The Local Possibilities for a Flash Mob

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Today’s Blog Post


The Local Possibilities for a Flash Mob

In early November 2010 I discovered the video of the group singing in the Welland, Ontario Mall. They began singing in the middle to the Food Court. If you haven’t seen this yet – it is must. As I viewed it that day about 849 people had looked in to see this YouTube video at that point.

What a unique idea! The folk were singing the “Hallelujah Chorus” – in a Mall and a Food Court of all places! Blow your mind!

The Hallelujah Chorus is a Christian Thing that belongs in a Churchy Setting… on a Churchy Night when the Choir reverently parades in and the staunch and stayed Congregation joins together to listen to the latest presentation of this age old piece of music. They are also there to judge the Choir now singing this piece… in that old and the staunch and stayed way the Congregation are experts. They have all heard this sung since they were little kids and many have sung the piece in Choirs and know how much work it is… and also know if the Choir Members are off or on.

Now to be sitting in food court and spending a mind numbing day in a Shopping Mall – one month before Christmas… is well not something that is unusual. But to suddenly have a lady beside you stand and begin singing is kind of freaky to say the least… then another person followed by another person… join in… followed by another 30 or so people singing all around you is positively weird!

In the world of YouTube that happened 26,001,881 hits ago (the number was read just now at 6:45 AM on Dec 24, 2010.... but 26,068,899 at 7:29 AM)

This group of Mall singers have broken the YouTube all time record for one month’s hits.

That is just a rough average of just under One Million Hits per day! But is reality it has been much more than that some days… as people like me have sent it all over the world for others to see.

The video has gone “Viral” – reaching what others only dream of doing and setting new heights and records for others to try to reach.

Across Canada other church groups and Christians have now tried to duplicate – copy what the Welland Mall experience has done. In at least four cities the local Faith Community has tried to get out there and howl… I mean sing their church music for non churchy people in very non churchy places to hear.

It is funny to say the least. Oh No – I don’t mean that the Hallelujah Chorus is Funny… it is still beautiful if done with excellence. It is horrible if the players and singers don’t do it well. When dear Sister So and So goes a little off on her part… you just about want to die for her husband.. who will be hearing about it for days to come!

All of this is under the umbrella of something entitled a “Flash Mob” in Video terms… and Flash Mob is not new out there in the non-churchy world… they have been doing this for a number of years… it is just that churchy people are now discovering it and using it for their advantage.

Now off to the side thought… are you going to be nervous about your local Mall… and the possibilities that a local church will do something freaky in your food court… right near where you are sitting… and maybe try to get you involved in identifying with them!!!?

Oh God… I think I would die if dear Sister So and So stood up in our Food Court and went off key again…wailing like a wounded coyote… Dear Jesus don’t let it happen when I am there.

I have the cold sweats on that thought. Usually this dear lady does that stuff in church only… and none on my friends can hear it…

Now as you research it a little more on YouTube you can see that there are other Flash Mob Videos that are very high in numbers as well… reaching into the 25 Million mark as well… but it has taken them a few years to do this. And I don’t doubt that the people that were drawn to the Hallelujah Chorus at the Mall Food Court have stumbled over to watch Flash Mobs all over the world.

Like the Flash Mob in the Station where everyone is dancing all of a sudden. That one is cool! Suddenly old people are swarmed by younger folk dancing all around them… then they start dancing too. It is too cool.

Or the Flash Mob in the grocery store – where everyone freezes stone still.. whoa.. that one was weird! People in church do that all the time…but to do it in a grocery store… that is wild!

On No… another thought… and local Seniors Group suddenly stands up in the Food Court of our Mall and does a jig behind their Walkers. Then my Mother joins in… God Almighty may I be raptured before that moment happens!!!!

The Youth in that Food Court will die laughing as the Seniors break into “Heart Break Hotel” by Elvis!!!!

Oh my world has changed so much!

Mind you we have some new churchy music that might be more fun in a Mall than it is in church… hmmmm?

Think back… William Booth and his bunch of uniformed Horn Blowers acted weird with the First Flash Mobs on Street Corners and then THEY PREACHED SERMONS FOLLOWING THAT. BUT There was no YouTube back then!

Yesterday I heard an interview that Oprah had with Debbie Boone… from the “You Light Up My Life” fame of years ago. She told of her father, Pat Boone and his publicity photo dressed in a leather jacket with no shirt underneath… and tattoos showing. Pat had just done a musical piece with some Heavy Metal folk.

Debbie said her son, who was in Grade Nine at the time, saw this on TV… and in total disgust… put his head down covered his face with his hands and shook his head saying… Can’t someone do something to stop him?”

His grandpa had mortified him with his acting this way.

My grandkids will likely do the same… when I stand up on the Food Court Table Top and beginning singing “You aint nothing but a Hound Dog...” and then gyrate my hips like the King did…

Talk about a Flash Mob when the Mall Security hits me … and then call the police.

Then later I will ask Emma, my granddaughter, if she saw me do my Flash Mob… Emma will express it so well… “YES… and I thought you looked stupid!”

Oh Boy!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/