The Night the Music Died at the Kravis Center

        When it comes to stampedes, there is no longhorn cattle drive in Texas or Wyoming that compares with the rush of Palm Beachers to the valet station and parking garage during the final act of a performance at the Kravis Center.
        Once again the upscale patrons of the performing arts, seated in their high-priced center-front orchestra seats, embarrassed themselves and their community before nationally acclaimed recording artists. The event was a joint concert by folk singing legend Judy Collins and singer-songwriter Don McLean presented Nov. 9 in the Dreyfoos Hall.
        Both Grammy Hall of Fame entertainers presented excellent performances which chronicled 20 years of musical history in the 1960's and 1970's. The audience waited in anticipation of an encore which should have included McLean's haunting 1972 melody "Vincent: Starry, Starry Night" and Ms. Collins' signature rendition of "Both Sides Now".
       There was no encore. The concert hall was empty. The audience was long gone before McLean finished singing his classic "American Pie". This is an eye-witness account of "how the music died" on a Sunday night at the Kravis Center.
        Ms. Collins appeared first before an audience that occupied about 80 percent of the seats in the concert hall. The voice of 75-year-old performer proved undiminished by age.
        After a 20-minute intermission, McLean and his band charmed the audience with a mix of rock-and-roll classics and  his own compositions. The finale was "American Pie," one of the most popular musical narratives of the 20th century rock era.
      McLean performed the traditional version of the classic tune before a responsive audience which gave him a much deserved ovation. Then he made a big mistake. The lights were turned on so members of the audience could dance and participate in an upbeat reprised version of the song.
     The stampede began with a trickle of patrons walking to the exit doors. The trickle became a torrent, then a flood of humanity all determined to be the first to reach their vehicles. By the time a perplexed McLean finished singing, there were less than 50 people remaining in Dreyfoos Hall.
      The few courteous music patrons who remained were denied an encore as a result of the rude departure of the majority. The audience had vanished into the "Starry, Starry Night". The entertainers observed "Both Sides Now" of poor concert behavior in the Palm Beaches.
        Palm Beachers once again proved they're number one - in rudeness.
        *Note: Judy Collins and Don McLean are not scheduled for return engagements during the 2015-16 season at the Kravis Center. Once audiences get a bad reputation, it becomes difficult to book top entertainers. Kravis has booked "Dudu" as a 2016 replacement.
(c.) Davidsson, 2015.