Bobbi Fleckman and I were fortunate enough to snag tickets for the sold-out Unwigged and Unplugged show at the Beacon Theater in NYC last night (no, the picture to the left is not from the show last night, it’s a tribute to a picture I would have gotten had pictures been allowed), featuring the comedic musical stylings of Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, and Christopher Guest.

To begin with, I was delighted and surprised that the show was sold out. We were unsure if they’d still have the audience draw, but they do…in spades. The crowd was filled with young fans, many of whom were likely not born when Spinal Tap was released, who cheered just as loudly as us old fogies. There was no shortage of us either. Good to see that the humor is crossing generations.

But the night wasn’t about Spinal Tap. Sure, there were plenty of Tap tunes, many hilariously re-orchestrated to suit the acoustic set (Stonehenge was my favorite), but the trio played many tunes from A Mighty Wind and even a couple from Waiting for Guffman, including A Penny for Your Thoughts, with Christopher Guest singing in character as Corky St. Clair.

(Speaking of which, during the “Question and Answer” portion of the night, one woman asked who her teenage son should contact about securing the rights to produce “Red, White, and Blaine”–the stage show from Waiting for Guffman–for his senior high school project. After all the jokes about lawyers stopped, Christopher Guest said simply, “Sure, go ahead. Have fun with it.” Good for him in this copyright-litigation age.)

Although perhaps a bit too self-indulgent at times and maybe 15 minutes too long, the show was great fun, and I’d see them again in a hot second. They’re a truly talented group of guys, and I hope they continue to make movies and music and humor. Long live Tap!