Blue Man Group, in the 77th Royal Variety Performance, was presented on Nov. 21, 2005 in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11 and His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, at Wales Millenium Center to a sold-out crowd of 1800 people. The group, known for their award-winning theatrical production that features three bald and blue characters take the audience on a multimedia journey that critics have described as "innovative, hilarious and visually stunning".

Blue Man Group is also known for its unique style of music which is played on invented, industrial / tribal instruments. Blue Man Group's debut album "AUDIO" has just been released on Virgin Records. One fan on the Amazon.com review site called it "a glorious wall of sound."

The people in the Blue Man Group organization, headed by founders Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink, try to bring both innovation and playful irreverence to everything they create. This applies not only to theatre and music, but also to advertising, outside appearances, and behind the scene videos.

What is the show like?

It is not an exaggeration to say that Blue Man Group's shows are unlike anything else. Also, because the element of surprise plays such an important role, for most people it is best to take a "leap of faith" and just come see it.

What kinds of people like the show?

One of the most surprising aspects of Blue Man Group's success is its broad appeal. The show grew out of the art scene in New York's East Village and Soho neighborhoods, but soon crossed over to a much broader audience. Perhaps this popularity came about because the spirit of the show is one of inclusion and universality. Perhaps it is because the show pokes fun at pretension and some of the isolating effects of modern life. Perhaps it is because no matter where we come from or how old we are, we all share an innate receptivity to primal, celebratory, fun. But for whatever reason, people from all walks of life and all age groups seem to enjoy the show.

Interestingly, Blue Man Group's popularity has reached a large international following as well. The show has been widely received in countries all over the world, and for reasons not entirely understood, Blue Man Group's popularity has grown to almost cult-like status in Japan, Brazil, and Israel. In fact, so many people from those countries come to the show that Blue Man Group decided to add text in Japanese, Portuguese, and Hebrew to one of the posters that appear in the New York production.

BAND: Three band members support Blue Man Group during the show. They play drums, Chapman stick, and zither. Blue Man Group has a number of instruments that are not currently used in the show; these instruments will be used on recordings and perhaps a new performance piece that is even more music oriented than "Tubes".

The PVC instrument is made from hundreds of feet of PVC tubing - pitch is determined by the length of the tube. It is by far the coolest instrument ever made partly because of its sound and partly because it changes color. The Drumbone achieves different pitches when the tube sections are slid back and forth, changing the length of the wind column inside.

Blue Man Group's Air Poles are a series of flexible fiberglass rods that make a satisfying "swoosh" as they slice through the air. There are three different types of Air Poles, all of which are featured on Blue Man Group's debut recording "AUDIO." Each of the photos below is accompanied by a recording of the instrument on view.

Sword Air Poles

The Sword Air Poles are short and thin, which makes them easier to control and more versatile than the other Air Poles. In the Las Vegas production, Sword Poles will be played by electric "Wire Men." (Track 4)

Angel Air Pole

The Angel Air Poles are made by connecting two poles at their thick ends. The result is a balanced instrument that can reach extremely fast tempos. (Track 1)

Wiper Air Poles are extra long (up to 18 feet) which makes it possible to play them at slower tempos.

The Tubulum (Tube-you-lum)

The Tubulum is similar to the PVC instrument but has more of an '00's sound. It is struck with sticks rather than paddles, and its notes reside primarily in the bass range.

Backpack Tubulum

The Backpack Tubulum allows Blue Man Group to move around and launch rockets while playing.

Drumbone

The Drumbone is a percussive spin-off of a trombone: its sliding tube-within-a-tube design allows it to be lengthened and shortened during performance, thus creating a variety of pitches. It can also be taken apart and used as two separate instruments which harmonize with each other.

Shaker Gong

The Shaker Gong is a metal-encased matrix of ball bearings suspended from tightly stretched surgical tubing. When hit with a large mallet, it produces a sustained, rattlesnake-like sound.

Gyro Shot:

These spinning, circular rings are filled with ball bearings of varying sizes. Although it looks really cool and industrial, no matter how hard Blue Man Group tried, the Gyro Shot ended up sounding like a wimpy "rain stick." As a result, this instrument does not appear anywhere on the recording.

Gary Strip:

These long, flat, aluminum sheets create a thunderous, high-frequency alternative to snare drums. Unlike the Gyro Shot, Gary Strips sound pretty good, but they still did not end up on the recording. No one knows why.