On May 19, the WOW Hall and MC Chris reserved an entire screen at Valley River Center for the premiere screening of Star Wars Episode III for ticket holders from the MC Chris show at the WOW Hall on May 18. Here is a narrative of the experience and a review of the film without spoilers.

"Fear of loss is a path to the Dark Side."
—- Star Wars Episode III

As I walked into the WOW Hall for MC Chris and the following Star Wars Episode III, I felt just about perfect. I had listened to Elvis, cooked a sweet meal, and was loaded to get all nerded out. This was the night that every geeked-out nerd with a Wiffleball bat had been waiting for. Fortunately for everyone in the WOW Hall; and it was packed; there was a very talented geeked-out nerd without a Wiffleball bat onstage, MC Chris Ward.

A newbie to MC Chris’ music, I spent most of the show with my eyes closed absorbing music that the Beastie Boys or Bob Dylan would be happy with. MC Chris plays Hip-Hop music, but more important than that, MC Chris plays his Hip-Hop music.

I believe that good Hip-Hop music is like the Blues with a drum track and a more exploded sense of humor. MC Chris isn’t a "Hoochie Coochie Man" like Muddy Waters. MC Chris goes off like a "DQ Blizzard". It’s interesting to think that the word "stupid" or "stoopid", to use the parlance of Eubonic English, could mean that the artist used the imagery of what is ordinary to make a simple, universal point. When you compare yourself to an ice cream sundae, it’s stupid and it’s brilliant because many red-blooded Americans know that DQ Blizzards rock.

MC Chris is an all-out Star Wars fan. His music is comparable to the movies because in both, good and evil, love and hate, are clearly defined. As the music washed over me and MC Chris talked about it between songs, I kept thinking about _Star Wars_and why this last film was going to be incredible. I knew before I even walked in that we were going to get the most light-saber action ever from a Star Wars film, and we do. In fact, we also get the best-sustained light-saber duel of the series.

When I looked at MC Chris onstage, I felt a sense of spiritual pride. Near the end of a shortened set to accommodate everyone traveling to the film, MC Chris called his brother on his cell-phone so the WOW Hall could sing him an early "Happy Birthday". It was a beautiful moment for an artist who, like George Lucas when he put together Episode III, was clearly enjoying himself. I compare it to being from New Jersey and seeing Kevin Smith in his film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, in a light-saber duel with Mark Hamill, who is playing a character named Cock Knocker. Right there, ever living proof that some of us make it.

After the show, we got righteous and grabbed a ride from four fantastic MC Chris fans over to Valley River for the show. The discourse in the car was about, of course, Star Wars. We all stood up for Episodes I and II and we expected the best from Episode III.

The parking lot at the theater was full and flanked by nerds on the right who had been waiting on line for up to 36 hours. The MC Chris nerds were assembled in a shorter line to the left. Fifteen or twenty minutes of comfortable, good times later, the doors opened.

With the moonlight shimmering off the mountains and the stars shining, I walked into the theater. Through the entrance, which was high enough to let in a team of NBA basketball players, came nerds of all kinds. I was righteous, bearded, shaved and sober and I didn’t care who knew it. I was everything the well-schooled film reviewer ought to be. I was calling on Star Wars Episode III.

MC Chris welcomed everyone into the theater. I sat down, thanked God, and got ready to review a film that I had been waiting to see for most of my life.

Tragedy, Romance, and Star Wars Episode III

_"What makes a man is being prepared to do the right thing whatever the cost,
And a pair of testicles."_
—- The Big Lebowski

Tragedy, according to the Merriam-Webster and Garfield Dictionary, is a "serious drama with a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion". Romance is a "narrative dealing with heroic or mysterious events set in a remote time or place. Star Wars Episode III, like every episode in the series is both, and it’s beautiful.

All the Star Wars films are lyrical and imaginative motion pictures dedicated to the absurdity of their setting. Frame by frame, the rage of one leads to the suffering of many. The Star Wars films, all six, feature the combination of George Lucas shotmaking, storytelling, and special effects power with John Williams epic music. There are moments from all of the films that represent the very best of American cinema. Think Obi-Wan sacrificing himself into the ether so Luke could live in Episode IV. The moment Han Solo is frozen into carbonite in Episode V. No fan will ever forget in Episode VI, when Vader finally overcomes his rage and brings balance back to the Force.

Episode III is the perfect film to end this series. There are moments in it that will tear a fan out of his or her shoes. The symmetry of Tragedy with Romance is beautiful. People die, people live, and in the end, love ultimately conquers all. _Star Wars_films are about so much and so little of the real world that it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a beautiful place to be for a little over two hours. Then it’s back to the real world, where love conquers all too.

Steve Schechter is about to begin a radio show that is going to blow the doors off the broadcasting world. The Sporting Blues is coming soon.

_MC Chris is available on tour and on the Net at mcchris.com