Being a mega rock star is relatively easy. All you need is the right instruction manual.

Some instructions, however, are tougher than others -- especially if you're blue, bald and speechless, like the Blue Man Group (the trio's lack of ears may actually help).

Instruction No. 48 of the How To Be A Megastar Manual, for example, can be a killer. It's titled Introducing the Band.

The band introduction is a key part of any arena rock concert. It usually follows some climactic point in the show, like when the lead singer belches fire on those in the front rows of the audience. It has to be done with style and flair -- panache, if you will.

But Blue Men don't speak. They don't even belch. So how do they follow the instruction manual?

With a little help from the audience, of course.

And so goes the plot to the latest interactive touring show of the Blue Man Group, landing at Copps Coliseum on Friday. Through more than 90 minutes of thunderous rock music, spectacular effects and hilarious, often messy, antics, the Blue Man Group learns How To Be A Megastar (the title of their current arena tour). And, in so doing, the bald blue guys also teach the audience.

"It's always fascinating to go to one of their shows," says Megastar's executive co-producer Greg Hanlun. "You'll see thousands of people doing exactly what the blue men are instructing them to do. And the blue men don't speak."

You've probably heard of the Blue Man Group. They get a lot of TV play, being one of the only acts to be lampooned by both The Simpsons and Family Guy. Maybe you've seen them one of the 17 times the bald, blue trio has been on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Or perhaps, you saw the show's lengthy and controversial 18-month run in 2005-'06 at Toronto's Panasonic Theatre. It closed early after making headlines over its use of a nonunion cast and crew.

The How To Be A Megastar tour will be much different from the short-lived Toronto theatrical production. For one thing, there shouldn't be any union problems -- the tour respects each venue's union rules, says Megastar's executive co-producer Greg Hanlun.

For another, the Megastar show is tailored for large arenas -- more spectacular in lighting and staging, more like a rock show. The Blue Man Group will even have an eight-piece band performing (sans blue face) with them onstage. They'll perform classic rock favourites by Pink Floyd and The Who, including a killer version of Baba O'Riley.

The blue men don't sing, of course, but they are very interesting percussionists who get the most extraordinary sounds out of household plumbing supplies.

The Blue Man Group has been around for more than 20 years, started as a parlour act by three New York artists covered in blue grease paint.

There are now more than 60 blue men working in various shows around the globe. They tend to be multitalented performers -- part mime, musician, comedian and dancer. Although only three will be seen on any one stage at any one time, four blue men are travelling on this particular Canadian tour so they can take turns having nights off. It's hard work being a Blue Man, apparently.

The key ingredient to the success of the franchise is the charm of the Blue Man character. The creators have never explained where the Blue Man is from. He's not an alien, he's just from outside. He never makes a judgment. He's just curious. He wants to know why we do the odd things we do.

"There are things in our culture and society that we take for granted that blue men might not quite fully understand," explains Hanlun.

Such as ...why would people pay good money to go to a rock concert only to have fire belched on them by a man dressed in elevator shoes, black tights and a spiked tunic?

No wonder the blue and bald guys are speechless.

grockingham@thespec.com

905-526-3331

Showtime

What: Blue Man Group How To Be A Megastar Tour 2.1

When: Friday, Sept. 19, 8 p.m.

Where: Copps Coliseum

Tickets: $49.50 and $74.50, plus fees, at Copps box office or by phone at 905-527-7666 and online at ticketmaster.ca

What makes a man blue?

* The original Blue Man Group was created in New York by Phil Stanton, Chris Wink and Matt Goldman in 1988. The first off-Broadway show was titled Tubes, in 1991.

* The Blue Man head is created by covering a latex bald cap with blue grease paint. It never dries, allowing actors to maintain a wet gooey look throughout the show. It takes about an hour to apply.

* Blue men tend to be messy. At theatrical performances, plastic ponchos are handed out to patrons sitting in the front rows to protect them from the mess. A Blue Man Group spokesperson said patrons at Copps Coliseum need not worry. The mess tends to stay on the stage during the larger arena shows. They do advise fans to wear casual clothes, though, just in case.