Caffeinated Politics

Summer truly arrives in Madison when something extraordinary happens on the Capitol Square. Long before the first note from the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra floats into the summer air, the Square begins to fill with the soft choreography of a city remembering how to be a community. That is something I wish to underscore at a time when it appears that people are disunited and splintering over issues both large and small. As I sat at the first concert of the season on what was a perfect evening of pleasant temperatures and light breezes, I looked around me and thought about what preceded the music. While the show was clearly created by the talented musicians under the leadership of Maestro Andrew Sewell, it would be wrong not to note the other driving force behind the good mood among the thousands who attended.

Early in the afternoon, blankets are set on the statehouse lawn in a haphazard array of colors and designs. There might be a book left as a weight so the blanket doesn’t blow around, or a small lawn chair. As the afternoon passes, it is interesting to watch picnic baskets thump onto the blankets and grass, as strangers respectfully negotiate invisible borders with a smile and a nod as they make their way to their own small place on the lawn. Over the hours of any concert night, and over the many years this event has occurred, the blankets and other items remain untouched except by the owners. In a large city. As I observed the show both on the stage and then all around me, I knew this was a testament to a civic trust that feels almost old‑fashioned in the best possible way.

Walking around the Square before the show is one of my favorite things to do. Office workers have removed their ties (it was nice to see faces from the past), folks pass around containers of potato salad, retirees settle into lawn chairs, and two kids, in particular, chased bubbles that drifted lazily up, up, and away, seemingly toward the Capitol dome.

By the time the orchestra tunes, the crowd is well-settled, and the reserved tables are enjoying the camaraderie of friends, new and old. (James and I were seated at such a table.) The music begins, and for a moment the world’s noise fades away. The rancor of political headlines, the tension of national debates, the churn of local disputes–all of it softens under the strings and brass. The Square becomes a place where people simply share space, share Mother Nature, and share the reminder that a city is more than its many disagreements. I contend that understanding our commonalities is a necessity for a city and its people.

The performance featured a no-holds-barred celebration of two piano-rock legends. Jeans ’n Classics joined the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra for a hit-packed night of Billy Joel and Elton John favorites. Talk about a crowd pleaser!

That obvious feeling of unity among attendees, I suspect, is one they wish could be created more often. They also understood, I suspect, what is happening in our nation every day, with the continuous threats to democracy playing out. I find this column tonight much different from the ones I need to write most days of the week. So, it’s important to be reminded that civic life is not only about elections or policy fights but also about our shared coexistence. A collective hush as the conductor raises the baton.

I get to write what some might call a corny ending to this column. But it was how I felt as the sun set behind the Capitol, and Elton John’s music left people dancing. It’s hard not to feel grateful. For the orchestra. For the Square. For the decades of tradition. For the simple fact that, in a world that often is fractured, Madison still knows how to gather together. Joyfully.

May it always be so.