They began appearing on the streets in Blue Man regalia,
entertaining passersby and staging unusual events such
as "The Funeral For the 80's." Interest gradually
snowballed to the opening of a full theatrical act in
1991 located in the Astor Place Theater. This critically
acclaimed show, as well as frequent appearances on "The
Tonight Show," enabled CMP and the Blue Man Group
team to open similar productions and expand their concepts
into other kinds of performances.
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The Blue Man Group's theatrical acts incorporate rock
music (with an emphasis on drumming), odd props, audience
participation, sophisticated lighting, and large amounts
of (recycled) paper. It is also noted for having a "poncho
section" of the audience; in the front rows, audience
members are supposed to wear plastic ponchos in order
to protect from various foods, substances, paints, and
so on which get thrown, ejected, or sprayed from the
stage. The shows are family-oriented, humorous, energetic
and often employ thought-provoking satire on modern
life. It is highly recommended that one not arrive late
to a performance.
List of theatrical productions
"Tubes" in New York (1991 - present)
"Tubes" in Boston (1995 - present)
"Tubes" in Chicago (1997 - present)
"Live at Luxor" in Las Vegas (2000 - September
2005)
Las Vegas Venetian Show (October 2005-)
Berlin (2004- present)
Toronto (Opens in 2005)
As the shows evolved, the Blue Man Group developed a
set of custom musical instruments, many designed from
the observation that PVC pipes make an interesting noise
when struck. In 1999, the group released their first
audio recording, appropriately called Audio. It was
less of a soundtrack and more a collection of full length
instrumentals that featured the new instruments. The
group participated in Moby's Area2 tour in 2002, giving
a more rock-oriented performance than found in the theatrical
shows. Songs developed during this tour appeared on
2003's The Complex. Unlike its predecessor, The Complex
featured a variety of vocalists including Tracy Bonham,
Dave Matthews, Gavin Rossdale and Venus Hum. The record
spawned its own 2003 tour, the first headlined by the
Blue Man Group. The tour cleverly deconstructed the
traditional rock concert experience and was later chronicled
on DVD.
When Blue Man Group was still based in New York, they
ran a variety of fake advertisements in The Village
Voice. The group achieved widespread visibility when
they appeared in an Intel advertising campaign for Pentium
3 and Pentium 4 CPUs as well as Centrino technology.
The Blue Man Group has also appeared on The Simpsons
as part of one of the couch gags, and had a guest appearance
in The Drew Carey Show and Arrested Development.
Discography
Audio CD LP (1999)
Audio DVD-audio LP with 5.1 surround sound mix (2000)
The Complex CD LP (2003)
The Complex DVD-audio LP with 5.1 surround sound mix
(2004)
Videography
The Complex Rock Tour Live DVD (2003)
External links
The
official Blue Man Group home page
Companion
site to the Blue Man Group song "Exhibit 13"
Unofficial
fan site including many media clips
