Glee - Chicago Recap
HstryQT’s Glee Live! Chicago Recap
May 25, 2010
Way back last fall when we all had fallen head over heels for Glee, my mother in law said to me “Oh. My. God. If they go on tour we’re TOTALLY going.” (Yes she probably said it just like that). Little did I know at the time that they would go on tour, that they would come (relatively) close to my hometown of Indy (via Chicago) and that my mother in law would actually follow through with this hair-brained idea. We decided to make it our Mothers Day gift to each other and we were in much anticipation of our little Glee adventure!
The evening began around 5:30 with our VIP party (courtesy of the Ultimate Glee Fan Package). It was here that we ran into some old Idol friends who rounded out our little party. We made out with some great Glee swag and our super-fancy VIP laminate lanyard. I had heard rumors that cast members sometimes pop in at the VIP party, but we weren’t so lucky. It didn’t dampen our Gleek-y spirits though!
I went in knowing that the show was meant to be a “gift to the fans,” pulling out all of the stops (and pyrotechnics!) This was certainly the case, although many pointed out that the show seemed short. It was just over an hour, but the “intermission” was placed at the beginning of the night directly following the opening act, The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, allowing the entire rest of the night to be Glee-Glee-Glee with no interruptions. Because of this it didn’t seem short to me at all. To be honest, in all my life I’ve never screamed, danced, jumped and sang so much in a 70 minute period – so any longer would’ve killed me! Unlike every Idol Tour I’ve attended (Seasons 2 through 8), there was not a single moment that we sat down. There wasn’t time for sitting – there were just too many un-missable moments. Shall I name a few?
Lea Michele. Period. We all know how talented she is. Talent eeks from her pores and we feel it (through the magic of television) week after week. But imagine hearing her belt out “Don’t Rain On My Parade” 20 feet away from you while she’s frolicking about in the audience (just like in the episode!) It is surreal to say the least. I mean, you know she’s good but… she really is THAT good.
Our Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NoiCyw-svE
http://www.youtube.com/v/1NoiCyw-svE&hl=en_US&fs=1&
And while we’re talking about Rachel, let’s just dive right into her duet with Kurt, the adorable Chris Colfer. Defining Gravity is one of the most beautiful duets from the show, and it was absolutely stunning live. They both hit the notes so effortlessly it actually leaves you breathless, and then their harmonies are just extra extra icing on the cake (two extras!) Luckily for me, I actually got the chance to tell Chris in person just how much I loved his performance (more on that later!... I’m a tease, I know).
Our Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REO0zJwP0E4
http://www.youtube.com/v/REO0zJwP0E4&hl=en_US&fs=1&
I most definitely knew of the set list beforehand, so I was pretty darn excited that I’d be hearing Puck perform Sweet Caroline. It’s always been one of my favorite Glee songs and, as such, I’ve always been bitter that it’s such a short version. The live performance made up for it ten fold. Mark Salling worked the audience – Bop Bop Bops abounded… and the “So good! So good! So good!”s as well. Like Lea in “Don’t Rain,” he also walked through the audience, which made it that much more exciting. The rousing audience interaction reminded me of my experience with the boys on the Season 6 Idols Tour (Blake, Sligh, Phil, Chris Rich, etc.) performing Hey Jude.
Our Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NdwENroyPI
http://www.youtube.com/v/5NdwENroyPI&hl=en_US&fs=1&
This clearly segues to our other hunky cast member, Cory Monteith. Finn is definitely the one I was hoping would appear at our VIP party (to no avail). Luckily for us his sexiness was enough to overwhelm us from 20 feet away – especially during Push It. Holy smokes, there were little girls in that audience – cover their eyes, cover their eyes! (Meanwhile, can I watch again?? Ha ha). We didn’t get a good video. But here’s one from Phoenix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK0B6-S_hdY
http://www.youtube.com/v/GK0B6-S_hdY&hl=en_US&fs=1&
The person I was most surprised by was Heather Morris who plays Brittany. Known for being the “dumb blonde,” her deadpan humor makes her the queen of Glee quotes. I hadn’t been a huge fan of her character on the show (not saying she doesn’t make me laugh, but she was always sort of in the periphery for me). That all changed last night. I’ve decided she’s a comedic genius. She had two mini-comedic-intermissions during the show and both had the audience roaring. My favorite line was directed to Kurt in a feathery robe and hat: “You look like a boy peacock who likes other boy peacocks.” She also really played up her usual role of Sexy Cheerleader. She is an amazing dancer and your eyes were drawn to her the entire night, crowded stage or not. She was the surprising shining star for me.
Our Video: (Bust Your Windows, featuring Brittany’s dance moves)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktk8UoJW7oA
http://www.youtube.com/v/ktk8UoJW7oA&hl=en_US&fs=1&
When it comes to picking a favorite number of the night – there couldn’t be a more impossible task. The entire show was an explosion of epic Glee moments. While Don’t Stop Believing and Somebody to Love are classics, Like a Prayer was the biggest moment of the night for me (probably because I’m a child of the 90’s and love me some Madonna – plus Like a Prayer is legendary). But other numbers, like Jump (which had the cast jumping trampoline-style around the stage) and Bad Romance (with the killer Gaga get-ups), were such fun to watch. Well and then there’s the black Escalade that was rolled out during Bust Your Windows… and you can’t forget the It’s My Life/Confessions mash up, and… and… basically the entire night was just like that: overwhelming in the best way possible. We were the first concert that was occurring during a Glee episode premier (plus the Idol finale!) but it was totally worth it to miss both. I’m thrilled to have seen the Gaga performance live, not to mention every other performance as well! And as for missing Idol, well, we were at the Super Bowl while Idol watchers were at a PeeWee Football game. This is how I felt after watching it back. The talent levels don’t compare. (That said – I’m so thrilled for Lee! J).
Following the show we headed to the buses to try to catch the cast. Cory and Mark came out for autographs but didn’t come near enough to us. The “rest” of the cast (we were told) then boarded the bus and drove off. Most of the crowd left but a few of us stayed around (and we’re glad we did!) After about five minutes Chris Colfer (Kurt), Amber Lewis (Mercedes), Heather Morris (Brittany) and Harry Shum Jr (Mike) came out to sign autographs. I was able to meet Heather, Amber and Chris, all of which were so gracious and sweet. All three of them humored my mother in law who carries around a baguette (yes, a loaf of bread) named Bo who is the Discovery Channel educators’ mascot (He’s been all over America and is sort of famous. Find him here: http://www.facebook.com/BilboBoudinBaggett). Bo made quite the impression with Chris and Heather. It was great. This was where Heather once again proved to me how hilarious she really is (I truly love her now) and Chris stole my heart with his sincere appreciation for us fans. Also, Amber is absolutely stunning in person.
Now that my Glee adventure is over, my biggest takeaway was the incredible on-stage camaraderie between the cast members. Throughout the night there were little moments: laughter, nods of congratulations at great notes, or standing in awe during breathtaking moments. They were all having the time of their lives and we were right there along with them. You sensed the mutual respect that they have for one another and it made the show that much more heartwarming and amazing. Look at how gooey I’m getting! Hopefully Glee will be around for years to come and there can be many more concerts (in many more cities!) – because it sure seems like there is plenty of Glee-love to spread around!
- Lori @HstryQT