nothing says summer in Philly than going to the Mann for me. the Mann celebrated its 75th season this year, and a little refection is in order.
in the years i've been going to the summer concerts at the Mann, i've seen an evolution in the pattern of my attendance. when i was young and enthusiastic (no, i've not been here for 75 years), i remember driving and paying (*gasp*) for parking in the car lot. plans with friends to scope out the "best" lawn section seats mean getting to the first row of the green seat section (& thinking, "don't people on the grass know that there can actually sit in these seats??")...all for a good view of the actual performers. and, of course, binoculars are involved. communal food was always organized and prepped for dinning al fresco. over the years, i learned to park not in the pay lot but in the adjacent (free) street--parts of it sketchy, but hey, it's free...learned the fine art of sneaking to the covered section when it rained, and getting the "good" programs, not the one sheet hand-out for the lawn section.
now, these days, dinning on a blanket on the actual lawn is the norm, sometimes with thought out meals, but most times, just things thrown together last minute, depending on the company, but always with vino! and as for the good viewing? ah, view of the stars and the cityscape is good. laying on the blanket and just listening to the music is a nice escape from the busyness of the day/week. when the rain comes? it's fun to get wet when it's hot out.
the orchestra themselves have relaxed as well. no longer do the "lawn people" who clap in between movements of a piece, the paying patrons do as well...AND the conductor will even acknowledge the clapping....far from the days when it was quite embarrassing to be the "lawn people", and be caught unaware of the etiquette of the cultured classical music
so now after all these years, my Mann experience has relaxed, and so....yes, i am the "lawn people" too (though i will still refuse to clap between movements).
