We were watching Trump's Oaks, Pennsylvania town hall live, so we experienced the shift from talk to pure music....

... and if you didn't watch live, you can still watch the video and thereby have your own opinion of what happened... and of the way the mainstream media are reporting it. You're unlikely to sit through the whole thing, as we did. We were there in real time, like the people in the auditorium, to hear Trump answer some questions.

Trump comes out at 1:05:00. He speaks for 15 minutes before any question is asked. Then he takes the first question and then the second and third, but at 1:38:00, there's a medical emergency that goes on for quite a while. 

Four minutes into the incident, Trump says "This is a little bit of a tough one, I think." After the crowd begins singing "God Bless America," Trump asks his music person to play the recording of "Ave Maria"... which makes me think the person in the audience is dying. Trump seems to have determined not to restart the town hall until it can be known that the person has been helped. It's a silent demonstration of caring, so perhaps he's calculating that this is as good a statement as anything he might say and that speaking would be an implicit statement of not caring.

At 1:45:00, there's an attempt to return to the town hall format, but 3 minutes later, there's another medical emergency. At 1:50:00, he talks about the heat and says "I wish we could open those doors." There's cool air outdoors. He consults with men in suits, then: "For security reasons, they can't, but you know what? I said just open them, because anybody comes through those doors, you know what's going to happen to them." 

The "Ave Maria" that had been playing earlier was instrumental, and then I saw Trump say "Pavarotti" to his music guy. Then, at 1:54:00, we're hearing the Pavarotti "Ave Maria." At 1:57:00, he's talking about the greatness of Pavarotti. He segues into general political talk: gotta win Pennsylvania, gonna fix the country fast. Then he tells the people he's just going to play music and "you can sit and listen... and I think it will be beautiful." He compliments himself on the idea: "Isn't it nice to have imagination?"

That sets up a dig at Kamala Harris: Without a teleprompter, she's lost. Kristi Noem, the moderator, adds edge: "Life is hard, but it's harder when you're stupid." (She doesn't take credit for the witticism, but she does misattribute it to John Wayne.) Trump's response is that he's not really running against Harris. He's "running against a very corrupt machine." He talks a little while, but takes no more questions.

"Let me hear that music, nice and loud!" he says, at 2:04:00, and he remains on the stage, listening to the music with the people until 2:42:20, when he walks down off the stage and into the audience. With "Memory" from "Cats," playing, he moves through the crowd shoulder to shoulder. This goes on for a full 5 minutes and more, until 2:47:22. He's there, giving time and presence to the people. It feels profound. As he imagined: "It will be beautiful."

Of course, if you don't like Trump, you can portray it as freakish and absurd.

At The Washington Post: "Trump sways and bops to music for 39 minutes in bizarre town hall episode/Vice President Kamala Harris has called Trump, 78, unstable and questioned his mental acuity."

As Trump stood onstage in his oversize suit and bright red tie, swaying back and forth, it was almost as if he were taking a trip back to decades past. Trump’s decision to cut short the question-and-answer portion of the town hall and instead have the crowd stay to listen to his favorite songs was a somewhat bizarre move, given that the election was only 22 days away. Vice President Kamala Harris has called Trump, 78, unstable and questioned his mental acuity. Some in the crowd began to leave. Some looked around, wondering whether he was done speaking for the night and how much longer the dance — or sway — session would last. Many stayed holding their cameras and watched as Trump took in the music, at times looking over at a screen beside him that showed videos of James Brown singing “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” and Sinéad O’Connor performing “Nothing Compares 2 U.”...He spoke to attendees on his way out, as “Memory” from the musical “Cats” played in the background.

The top-rated comment over there: "Well, that just seems like a fun session at the memory care unit." 

At The New York Times: "Trump Bobs His Head to Music for 30 Minutes in Odd Town Hall Detour/After multiple interruptions, Donald Trump cut off questions and seemed to decide that it would be more enjoyable for all concerned — and, it appeared, for himself — if he fired up his campaign playlist."

As Mr. Trump stood through the first few songs, basking in the admiration of his supporters, the crowd packed into the expo center largely stayed put, filming him on their phones and at points singing along.... ... Mr. Trump generally returns to his planned remarks after medical issues at other events. On Monday... Mr. Trump suggested taking another question or two.... but then said he’d play “Y.M.C.A.” and send the crowd home. But after “Y.M.C.A.” ended, Mr. Trump seemed a little perplexed. “There’s nobody leaving,” he said. “What’s going on?”... Still, as one song became two, then three, many of those in the back of the house began to filter out.... [O]ne of Mr. Trump’s aides, Justin Caporale, came on the stage with a sheet of paper. Mr. Trump briefly reviewed what had been handed to him, and the two chatted briefly. Then, seconds later, Mr. Trump decided he’d had his fill. He waved, pumped his fist, and finally made his way off the stage.

Off the stage... and that's where the NYT ends. There's nothing of the 5 minutes he spent in the crowd, which felt profound to me. I don't think Trump was "perplexed." When he said "There’s nobody leaving. What’s going on?," I think he meant: I can see that you love me. Implied: And I want to give back to you.

At ABC News: "Trump's Pennsylvania town hall, interrupted by medical emergencies in crowd, turned into an impromptu concert/What was supposed to be a Q&A with supporters was paused by fainting spells."

The former president, adamant about playing his music, stood on stage for nearly 45 minutes swaying to several songs on his playlist as the crowd sang and danced along. The crowd slowly dispersed, but many stayed for the entirety of the campaign event.... Following the concert, Trump made his way to the front row, signing red MAGA hats and 47 signs. Trump's movement was noteworthy as he hasn't interacted with a large crowd to that extent since his attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania.

And, taking the cake for Trump hating, Salon: "'Trump appears lost': Alarm after Trump town hall abruptly turns into 'bizarre' musical event/For more than a half hour, the former president stood on stage listening to music instead of answering questions." 

Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump with a record of telling falsehoods to the press, tried to put a positive spin on a peculiar evening.

“Something very special is happening in Pennsylvania right now at the Trump townhall,” he wrote on X. Trump “is unlike any politician in history, and it’s great.”...

“The October surprise is that Trump has completely lost his marbles,” Anthony Scaramucci, the former president’s one-time White House communications director, posted on social media.

The Harris campaign likewise used the incident to argue that Trump, who would be the oldest president in history at the end of another term, is suffering the sort of decline that drove President Joe Biden out of the race.

“Trump appears lost, confused, and frozen on stage as multiple songs play for 30+ minutes and the crowd pours out of the venue early,” the Democratic campaign posted on X.

The Democratic candidate herself adopted a tone of trolling concern about the health and well-being of a man whose musical performances are punctured by racist lies and threats to deploy the military against “the enemy from within.”

“Hope he’s okay,” the vice president wrote on social media.