First Friday Hippie Chic at the MFA

All week I eagerly anticipated going to the First Friday 60s Dance Party that coincided with the MFA exhibit Hippie Chic. The colors, fashions, and music remind me of the happy, carefree days of my early childhood, when everyone had long hair or afros, and instead of seeing harried drivers flipping each other off, you'd see a Volkswagen Beetle zipping around the corner with a smiling bearded hippie flashing the peace sign while calling out "Peace man!" I imagined being immersed in a psychedelic world, full of cool people wearing colorful clothing, fringe, beads, nehru jackets, maxi dresses, mini skirts, and smoking imaginary joints.  I could almost smell the scent of incense and patchouli, but I was in for a big surprise.

I met my friends, and we were all dressed in our 60s finery. We took in the exhibit first, which was an impressively themed display of sartorial artistry, but I was disappointed that the exhibit was so small. I had expected to see psychedelic painted vans, more photography that would put the fashions in context, and 60s paraphernalia.  Then we went to the room where the party was: a big echoing concrete and glass chamber, devoid of any color or decoration. Most of the women present were festively dressed, but hardly any of the men. They stood around awkwardly, their hands in their pockets, wearing their neat buttoned shirts, looking oh so MIT tech geek. It really killed the vibe. I was tempted to say, "Hey guys, I don't know if you got the memo, but the theme of tonight's party isn't 'Revenge of the Yuppies.'"

People crowded around the bar for the theme drink of the evening: Flower Power Punch, which was actually quite good, refreshing, fruity, slightly tart, for an additional $10. Too bad I couldn't say the same about the food, which appeared so dessicated and unappealing, that I was willing to risk a headache to wait to eat elsewhere, rather than pay an additional $7 for it. I was determined to get my money's worth of dancing, however. The DJ played mainly 50s hits, a few good 60s hits, but my opinion of her took a turn for the worse when she cut off Tom Jones' "She's a Lady" when I was in the middle of a really good dance groove.

When I asked a couple of the guys to dance they looked at me as if I asked "May I pick your pocket please?" I tried not to let it kill my spirit. I made sure to ask the next guy if he was groovy first before asking him to dance. There were so many ways this event could have been better at $25 a ticket. They could have had a costume contest, awarding an MFA membership or exhibit hall passes. They could have had a dance contest. They could have had actors passing out flowers, more decorations, psychedelic lights, a smoke machine, mixers, and theme party favors. As far as atmosphere and creating a feeling of authenticity, the party was kind of lame, but the exhibit, as small as it was, was well worth seeing.