Bittersweet Symphony

It's time to come clean: That creepy, scraggly, Aqualung-looking motherscratcher who lurks around the coal chute of Powell Hall during each and every performance of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra? That's Mr. Night. He's the nephew of the grandson of the original Phantom of the Opera, and he's a proud upholder of the family tradition of concert-hall-skulking. But now David Robertson has outsmarted him! The entire SLSO ups sticks for this evening's free 7 p.m. concert on Art Hill in Forest Park (314-533-2500 or www.slso.org). An outdoor performance? Damnation! Does Mr. Night stay true to the letter of the family tradition and kick around an empty Powell Hall during this performance, or does he adhere to the spirit of the tradition and follow the orchestra into nature's bosom and, you know, lurk around those trees near the parking lot? Aye, it'll be the latter. While the rest of you lounge on blankets amongst the remains of your picnic dinners, Mr. Night shall haunt that copse mightily. And if he happens to soil his already filthy trousers during the fireworks display that follows the SLSO's performance, well, who shall be the wiser? Those pants weren't so clean when he found them.
Thu., Sept. 14