Tonight I will be attending the annual ritual of the Mormon Tabernacle choir Christmas extravaganza, this year featuring special guests actor Michael York and American Idol's David Archuleta.---

Such is the demand for tickets Deseret News recently ran a story frowning on folks abusing the LDS Church's generosity as it were by selling tickets to the concert they got for free. This may not have been an effective deterent however. Word reaches me that in Utah County scalpers - presumably church members - are offering tickets to Archuleta's gig for an astronomical $500.

There are many broken-hearted teens out in Orem-land tonight who have tried desperately to get tickets, only to face outright greed. I am one of the lucky ones because my wife works for the LDS Church, editing a sister publication to Deseret News called El Observador de Utah.

I am embarrassed to say that I am looking forward to seeing Archuleta live. I have attended only one other concert all year - namely Justin Bieber - and I still can't get the screams of the young mothers and the teenage girls, not to mention my own daughter, Elli, out of my ears. As I blogged earlier in the year, I enjoyed Archuleta's most recent cd. It has an airy, summer-light feel to it, nice melodies, less than acidic lyrics but you can't ask for everything.

That said, I am ashamed not to have seen any bands this year. To think all those years ago I would routinely find myself drunk and disorderly while enjoying Michael Gyra's The Swans decimating my hearing in some London dive, or singing along, fist clenched in the air to right-on Billy Bragg when he first appeared on the scene. Then there was the dope-scented warblings of the Cocteau Twins, the hammering rhythms of The Gun Club and the delightful sharp-edged folk of Nikki Sudden. I miss those days. 

Regardless, I will put on my togs and head out for dinner with the wife and the LDS Public Affairs department, followed by Archuleta et al. Should be an interesting evening.