This last week I was gifted the opportunity to see the iconic Blue Man Group live in Las Vegas, Nevada. This performance group, founded in New York City in 1987, hosts shows consistently amongst five worldwide locations (Boston, Las Vegas, Orlando, Gran Canaria and Berlin) along with the occasional World Tour. Their website says that they “will rock your world. Blow your mind. And unleash your spirit.” This bald-headed group of blue men embraces the euphoric creation of human connection through art, music, comedy and non-verbal communication—a perfect performance for students enrolled in one of Professor Suda Ishida’s eccentric English and Communication Studies courses.

PRICING AND ACCESSIBILITY
As with most activities in Las Vegas, seeing the Blue Man Group was not the cheapest. Although they advertise their shows as being as cheap as $49, the typical ticket price can double or triple that depending on the seat location. Some shows, such as the 5 p.m. shows, are at the cheapest: $62 before fees, although they do not get much higher than $188, which is for the V.I.P. experience. Not to mention if one is parched or yearning for a salty treat, the concession stand prices are quite outrageous. An 8oz Red Bull and a bucket of small popcorn should not cost me more than one hour of work at my slightly above minimum wage retail job.
Yet, compared to the amount of money the typical traveler will spend on gambling, this can be one of the cheaper alternatives. It is also a great choice for those who are under 21 or abstain from gambling. The general audience was a fairly diverse group of people, ranging from young children cracking up at jokes they are too young to understand, to businessmen wanting a break from the mundane keynotes featured at their conference and to young adults looking to see a performance that their parents bring up anytime the word Vegas is thought of.
However, due to the stroke effects and loud noises, strobe effects and trippy graphics, there is a good selection of people who are unable to enjoy this mind-blowing performance. I am not typically sensitive to these sorts of visuals, but there were moments or times when I found myself wishing I had taken an ibuprofen or two before heading in. They do a fantastic job at warning people the moment you enter the venue to be aware of said effects, yet they could be doing more. Their website, on the other hand, does not do as great a job, along with there being little to no information about the warning, even as you go to purchase your tickets.
There is an option for accessible seating, however, I am not qualified to review whether these are truly accessible or not … as I do not use any sort of mobility aid or have a physical or mental disability that would require me to request this seating. However, I did sit in the same row as some of these accessible seats and there were select chairs that were able to be moved and adjusted to fit one's needs. Notably, this is venue by venue and may vary depending on whether you are seeing this group in Luxor or in Professor Trevor Maine’s beloved Berlin.

CONTENT
The actual content of the performance was solid. There was a good variety of performance types, ranging from drum playing to tossing marshmallows and gumballs into mouths and pipe banging. I have no complaints about the actual performance section of the show, as I enjoyed the bits they have been doing since they formed (i.e., the pipe banging) and their newer, more modern segments (i.e., iPhone passcode illusion).
There was a good amount of crowd interaction, however, there were moments when I wished the interaction had been cut short. The particular moment that comes to mind is the opening act, in which words appear on the screen and require the crowd to speak out loud. There were slightly too many people getting shoutouts and after the third one, it became redundant and lost its novelty. Even then, I wish this interaction had been cut shorter so I could enjoy the real content of their performance (i.e., more colorful drumming, again, that was insanely enjoyable.)

OVERALL
Out of all the things that I wish were different about this performance, I wish they had a show that was just 18,+ simply because I was surrounded by families. I am not someone who often finds myself frustrated or genuinely annoyed with children, however, the children I found myself seated around were taking away from the beauty of the performance. I was unable to fully enjoy and immerse myself in this experience because the little kids in front of me were waving their arms around, making loud noises and talking through the performance. (Although I do not blame the parents for this. Both the mother and father, seated with them, did their best to quiet their children without causing more of a ruckus.)
At the end of the day, though, I had a fantastic time. For those with extra time or extra money to spend while visiting Sin City, this is a must-do activity. The illusions were entertaining, I got a good laugh out of particular crowd interactions and the lack of language requires you to notice the little things about the performance.