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CONCERT REVIEW: Glee! Live! In Concert! @ Wells Fargo Center 6/8
If you plan on catching Glee! Live! In Concert! on one of their U.S. or international tour dates in the next few weeks, I recommend ear plugs. Not that the music is lacking - it's actually pretty good, with a few truly powerful performers - but the hysterical screaming of tweenage fangirls (and boys) combined with mega-speakers produced more sonic waves than the average human eardrum should withstand.
CONCERT REVIEW: Glee! Live! In Concert! @ Wells Fargo Center 6/8
For a television show that goes to such lengths to present a diverse cast, the Glee Live audience was about at white-bread as it gets
If you plan on catching Glee! Live! In Concert! on one of their U.S. or international tour dates in the next few weeks, I recommend ear plugs. Not that the music is lacking — it’s actually pretty good, with a few truly powerful performers — but the hysterical screaming of tweenage fangirls (and boys) combined with mega-speakers produced more sonic waves than the average human eardrum should withstand.
The sold-out crowd at the Wells Fargo Center was at least 80 percent women on June 8, when the tour made its Philadelphia stop. For a television show that goes to such lengths to present a diverse cast, the Glee Live audience was about at white-bread as it gets: families, couples on the gayest dates ever, and gangs of teenagers wearing homemade and official Glee attire. This monochromatic effect may be a function of privilege, as tickets ran about $111 each.
As an opening act, the LXD (League of Extraordinary Dancers) performed a sort of musical pantomime, complete with a range of gymnastic dancing from breaking to Broadway hoofing. The young dancers were splendid, but the overall narrative obscure and boring. The crowd seemed to enjoy it, though, and gave the LXD an appreciative ovation. A long wait followed, punctuated by high-volume commercials on two giant screens for Chevy, Samsung, and the new Glee app.
Tension built within the arena as the lights were dimmed, and sections 122-123, who had a view behind the stage, screamed in undulating waves over something the rest of us could not see. A troupe of costumed Cheerios (the cheerleaders of fictional McKinley High) circulated the arena handing out branded “Sue Sylvester barf bags” on behalf of the show’s sociopathic villain, played by Jane Lynch. A short video lead in played, and the Glee cast took the stage.
Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin,’” an anthem now twice repurposed for television, led off in a production number complete with spraying fireworks. From here, the show alternated between power-ballad showstoppers, emotional solos by baby Barbra Lea Michele (as Rachel Berry) and the typical duets featured over the last two seasons. Heather Morris, who plays airhead Brittany on the show, is a pro dancer-turned-actress who performed on Beyonce’s 2007 world tour and was hired to teach Glee’s Chris Colfer (Kurt) to do the “Single Ladies dance” before being cast on the show as a regular. Her star power is evident on the stage, as she and fellow strong dancer Harry Shum Jr. (Mike Chang) are featured front and center.
The most surreal thing about the live show is the feeling of being transported inside a television: the characters come to you intact — mannerisms, costumes, vocal limitations and all. Whomever chose the set list has a clear idea of the best numbers from the first two seasons, so the show only suffers from a few flat spots — namely, Chris Colfer’s awkward, slowed-down “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and a duet between Dianna Agron (Quinn) and Chord Overstreet (Sam), something heinously dull about being in love with your best friend.
Otherwise, the best performances come from the biggest voices on the show. Amber Riley (Mercedes) kills it with a gospel-choir-backed version of Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way;” breakout star Darren Criss (Blaine) leads rival glee club the Daulton Warblers in their three best numbers: Pink’s “Raise Your Glass,” Paul McCartney’s “Silly Love Songs,” and Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” all cleverly arranged in true choral style, with pretty harmony and matching blazers.
No production number is missed in the 24-song show, from Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way” to Jay-Z’s “New York State of Mind.” You paid for it, and you are getting it, just as you saw it on television (or hulu.com). The finale of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” came complete with shooting flames, pouring smoke and confetti cannon, which blasted this writer and photographer Neal Santos so thoroughly, we were still finding confetti in our underwear come Thursday morning.
With the Glee money train certain to derail at some point in the near future, the young stars of the show are working hard for their paychecks on tour, and it shows. Lea Michele, Amber Riley, Darren Criss and Kevin McHale (Artie) emerged as the strongest singers, though Michele’s trembling lip and watery eyes are less poignant than irritating. Sky-high production values, dancing with manic energy and a million-dollar sound system make Glee Live worth the price of admission, and maybe even an excited squeal of two from a closet fan.
Glee! Live! Performers
- Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray
- Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel
- Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams
- Lea Michele as Rachel Berry
- Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson
- Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones
- Mark Salling as Noah "Puck" Puckerman
- Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang
- Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez
- Heather Morris as Brittany Pierce
- Harry Shum, Jr. as Mike Chang
- Ashley Fink as Lauren Zizes
- Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans
- Darren Criss at Blaine Warbler
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