Last week, Public Transport Victoria surprised their customers with a bunch of sing-a-long flash mobs to “liven up their commute” home.
Does anyone else remember the finale of American Horror Story: Coven, where the witches travelled to their manifestation of hell and back? Well, flash mobs mixed with public transport would probably be what I would see if I were condemned to eternal damnation.
To give you the 411: Public Transport Victoria hired a bunch of musicians, including a full-on choir, to do a series of sing-a-longs on their vehicles in the hopes of livening up the moods of passengers.
IDK if it is the same in Victoria, but in Sydney, instead of choirs, we get local eshays who play a selection of Soundcloud rappers from their UE Boom speakers.
Since PTV (not us, another PTV!) uploaded snaps of their “Autumn Adventures”, many people shared their reactions, with some folks calling it a waste of tax moolah.
“In the future, allocate that cash to upgrading the wider network,” one person wrote.
Political commentary Twitter account Voice For Victoria wrote: “Standing behind the ticket inspector, who’s making sure you aren’t fare evading on your late train after the first one cancelled, BAM you’ve got a stranger belting out a choir ballad so loud you can hear it over your [headphones]. What an experience. Tax dollars hard at work here.”
Other people expressed how flash mobs are also a personal hell for them.
More folks also commented that they’d rather have trains and buses arrive on time or even score some free trips.
No hate to the singers and creatives who were involved, but I just think commuters would rather have a peaceful trip home after a day’s work.
The whole flash mob thing is very reminiscent of the 2010s — back when flashmobs were used for everything, including proposals, prom-proposals, music videos and all that jazz. I’m afraid we’ll see a resurgence of the Harlem Shake. IYKYK.
It also reminds me of a TikTok that went viral earlier this year where musician Jessica Pearson attempted to start a sing-a-long in a jam-packed elevator. Although Pearson admitted to Vice Motherboard that the elevator vid was staged, there was a “real” moment where the musician sang on a delayed aeroplane. Nonetheless, they’re both my nightmares.
But no tea, no shade, with the way Sydney Trains are operating, I would rather deal with a choir than a bunch of chaotic bus replacements.
Image Source: Twitter / @PTV_Official
