I decided to stay to see if I would be able to get since I made the effort to attend. I saw a professor of German language and film whom I took a class from on the history of German film; still looks the same, just a bit more gray in the beard and on top of the head. I hadn't seen him since 1990, unless one counts seeing him on the DVD of Heimat for which he did the introduction to the film/mini-series.
The Orpheum looks about the same as the last time I was there, I think that was 1993. Noam looks still as strong and intense as ever, although his gait and posture does give away his age a bit. His speech was interesting and thought-provoking and he spoke quite a bit about the Spanish Civil War and the Weimar Republic, touching on some parallels of note for the current political climate of the US. I was happy to see that he shared the same sympathy for the TEA party movement as I have fostered; you have to empathize with this group of people even if they are fed by nefarious sources; wages as a whole in the US has decreased in the past 30 years, while taxes have not. People can't bite their employer's hands, so they bite the hand of least resistance, the government.
The Q and A period was prefaced with the stern words that if a person at the microphone begins to extend their question to what appears to be in the slightest and attempt to proselytize/polemicize, then the mic would be cut immediately. I stayed for a few questions, then left to beat the rush; there were at least 2,000 people there, standing room only.
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