Blue Man Group in Chicago, IL

My friend had been dying to see the Blue Man Group, and so we went there during our class trip. We were not disappointed at all! They even had kids and adults laughing! The music was very entertaining, and they kept the same straight face the whole time! The money and two hours were definitely worth it. I do recommend that people with epilepsy proceed with caution as there are lots of flashing lights.

You know I've waited for years to the BMG. The opportunity presented itself while my boys and I were in Chicago over spring break. We were able to find some discounted tickets online. It's hard to entertain teenage boys. So I have twin boys who were split on the show. I had one boy who loves everything and he was a bit bored. I have another kid who is usually harder to please and he loved the experience. I think we all liked I'm just not sure we loved it as much as we would hope. I'm not exactly sure why that is. Would I go again, no. Am I glad I went once, yes. Enjoy the show if you choose to go...just don't hype it too much.

I have attended several Blue Man Group performances in Boston, Las Vegas, and Chicago over the years. Chicago’s Briar Street Theater has been the repeat stop every few years whenever we have special guests in town, and even our family has enjoyed the freshened up program on a semi-regular basis. We recently attended a Saturday night performance as a family and with out-of-town guests, and as much as I hate to say it, I think that BMG has seen its better days. The actors are still talented percussionists, the band is good, and some of the old gags still get a laugh, but what was once an edgy performance that pushed the limits now seems tired. The old ‘Tubes’ program seemed much wittier and the fully decked-out theater made you feel that you were in an alternate universe for a short while. It is now largely sterile, and what was once a grand finale of strobe and black lights, spinning tubes, and huge streams of nearly endless toilet paper have given way to a super eco-friendly and far stripped down version. It had been a few years since we last attended, but this last time we were building up the end for our friends, and it fell vastly short. I have likely seen my last Blue Man Group performance, and if this recent show is any indication, then it seems quite likely that such may be the reality for all of us. Attendees that know no better still seem to rate it highly based upon the talent of the performance I suspect, but if they only knew how incredible it once was then they would be in my camp now. I just cannot see how the current version is sustainable or warrants repeat visits like the old shows. Again, it pains me to have to dump on something that has brought my family and I so much joy over the years, but occasionally things just run their course. I applaud freshening up the act, but the company has to remember what got them there in the first place as well. As for now, it seems like a program that the company is laboring to keep alive, but the scores of empty seats on a Saturday performance tell the tale.

We had tickets many years ago, but got the show time wrong and always wanted to still see it. We were headed to Chicago to Hamilton and wanted something else to see. Well, it just didn’t meet the hype for us. Teens and adults were disappointed.

We loved the show! They used percussion instruments mixed with comedy and other little acts. The upper level back up drummers were amazingly talented too. We sat in the “poncho” section near the front. Ponchos were included on the chairs, but I would say that we could have done without them. It’s a small theater and seats would have been good in most places. The blue men moved all around the theatre in an interactive way. We enjoyed sitting near the front though for the “surprise” at the end. Overall, fun, family show but I waited until my kids were in middle school to fully enjoy it.