October 4, 2007
Snapshots: Al Gore
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Al Gore came into town Monday night in a Honda hybrid (in case you wondering) to give his "An Inconvenient Truth" slide show. It had a few extra slides different than the DVD, but for any layman who hadn't seen it, it naturally was an eye opener. Mr. Gore certainly has more stage presence than his Saturday Night Live persona (circa 2000) gives him credit for.
Photos by Romain Nayalkar.
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I thought it was great. My one complaint/concern/question is why tickets were not given away for almost free.
I know you could have gotten the cheap(er) seats at a 50% discount if you were a UT student, but if Al Gore really really really believes in this message, why not make the expensive seats $50 instead of $100? Why not give away the upper deck seats in the Erwin center for $5 or $10? I know everyone has got to make their money and the stage has to be rented, the staff paid, the beer (yes, they sold beer) kept cold, etc but Al Gore isn't exactly wallowing in poverty.
Probably 30% of the $100 seats were empty including almost all of Section 5 (stage left) and the back 7 or so rows of Section 1.
Most of the Upper deck and half the mezzanine looked empty too.
The whole point of this speech/presentation is t change the world and change peoples' minds/lives. The people who are willing to pay $100 (or $25 or $50) to see this are the ones who already believe 98% of what comes out of Gore's mouth. Why not fill in those empty seats with the skeptics and college aged voters who are on the fence by making the price a bit more palatable?
In this regard, the entire event was a case of preaching to the choir unfortunately.
Al's got my vote though if he does what he should do: Run for president and blow Hillary, Obama, and Mitt Romney out of the water.
I would have loved to go but you're right - I couldn't afford it. If tickets had been $10, I would have bought some for the whole family.
Wow. An advertising billboard truck decrying global warming. What irony. Wish PETA wouldn't have bought an advertisement on one of the only advertising mediums that can actually kill members of the intended audience (by running them over). I can't stand these advertising billboard trucks driving around Austin contributing to our pollution and street congestions for the sake of advertising products.
Seth
OK, it's happening again. This embedded video is F-ing up the sight! Pull it down, please.
I totally agree with comment #1. It's a shame how relatively empty it was. Plus, they should have had a spotlight on him while talking. He was literally in the dark during the whole slide show (unlike the DVD).
When I first heard he was coming, I thought that UT was bringing him in like the Dalai Lama and paying him a fee and then giving tickets away for free.
Maybe he's trying to fund his war chest?? I hope not since I doubt he has a chance now against the "two for one deal" of Hillary and hubby.
Al Gore would blow Hillary out of the water. Rich white men always trump rich white women. Plus, the guy already won once. More people liked him 2000 than his competition, and the economy wasn't half bad at that point, there were no wars, and he was stiff as a board.
He'd win.