2012 Seattle Glee Flash Mob - Marriage Proposal
Remember when life didn’t suck?
Yeah, me either.
I try, though, oh how I try, and lately, I’ve found that there’s something contagious about the boundless optimism that is exhibited within the context of a flash mob. Especially the flash mob I witnessed today.
Last year, I recorded the 2011 Glee Flash Mob as it made its way form Capitol Hill, to Seattle Center, to Westlake Park, and back to Capitol Hill. It was fun, and it was cool to see how the machine ran from start to finish.
This year, I didn’t have nearly as much free time, but I did want to catch at least one performance. In retrospect, I think I picked the right one.
Shortly after 2pm, I headed over to Westlake Park, and over the next hour, I hung out and watched as flash mobsters trickled in.
Just after 3:10, the show started, and moments later … my battery gave out. Fornicate my life. That’s what I get for shooting 1080p on a two year-old cell. Fortunately, I had a spare with me, and I was back up and running in about 20 seconds.
Shortly after I resumed shooting, all of a sudden, in the middle of the performance, the music stopped, and everyone hit the deck.
“What the … what is going on?”, I wondered.
Was there a power outage?
Did someone hurt themselves?
Was there a red dot on my forehead?
I was confused.
Moments later, the crowd broke into applause as one of the male mobsters grabbed a microphone, and began speaking in a voice that was inaudible. I struggled to hear what the man was saying, and as he motioned for a woman to come to him, I realized that he was proposing to someone. Not just someone, but one of the other dancers.
Oh, how … hmmm, I was conflicted.
You see, if you’re a glass half-full … half-full of urine … kind of guy like me, you no doubt hate public wedding proposals. They just seem contrived, gratuitous, and insincere. After actually witnessing one in person, however, I may have changed my mind. At least a little bit.
As the guy was proposing, the woman burst into tears, and it was actually kind of cool. At that point, I “got it”. Sort of. As far as I could tell, the woman accepted the proposal, and when the mob started back up … there the two of them stood … embracing … oblivious to the chaos around them … completely in their own world.
I have to admit, much like Macaulay Culkin at a Neverland Ranch sleepover, I was touched.
The mobsters completed their dance, and when it was over, they rushed the spouses-to-be. It really was something to behold.
All-in-all, I have to say that it was a great flash mob. Given the circumstances, perhaps the best I’ve seen yet.
After it was over, however, I mingled amongst the crowd with one, and only one goal in mind:
To verify the integrity of “the proposal”.
I mean, it sure looked real, but isn’t that the entire purpose of a flash mob? To trick people. Not in a malicious way, of course, but getting one over on the crowd with a wink and a nod is more or less why these mobs exist.
Had I been played?
I spoke with one mobster after another, and each assured me that the proposal was, indeed, real. Still, I don’t know, though. I sure hope that it was, because if it turns out to be fake, I’ll tell you one thing … I’ll never trust another flash mob again.
Oh no.
No no.
Anyway, mobsters, once again … well done.
Download Video: MP4
Oh, and supposedly this gentleman is actually in the Glee television show. I’m really not familiar with him, but I will say that he was exceptionally cool and gracious, posing for pictures with absolutely everyone who made the request. Damn nice guy.
Update: Apparently the guy is a look-alike. Shows you what I know about the show. I’m not sure that everyone knew that he was a look-alike, though, because they were treating him like the real deal.
Glee Actor Look-alike Posing with Fans
Glee Actor Look-alike Posing with Fans
This is the sort of flash mob that doesn’t involve riot police and tear gas. The other kind usually ends up before a magistrate and is featured on worldstarhiphop.com.
You know, your cynicism and misanthropy seem to be disappearing these days. Is it the move from Vegas to the mellow Northwest, or just the neuronal misfirings of middle age?
Cute story though. I think I’ll go hug my pet goldfish.
I now realize that most of my former anger was directly related to the fact that I could not watch Lisa Van Cise on local television. Now that this has been rectified, my world seems somehow brighter, and my outlook on life has naturally followed.
*This* is more like it:
“Between the phony go-getter PR types, the aging degenerates, the third-world transplants, the scammers, the painfully illiterate, and the just plain creepy-weird … I was never completely comfortable in Las Vegas,”
- You, as quoted in today’s LA Times.
Heh, that is funny. An “article” that just prints some bullshit from PR people and a line from Rex to counter the PR people. That is some lazy ass writing.
I was in the flash mob – it was a fun day! I can tell you that the proposal was a complete surprise to most of us. When we rehearsed we were told to crouch down, look for and face ‘the person with the microphone.’ We were led to believe it was going to be a celebrity. When we did the first one at the Seattle Center, Mr. Schue (the actor whose real name escapes me) was in the center, so it was perfectly plausible that it was going to be something similar the second time around. Anyways great fun! I also cringe at the thought of public wedding proposals, but this one was really sweet.
So, as a person that has flash mobbed with this group for a long time, I can tell you that the proposal was real. Only three people knew it was going to happen and the rest of us were led to believe it would be a celebrity. It was fun to see two of our friends, who are both genuine and lovely people, start their lives together. Our group is about love, acceptance, support and community. Sometimes that is hard for people to understand. But, basically, we are about human connection.
Oh, and no, Mr. Shue was not really there…that was just a nice guy in the crowd who happened to look a lot like him. Although everyone was told over the speaker that it wasn’t really him…well that’s what you get for not listening. : )
Yes, it was an absolutely authentic wedding proposal. The couple has been part of the Seattle flash mob family from the beginning, and their romance has been sweet to watch. What a treat for friends of these two to see His surprise proposal. (Immediately afterward, I spoke with Her mom . . . tears on her cheeks. Mom had been aware the proposal was coming, but even the Mob itself was “flashmobbed”; they knew the cue to stop and let “a special guest” have a moment, but didn’t know what was coming.) Last year it was “a lady gaga” who surprised everyone. This year, it was This Moment.
A friend pointed me to this blog post and I just wanted to leave a quick note thanking you for sharing this story. Also thank you for the video you posted to youtube; it let a lot of friends and family around the country share the moment with us.
Thank you. I’m glad that you enjoyed it.
I embedded it in HTML5 this morning, before YouTube got the opportunity to scan it and complain about the pre-recorded music. ( background: http://www.seattlerex.com/may-jerry-cantrell-have-mercy-on-my-soul/ )
At some point, probably later today, I’ll have the 1080p version up as well.
Is it really a flash mob if it’s scheduled and you know when to be there? Seems like this is a Glee performance, not a Glee flash mob.
You can’t have a choreographed dance without rehearsals and a scheduled time to be there. Every flash mob is “planned spontaneity”. Otherwise it would look like a bunch of people in a dance club. (Lame).