Lemony Snicket @ Town Hall

You missed many things if you did not go to the Lemony Snicket event at Town Hall last night. One of them, however, was not the elusive Mr. Snicket. He flaked.

But, you missed the incomparable Daniel Handler yelling at small children. You missed a Midway complete with hi-striker, tattoo parlor, a game of Throw the Ball in Count Olaf's Mouth, and a Bad Fortune Teller. You missed a rollicking performance by Seattle's own The Bad Things. You missed two thirds of The Gothic Archies (again, because their drummer, Mr. Snicket, flaked) performing songs inspired by the books in The Series of Unfortunate Events. You missed a four-hour signing.

In other words, you missed lots and lots of fun.

But even if you were there, you missed something. You missed Stephin Merritt (ukulele player in The Gothic Archies and the man behind a band I'm fond of called The Magnetic Fields) doing a lonely sound check on the stage of Town Hall. That soundcheck? Mr. Merritt doing an a cappella version of Neil Diamond's "Song Sung Blue" and a ukulele version of "Incense and Peppermints."

I didn't miss it, though.