Posted in: Comics, Denver Comic Con | Tagged: Comics, denver comic con, entertainment, Pop Culture Classroom

Live! From The Opening Ceremonies At Denver Comic Con – With Pop Culture Classroom, The Mayor Of Denver, MC Lars, And The Protomen (UPDATE)

Not very many cons have Opening Ceremonies, but Denver Comic Con sure planned a big event, complete with geek music from the Proto Men. All passholders were permitted entry to the bash, but advised to turn up early to get access since though the area used for the event was large, every space has its limit. Some of the draw for coming to the event included receiving a swag bag from Geek Fuel, a subscription service, getting early access to DCC t-shirts and memorabilia, and a special Hard Rock Cafe pin available for the con. The draw was significant, as the event did reach its capacity by around an hour before it began, with fans waiting in an alternate hall until it was time to be seated. The mood and atmosphere was very charged, clearly the attendees were ready to get this con started. Of course, for many this is their premier pop culture event of the year and tonight marks the beginning of their geek festival of the year.

Clips from fan-favorite films got the crowd cheering, including Avengers, Big Hero 6, The Princess Bride, The Lord of the Rings, and more. It became clear after awhile that these films and clips were all chosen because they corresponded to guests at the show!

In opening for the "coolest city in the world", to applause, fans were thanked for making the city special. The opening also introduced the idea of Pop Culture Classroom to the attendees, something all fans who have bought tickets have "contributed" to to make a difference "throughout the state".

The Executive Director of Pop Culture Classroom, Sam Fuqua, took the stage, explaining that the program "engages reluctant readers" and "celebrates diversity" toward literacy, as the "mission of the organization", which also works in correctional centers and community centers as well as classroom. It "works", he said, and we know that through "personal experience" for many of us who learned to read through comics. There will be 400 plus hours of educational programming, he explained, and there are specifically designed areas on the con floor for educational experiences. It's made "possible", he said, through support. Denver Comic Con is "home-grown, independent, a volunteer power, and mission driven", he declared to great applause, especially as one of only two non-profit comic cons in the country in the midst of the burgeoning con industry.

The Mayor of Denver, Michael B. Hancock took the stage, at which point the crowd really went wild, encouraged to raise their hands by the recently re-elected leader. He said there were 2300 in the room and 1800 in an overflow room, and reminded the audience that they are taking part in one of the largest comic con gatherings in the United States. He welcomed those who have come from outside of Colorado for this "great event" and asked that we all thank Pop Culture Classroom for "raising resources to help our young people read". They got a 2300 person round of applause for that. He made an exit "getting the politician out of the way" so everyone could have a good time.

The event segued with a scene from Goonies and then one from Back to the Future and more. The arrival of MC Lars and the Protomen were teased, after a small intermission wherein people could check out the special booths on offer to support Pop Culture Classroom. Protomen have arrived tonight all the way from Nashville, we were informed, and fans were encouraged to give a "roar of applause for MC Lars", a "Firefly level of applause" and delivered.

MC Lars arrived  and took the stage for an initial performance with a science fiction theme after asking the audience how they felt about science fiction (strongly) and about how they felt about Star Wars (well, even more strongly as you might imagine). You can check out the lyrics to his performance of "Space Game" right here. He moved on to a debut of a song from his new album in honor of Daenerys Targaryen, which captured plenty of her bad*ss attitude. He had the audience raising a dragon sign with their hands, to their amusement. He thanked Pop Culture Classroom and as a demonstration of his support of literacy asked the audience to "give it up for Herman Melville" before performing a song about Moby Dick. He warned, "It doesn't end well".

Here's the music video MC Lars screened during his performance:

MC Lars then took off his jacket to reveal an Edgar Allan Poe t-shirt who he described as "hardcore" and suggested that Poe's poetic lyrics in their beat have a close connection to Hip Hop. He "cosplays" as Poe in the video for the song, he laughed, before performing a song in Poe's honor that's actually about poetic meter.

You can watch that video, also projected during the event, here:

He thanked the audience for "embracing my nerdy rap lyrics" before bringing up a friend, Spice J. to perform one more song, "Mister Raven". Spice J. helped perform with a puppet raven. The lyrics to the song were based heavily on the lyrics of the poem, literally transformed into a rap song, returning to "who's that rapping at my chamber door?" Interestingly, the lyrics were expanded with more internal thoughts and personal questioning that were very much in keeping with the poem's narrative.

Bruce MacIntosh, the Director of Programming for Denver Comic Con took the stage to thank the audience, for "putting thousands of kids through our after school curriculum and adult detainees, a new program", he said.

The audience were then set loose for an intermission before the performance of The Protomen, Part II of the evening's entertainment.

When the event resumed about 40 minutes later with the guests having successfully sought out swag and drinks, The Protomen opened for an incredibly high energy and operatic performance. Bedecked in silver facepaint and in costumes somewhere between Mad Max: Fury Road and The True Lives of The Fabulous Killjoys, they set the place into a fair frenzy. Opening by letting the audience know that remaining in their seats was not acceptable, the band quickly drew a large number of fans forward to kick off the performance.

This was my first encounter with The Protomen, but I'm willing to admit they are better than half the bands on my iPod who I listen to on a daily basis. Their themes and influences cast the net wide and contain a storytelling element remarkably cohesive with the ethos of a comic con, and particularly of Denver Comic Con. The audience agreed, and some were already very familiar with the band's output, calling out requests or addressing the band members by name (they all have distinctive stage names which are more prominently known than their legal names.

Their interaction with costumes, at times removing and donning helmets and other accessories added mystery to the narrative, and the use of two large projecting screens to display accompanying imagery, usually counter-authority in sentiment or apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic in suggestion went along with their self-declared savior role in their opening performance.

It was an interesting and thought-provoking way to lead into Denver Comic Con and cements some of the personality of this convention before it even hit its first opening morning: this is an independent comic convention which by very nature does things in its own way. It sets out to tap into the counter-culture of pop culture as much as into what is rapidly becoming main stream about geek identifying with film, comics, cosplay, and other areas of fandom.

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