Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

Here's my recap of the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, supplemented by the text message conversation between myself and my friend in NY during the rally.

• HIM (9:28a, PST):  Are you currently rallying to restore sanity and/or fear?
• ME: If by "rallying," you mean "watching it in pajama pants" then yes. 
• ME: I really can't wait to see what else they've got in store.

I sat on my bed and enjoyed The Roots and John Legend for a while, which, though awesome, started to lull me back asleep.  In an ironic twist, the name of their new album together is Wake Up!  And it's really pretty great.  And then they wrapped up and Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman appeared on stage. 

• ME: Yay - Mythbusters!  Love that show.
• HIM:  Good, they stopped with the wave.
• ME: Yeah ... Mythbusters should not be live. This is failing.
• ME: Though it is probably keeping everyone awake and engages.
• HIM: And warm.
• HIM:  This is lousy.  I"m starting the Rally to Restore The Roots.
• ME:  I'll have the co-rally to restore John Legend.  And then we can combine them.
• HIM: Thank goodness they're done.

In short, the Mythbusters guys were trying to conduct crowd experiments which involved a few variations of "the wave," as well as attempting to get the crowd to all jump at the same time to simulate an earthquake.  If I am making it sound exciting, I am describing it inaccurately.  But I think you got that from our text exchange.

John Stewart came out to greet the crowd, followed shortly thereafter by Colbert's emergence from a Chilean miner rescue pod.  (Yes, I just wrote that.)  And then the two of them, in some AMAZING sweaters, speak as only those two can together, followed by a benediction from Father Guido Sarducci, and ultimately, a Colbert poem read by Jack McCoy.

• ME: Tell [him's wife] there is shirtless Colbert.  I think it will make her happy.
• HIM: I will.  Now it's Steval Knieval.
• ME: I just realized I want an Evil Knieval jumpsuit.  I love when my dreams reveal themselves.
• HIM: LOL.  Biggest improv show ever. 
• ME: Father Guido - YAY! 
• HIM: I think he's the longest running SNL character in history.
  Colbert has more costume changes than Lady Gaga. 
• ME: Those pants ... just ... 
• HIM: This would've been funnier from Colbert himself.

Then, in what I can only describe as one of most amazing things I've ever witnessed, Yusef "Cat Stevens" Islam (Team Sanity) and Ozzy Osborne (Team Fear) performed dueling versions of "Peace Train" and "Crazy Train" to ultimately be ousted by the O'Jays, performing "Love Train."  If you didn't see it, it's worth the visit to YouTube.

• ME:  Colbert actually interrupted "Peace Train."  He's going to hell.
  O.K. This is awesome. 
• HIM:  This is great. 
• ME: Best. Mashup. Ever. 
• HIM: True.  I must say Ozzy & Yusef are pretty good sports. 
• ME: Yay!!! 
• HIM: Best Train Mix ever! 
• ME: And then they can leave on a Midnight Train to Georgia. 
• HIM: Tru dat!  I think Jon Stewart is the best Bar Mitzvah MC ever!

Colbert and Stewart offer up medals for fear and reasonableness, respectively.  Hard to say which was my favorite, since they all had merit, but special mention to the medal of Fear going to a 7-year-old girl in a diss on media outlets for not allowing their employees to attend the rally.  

There were a couple other musical performances, including duets from Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staples, Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow, and awesomely, Stewart and Colbert.

• ME: My fave odd couple of 2010 (referring to Tweedy/Staples)
• HIM: She should join Wilco.
• ME: I know it's a pipe dream, but they need to bring on Corddry and Helms.
• HIM:  You never know.
• ME: As long as they don't sing that shitty "Picture" song, I'm fine. (referring to Rock/Crow)
• HIM: I hear ya!  Bruce isn't on tour, why isn't he there?
• ME: To quote you, you never know.

Then it was time for the keynotes, which started with Colbert showing frightening media images.  For every "type" Colbert was scared of, Stewart presented something to counter him.  (ala: Kareen Abdul Jabar = non-scary Muslim, R2D2 = non-scary robot) 

• ME:  Impodiumed.  (this may be my new favorite Colbert word)
  Another dream just revealed itself - John Oliver as Peter Pan. 
• HIM: This is great!

And then came the true keynote, delivered fantastically by Jon Stewart.  I'd give a summary, but here's the whole thing, because it's worth seeing in its entirety:  http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jonstewartsanityrallykeynote.htm

Jon was followed by our World Series opening act, Tony Bennett, singing "God Bless America,"  which was then followed by everyone uniting on stage while Mavis Staples sang her classic, "I'll Take You There."

• ME: Tony's everywhere this week.  And that's not bad.
• HIM: It ain't Bruce, but at least he lives in Jersey.
• ME: Yeah ... sorry.
• HIM: Great speech!
• ME: It really was.  I want to go back to sleep, but also feel like I should get up and be productive in the world now.  Damnit.
• I love this song. 7 year old girl doesn't know this song.
• HIM: I'm really liking the Mavis Staples renaissance.

 Choose sanity.