BEYOND VAN GOGH: THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

Tickets for the blockbuster exhibition, “Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience,” are now on sale!!!


Beyond Van Gogh will have a limited engagement in St. Louis, September 16 to November 7. The exhibition will fill the new Starry Night Pavilion on the grounds of the Saint Louis Galleria.


The exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Four entry times will be available each hour. Tickets will be sold online at www.vangoghstlouis.com. Prices begin at $33.99 for adults and $19.99 for children ages 5 to 15. Children under 5 are free.


Created by French-Canadian Creative Director Mathieu St-Arnaud and his team at Montreal’s world-renowned Normal Studio, this immersive experience features more than 300 of Vincent Van Gogh’s iconic artworks and takes the art lover into a three-dimensional world that exhilarates the senses.


In a rich and unique multimedia experience using cutting-edge projection technology developed by some of the world’s greatest AV designers, Beyond Van Gogh takes on the challenge of breathing new life into Van Gogh’s vast body of work. Using the artist’s own dreams, thoughts, and words to drive the experience as a narrative, guests move along projection-swathed walls wrapped in light and color that swirls, dances, and refocuses into flowers, cafes, and landscapes. 


While journeying through Beyond Van Gogh, guests witness more than 300 masterpieces, including instantly-recognizable classics such as “The Starry Night”, “Sunflowers”, and “Café Terrace at Night”, now freed from their frames. Van Gogh’s art comes to life by appearing and disappearing, flowing across multiple surfaces, and heightening the senses with their immense detail. Through his own words set to a symphonic score, guests come to a new appreciation of this tortured artist’s stunning work. It’s a no surprise that millions of people all over the world credit Van Gogh with enhancing their relationship with art. Beyond Van Gogh will only deepen it further.


As immersive art installations deeply resonate around the globe, “Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience” will stay in St. Louis for a limited engagement before moving across North America. Art lovers near and far will have the opportunity to live this unique, unforgettable experience. 


Beyond Van Gogh will follow all St. Louis County Health Department guidelines in place during the exhibition’s run. Parking will be free at the Saint Louis Galleria. Group tickets are available for eight or more.

A Rockin’ Weekend

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I gotta tell ya about a weekend that was absolutely fantastic. For starters, it was the weekend my wife and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. We have been together for 16 years and married for 10 of those years. It is an incredible feeling being with someone so awesome for that long. I truly love that girl and I am glad she is in my world.

IMG_8937For our anniversary we decided to attend Point Fest this year. I was super excited as it was said that Korn was going to be headlining the show, along with Breaking Benjamin. Korn has been on my bucket list of bands to see for the longest time. I have just never been able to be in a position to see them live and this was finally my time. That is until I got home from work Friday afternoon. Apparently, lead singer Jonathan Davis reported vocal issues and apologized in a video that the band would not be attending Point Fest. I was pretty bummed out. Korn was the only reason I bought tickets. I love Breaking Ben as well but they are in my top 10, Korn is top 3, so the news stung a little bit.

After boo-hoo-ing for an hour I finally got over it. Breaking Ben was going to play an extended set so that was a nice addition to the show.

IMG_8966So the day of Point Fest came and I was already over Korn cancelling and was ready to hear some Sick Puppies and Breaking Benjamin. We got the kids to mammaw and pawpaw’s house and headed out to the show. It was a beautiful sunny day and my wife and I were ready to rock. Upon our arrival we decided to do a little walking around, well we actually did a lot of walking that night. We ate, drank, and had a lot of fun. We met some interesting people and listened to some awesome music. After the Sick Puppies set on the side stage we actually got to meet the band! While waiting in line we were approached by a security guard that was awesome enough to give us two tickets to the next Point Fest the following weekend. We knew we couldn’t go but who says no to free tickets? We could find someone that would want to go so that was a very nice surprise.

IMG_3469Destiny got herself a shirt and I got myself a cool tall boy coozi cup. Our night was so much fun and Breaking Benjamin knocked it out of the park with their extended set. Below you can see a YouTube video someone from the concert posted of the set. The Star Wars Imperial March was insane to say the least.

Just like 16 year old kids as we were leaving after the show my wife ripped down a Point sign and shoved it in her purse. She’s a rebel without a cause!

A few days later I was able to give away the tickets to the next Point Fest which was featuring Soundgarden as the headliner. Then the news of Chris Cornell’s passing was announced followed by the announcement that Point Fest was cancelled. I understand why the Point did it but I also feel bad for all that wanted to go to the show. There is always Way Back Point Fest later this year. I am already on the look out for those tickets.

I had not been to a concert in a few years, and this concert proved that we need to go to more. My wife and I had so much fun. Eating junk food and drinking some drinks we could not have asked for a better night except it got even better after the concert when we went to the club but that’s a story for another time.

A Great Night at Great Skate

GreatSkate-RDWhat do you do when you’re invited to an adult birthday party at a local skating rink? You say yes, and you go, that’s what you do! That is exactly what my wife and I participated in this past weekend. It was the first I had ever heard of Adult Skate Night at Great Skate in St. Peters. I initially thought my friends had rented out the entire facility for a birthday party for another friend. It wasn’t until we started seeing more social media posts about the night that we finally figured out that this is a new monthly thing. Which is awesome, plus gave us a reason to celebrate a birthday!

My wife and I had not been skating in over a decade. It had to have been over 15 years since I last put on roller blades. I wasn’t sure how well my ankles would hold up but surprisingly they held up pretty well that night. The next day they were a little sore but all in all I think I managed fairly well. So after getting the skates on I was gliding around to the music like it was middle school all over again. My wife though… She wasn’t as confident. She was a little wobbly starting off. It might be because she hadn’t worn skates since she broke her leg as a kid but she managed and did fine as the night progressed.

Saturday-Night-Adult-SkateOn top of skating to some totally 90’s tunes we also had a few drinks. I’m not saying it’s a great idea to drink and skate but I’m also not gonna tell you how to live your life. I had fun is all I can say, and the large amount of people in the drink line probably can back up my claim. So if you’re a drinker, they got you covered.

Entry to the rink was cheap and the drinks were cheap too. So all in all it was a fantastically cheap date night. My wife and I had so much fun and could not stop talking about what a great time we had. This monthly setup is a great idea and I can see us coming back for another ride around the ring. We also talked about bringing the kids during their normal operating hours to get them into skating to some music. I remember going so many times as a kid with my cousin’s and grandma, so I believe my kids would have just as much fun as we did.

That night after we got home we also noticed a new thing on our Facebook apps. Apparently now you can create a little video slideshow of some photos and videos. I put one together from our awesome time skating! I went ahead and grabbed the video I made and shared it below. Check it out!

 

Date Night? How About Date Day!

11216264_10201709647301129_3072738525875754801_n Date night, the night where everything comes together and stress melts away while you eat, dance, drink, and maybe eat some more. But what about those times where you just can’t get a date night… Well how about a date day? This past weekend my wife and I had two tickets to a St. Louis Cardinals game. We always try to go at least once to a game, so we called up mammaw and pawpaw and asked them to watch the kids while we went to the game.

It was one of the best days ever. This isn’t a joke either. We didn’t drink any beer or alcohol, but we did enjoy some tasty nachos, shared a burger, and a few sodas. The Cards started off great with a homer and a few runs, but the Reds quickly caught back up and took the lead. That’s okay though. It’s not always about winning at the ball park (unless it’s October, then it’s all about winning). We joked and laughed and talked and kissed under the nice big score board in the outfield bleachers. It was a fantastic day that I wish didn’t end. I also wish we had even more money than what we took because it would’ve been cool to try out even more food than what we already stuffed in our faces.

It was one of the best days ever.

12991103_10201710143593536_7218664610578720171_nWe snuck around trying to find other seats, which just happens to be one of my favorite things to do. We didn’t get very far because just about every section has someone there wanting to check out your ticket. We made it to a few standing areas but we didn’t get as close as we wanted. However, we did take advantages of a nice little sale near one of the stores and picked up a $10 hat.

I have been to many baseball games as well as a few giveaway games where they give away something, but never got anything. They ran out of Mother’s Day bats when we went on that day and seen dads and kids with the bats (hey you’re not a mom!). This time we were fortunate enough to get to the stadium early enough to get two Adam Wainwright bobble-heads. How cool is that? Pretty cool except you now have to carry these two boxes around with you most of the day. But that’s okay. It was well worth it.

After the game we got back on the crowded metro-link and headed to our station to get home. Once we got home we took off our shoes and relaxed our socks as we planned our dinner and the rest of our night. We settled on making a delicious homemade dinner and visiting Donkey Kong Country on the SNES.

Sometimes, it’s not a date night, it’s a date day, and to me, that is completely okay. Especially when you’re with the woman you love.