I was watching the news Thursday night when they showed a segment about the load-in for the show. I spontaneously decided that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about these shows.
The stage went the entire length of the arena, and the seating on the sides of the arena were closed off. There were about a dozen rows on the floor on either side, but thinking about the width of the performance space, I thought it would be better to be up a bit in the lower bowl. I was right.
The opening act was Nitza, who used members of the band from the show in her own performance. It's hard to describe what she's all about because she incorporates so many different ethnic musical styles.
Delirium is a combination of music, singing, dancing and freakshow acrobatics. The show's main character is a guy who floats around on a balloon most of the show, sometimes seeking refuge within it. The music touches on a lot of themes that involve life, death, aging, isolation, love, etc. There's also this guy that frequently shows up with this red ball and offers it to the balloon guy, though through most of the show he's apprehensive about taking it. At one point, a really angry guy that does a lot of shouting also takes the ball and puts it in a cage that is lifted into the rigging.
The ball seemed to represent some combination of consciousness, love, hope and generally positive things about life. The turning point in the show was when the balloon guy finally took the ball, and started seeing all of the things around him. They don't really spell out this theme, but it's what I got out of it, and I found it very moving. Indeed, sometimes all you need to do is take hold of the consciousness around you and live in the moment.
The show was not the typical collection of acrobatics that are apparently a key element of their stage and tent shows. In fact, the music is a "best of" from their other shows, in some cases with lyrics added. That's kind of appropriate for an arena show I suppose, as it certainly had an ultimate rock concert feel to it.
The dancers were pretty amazing. This one guy looked like he was sculpted into perfection as if he were made of clay. This tall woman, like 6'6", was ridiculously nimble for her size.
There was a violinist that blew me away. She performed with Nitza as well. One of the singers, a young blonde woman, had serious pipes. There was just so much talent on stage at any given moment.
Overall, it was an amazing show. I'd see it again in a heartbeat.