personality. It completely killed the Blue Man Group gig I’d seen earlier that week.

Part of me wanted to drop everything I was doing, spend a few months in the woodshed chopping up full-time, and show up to an audition.

I’ve seen STOMP four more times since then, all with different casts. Once at UCLA with the original British cast (including creators Luke and Steve), and three other times in various L.A. venues with fresh new talented casts. While it was the same show, the nature of the music allows the performers to express their individuality. It’s never boring, especially if you’re a people person.

A few years ago during one such gig they replaced the old barrel piece with this basketball piece. Ridiculous. I couldn’t believe they had the, um, balls to try to pull it off live. So much room for disaster.

STOMP’s in Vegas now. Do whatcha gotta do to make sure you catch the show there, in New York City, or on tour some time before you die.

Comments on this entry are closed.