Sunday 26 June 2011

Today's Review: Glee Live

Glee is huge. It's probably a lot more successful than anyone thought it would be. I'm gonna go into this review assuming that everyone at least knows a bit about Glee, but forgive me for rattling off names and scenarios you don't know, but this is a review of the live concert, not the TV show itself.

The least you probably know is that Glee has songs in it. Lots of songs. I'm actually very impressed with the way the show is made. Instead of just churning out song after song, the script can be absolutely fantastic, and I'll openly admit to welling up on a few occasions. The songs are great though. They fit in with the theme of the episodes, are suited to the characters who sing them, and there are always full versions of the songs in each episode ready to go online for fans to buy after the show. Albums have been churned out at an alarming rate, so it was only a matter of time before a tour was put together.

It could have been a half-assed effort. They could have just trotted out the key members of the cast and gone methodically from number to number, maybe even set up a "Glee Experience" if they were feeling especially lazy, I'm sure people still would've paid for it. But not Glee, oh no. This show is put together with love.

Every single member of New Directions was there in full force, completely in character. Props and dances were transferred over to the stage with great precision, there are the T-shirts from the "Born This Way" number, Brittany's Britney outfit, and even a nice little slushie throw at the audience. Everyone got to perform a number of their own, and it was good to see a mix-up of big group numbers and solos or duets. There's even a mini set from The Warblers, which I farkin' loved, because I've always had a soft spot for a capella groups, and The Warblers were an awesome addition to season 2.

The songs themselves were flawless. I always like to keep an ear out for whether vocals and backing tracks are live or not, and while backing tracks were present in quite a few songs, there was a full band behind the club when they did their big group numbers. Puck and Sam got their guitars out for their numbers, and Finn even had a go on the drums. Everyone in this show really can sing too, at times I was in disbelief that they were signing live, because the songs sound just as good as they do on the show. This show really elevates the Glee cast members to new levels of esteem for me, they're not just well rehearsed television actors, they truly are full-fledged stage performers, able to sing, dance around and change costume with perfect timing.

To put it simply, I had a blast. The show only lasted an hour and 20 minutes, which kinda sucked, but the songs were perfectly balanced between chart hits, show numbers, solos and group songs. There were flawless performances all round, and no one character shined through more than anyone else, they were all equally amazing. If you like the show, watching Glee live is awesome experience.

My rating: 5/5


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