Where it Started: Darren Criss LIVE at Irving Plaza

When the tickets went on sale for Darren's acoustic gig up in NY, I was one of the many fans sitting on their computers, constantly refreshing the page and waiting for the clock to show 12:00 so we could attempt to snag some pre-sale tickets. Go reflexes, because I was one of the lucky ones! The tickets must have gone in a flash because, by 12:01, the internet was already complaining on Darren's Facebook page about being told no more tickets were available.

But I? I was going to hear "Not Alone" live. After I finished mopping myself up off my computer, of course, and after I actually figured out how to make the physical trip happen.

I wound up with some lovely poison ivy which is still plaguing me. So that’s awesome. Needless to say, I kept busy by scratching my way into Wednesday. But the poison ivy provided the extra bit of a cash I needed to fund the trip, so it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

I woke up at 4:30 AM to catch the bus into the city and got there around 10:30. I met up with my friends shortly after, and we spent the day checking out some of the parks rather than waiting in line for hours. I love Darren, I do. But, if I’m going to spend the money to get to New York City, I want to actually experience New York City. Plus, I really wanted to spend some time with my friends. I missed out on the usual Starkid singalongs and such, but I had a wonderful time with the people that matter to me, and that is just as important.

Around 3:45 I got Darren’s tweet sent to my phone:

So psyched for Irving Plaza tonight…Just hope I don’t pass out before soundcheck…someone give my voice a shot of adrenaline too..

When he tweets, it always seems to be about the current shows he’s doing or the places he’s been. While I love getting Darren’s tweets sent to my phone, they always leave me a little sad knowing that I couldn’t be part of that experience. This was his first tweet where I could really say: I’m going to be there later! I’m a part of this one.

So this tweet was special. It also left me a little worried. I wanted my friends going with me to also enjoy it. I chose to experience this with my friends, Katie and Anna. I wanted them to be there with me through this because they had been with me through everything. Although Darren music is my thing, they’ve supported me 100% and it wouldn’t have felt right to do this without them. But even though they know Darren’s music through me, I still wanted them to enjoy the show.

I’ve seen enough clips on YouTube to know that Darren is so talented it should be illegal, but I also know that what he sounds like when he’s wiped out. I really wanted my friends’ first experience with Darren live to be a good one. On another level, I really wanted that evening to be perfect – and I wanted my first experience with Darren live (without the help of YouTube) to be a good one.

So that was in the back of my mind. I was nervous and anxious and, of course, the venue just wanted to torture me by prolonging it. There had to have been about 5 fake-outs within the opening acts. It was frustrating as hell.

And then there he was, sprinting on stage with the opening notes of "I’ll Make a Man Out of You," which was frankly perfect because it seemed appropriate for him to begin where he started – posting his Disney covers on YouTube. I was too into the song to react to the fact that I was in the same room as Darren Freaking Criss, but right after the song ended I jumped on my friends (quite literally) and squealed like a 12-year-old.

I hadn’t needed to worry about his voice. Darren didn’t need any vocal adrenaline (badum tsh – okay so Katie thought of that one), because he brought his A game. Seriously, though, he sounded great vocally.

He began simply – just with him and his guitar through "Human," "One Fine Day," and "Status Quo." Then halfway through "I Still Think," a few of Darren’s friends came out and he sang with the band accompanying him. Darren’s already a bundle of energy and he performs his songs rather than simply singing them, but the band invigorated the music in a way that was amazing to watch. As Darren would say: it’s very different from his “folk sh-tuf.” He looked like a rock star up there, and I could tell he enjoyed every minute of it.

Next was "Jealousy" and "Not Alone," the latter of which actually came up on the set list a lot early than I thought it would. I expected it to be closer to the end. Darren played the piano, while the band accompanied. At the first “baby, you're not alone,” the Street Team released the bubbles they’d handed out during their time waiting in line. I knew of this plan, but was not a part of it - something I am actually grateful for because it was a beautiful thing to watch from the back. Everyone was singing along and there was just so much love in the room at that moment. It was wonderful to be a part of it.

Anna revealed to me later that she’d actually been surprised to know that everyone in the room knew the song considering I’d introduced it to her so intimately with my own story. That’s the thing with Darren’s music - it is intimate and unifying at the same time because we all have a story hidden somewhere. And, even if we don’t share the story like I have chosen to do, the emotions that preside over those stories bind us together as supporters of Darren. It’s real and pure and one of the things that makes our fandom one of the best ever.

So after "Not Alone" and "The Coolest Girl," songs which require the piano, Darren began the most awesome set of surprise guests ever. First up – the Warblers, who harmonized with the song that first made us fall in love with them: "Teenage Dream," which was sandwiched between Darren’s own compositions, "Sami" and "Don’t You".

Darren then engaged the Starkids in his song "Goin’ Back to Hogwarts." He sang for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and then, to everyone’s surprise, out came Lauren Lopez for Draco Malfoy’s part while Darren harmonized. Lauren and Darren sang the "Granger Danger" duet together, and then she left the stage so Naya Rivera could come out and duet "Valerie."

I don’t think anyone expected the show to be so filled with guests, but we loved every second of it. He ended the show with "Part of Your World" for the girls who had been holding up a sign asking him to sing it and an upbeat version of Stutter that he played with the band, which ended the evening on a fun dance number that had everyone moving. "Part of Your World" was beautiful, as the Street Team released some more bubbles which created an underwater effect.

All of these songs are on YouTube for those of you who couldn’t be there or watch the livestream. Just type in Darren Irving Plaza in the search and they’ll come right up.

I am thrilled I was able to attend such a wonderful event. It was a perfect balance of Starkid and Glee. It had a beautiful sense of overlap as Darren mixed both fandoms within the set list, even more so when the Warblers accompanied the songs that were traditionally associated with Darren or Starkid Productions.

This intermingling only intensified within the audience. We sang every single song, whether it was from Glee, Starkid, Darren’s EP, Disney, or his time singing in small restaurants. What a wonderful mix of fans! It was clear that no one was here strictly for either Starkid or for Glee, but for Darren. It was a celebration of everything he’s done and how far he’s gotten in the past year, and that’s a beautiful thing to be a part of.

Darren loves his fans. Despite his success, he still seemed thrilled that we were all there to support him. In his words he was “psyched” to see us and thanked us for letting him be a part of our world. Of course, we were all standing there like… duh. But he’s so grateful to every one of us, and this is a message that needs to be spread outside the walls of Irving Plaza.

The evening was beautiful and I spent the next three days in a Darren high, the reason for the delay in posting this entry. I will never forget this experience, and I have a lot of ways to remember: the pictures you see in this entry (and a bunch more) as well as the signed poster I got at the venue. Yes, Darren Criss did write out my name. He also signed his name with a heart and a smiley face and an exclamation point.

Staples of a Darren Criss Concert:

• “I always forget my lyrics, so welcome to the show.” -After messing up in "Status Quo"

• “He’s gonna start sweating a lot. Well, it sounds cool, but it’s extremely gnarly. So for the front row, if you get a little bit of a shower… See you act excited though, but forgive me in advance for any diseases you get because of said sweat.” –At the end of "Status Quo"

• “Also a point of a Darren Show: mid-song tuning. And then I realize the crowd doesn’t care so I just keep playing.” – Before "I Still Think"

Edited April 2016 from a post published Jun 20, 2011 via Wordpress

#DarrenCriss #music #concert