Oh my wizard god, it’s a Darren Criss sex riot

[laliandra]

It’s probably a sign of how poor I am at actual blogging that I am taking it as a great victory to be writing about something that only a happened a week ago. A mere seven days! \o/!

So yes, a week ago I went with altogetherisi to see Darren Criss play a solo concert at the Garage in Islington. I’m still not exactly sure how Isi got the tickets but I’m pretty sure that actual magic was involved.

Anyway, due to times and price and other fun stuff, I had to get a bus that left at 6.45 in the morning to get me into London at a decent hour. Which meant that there would be plenty of time for hanging out and scoping the area beforehand. We met at Victoria and got on the tube, merrily debating what we should do when we arrived at the venue four and a half hours before the gig was due to start. It turned out that what we would be doing was QUEUEING. By the time we arrived there was already queue the length of the building.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE FANGIRLS.

Which meant that we had to stand in line for four with nothing to do but talk to each other and admire other people’s starkid shirts and glasses. Luckily talking for hours on end has never an issue for us.

Lal: *details all the big bangs she knows about* TLDR they are all going to be amazing.
Isi: And the Wardolope one! Cutest ever!
Lal: I also have info about that one! I am just a endless font of random TSNBB knowledge.
Lal: Also did I mention that my two artists are novembersmith and alexthegreat ?
Isi: Oh my god.
Lal: Right?
Isi: OH MY GOD
Lal: RIGHT?!
Isi: How on earth did you manage that?
Lal: I have no idea.
*ten minutes of squee later*
Lal: But seriously I am very excited about art claims.
Isi: Really...

When we first joined the line it rained, well, it poured down on us, huddling under Isi’s slightly broken umbrella, but after an hour or so it was gloriously sunny. So much so that I started to worry about burning in my strappy sundress and no sunblock. Well planned there, self!

Anyway, Isi’s friend J met us and we ate cookies and discussed how the release of Deathly Hallows was giving us ALL OF THE FEELINGS. Also how last time Isi and I had gone to a gig we had been seperated and slightly trampled by Glamberts.
Isi: This will not happen again!
Lal: Dammit, I forgot the handcuffs. (a joke made on twitter some time before)
Isi’s friend: …

So, more queueing, then a lot of standing around inside the venue once we got in, and it was unspeakably hot in there. But! We did have a pretty amazing spot - about 5 rows back and almost dead centre - and, weirdly, as the gig went on our view just got better and better. Such is the magic of Darren Criss.

The actual gig was, yeah, it was amazingly beyond words amazing. Everyone, Darren included, just seemed so delighted and surprised to be there. I lovelovelove going to gigs like that, to places where people are fans and ugh, it was all so awesome.

Darren Criss is really talented, y’all! See, I’m sure you knew that. I thought I knew that but I was totally blown away. His voice is so good. SO GOOD. And the way he plays the guitar and piano, also amazing. And he’s just a really great performer, natural and funny and engaging.

Here watch this and all of the stupid faces he pulls and the little asides he makes - and also unf, arms - and tell me you aren’t charmed.

He played some of his own songs, some of which I knew and some I didn’t, and seemed shocked that people knew the words. Like I said, Darren, do not underestimate fans. And some Glee stuff, OMG, he sang Misery and after the line “Ain’t nobody who can comfort me” someone yelled, “I CAN!” So many, many virtual points to that girl.

Also charming was that when he sang ‘Sami’ everyone sang “Darren” in the chorus instead and he was all like, “aw shucks you guys” and then “but that doesn’t even rhyme” and then “you cheeky buggers!” which feels like some sort of secret life achievement. Called a cheeky bugger by Darren Criss, check! Hearing Starkid songs live and hearing people singing along was a very surreal experience.

And then Joe Walker showed up and they sang “Getting Along” and it was completely camp and hilarious and good god Joe Walker is hot. That is the long and the short of it. Just. Hot. Wow. Okay. Not even usually my type but hot.

Oh, oh, and Darren sang “Not Alone” and as soon as it started Isi grabbed my hand and I just sort of clutched incoherently at her throughout. Because that is the song that mcollinknight quotes at me when things are horrible and it’s the one I put on the “Here’s To You, Awesome Person” mix and it’s the Trevor Project and Harry Potter fandom and *looks around* where is my hand to hold?

Speaking of things that made me slightly verklepmt, there’s this

Which was a total Moment, cliché as it sounds, and it was so special and just watching that youtube video, which is how I usually experience things like this, and knowing that I was there, that one of those people making “awww”ing noises is me, well, that kind of blows my mind.

The encore was, naturally, “Gotta Get Back To Hogwarts” and it was fabulous, even though by that point my voice had started to go, I don’t think I’ve ever yelled “Ravenclaw” and “Slytherin” as loudly in my life (hey, a girl’s got to cheer for her houses). It was a crazy, all out celebratory thing, Darren playing the guitar and Joe pretending to play the piano and everyone bouncing and singing. Ugh. Wonderful.

Really, I only had a couple of issues. One was that when Darren asked, halfway through his Starkid set, if these songs were new to anyone and a few people raised their hands. There were a few boos and Darren was like, woah, not cool you guys. Which it’s not. But there were a lot, a LOT of young teenagers there, 14/15 years old, and so I am letting them off for being young and silly. They’ll learn. Especially if Kara and I ever get to enact our Rules of Fandom. There was also an upsetting lack of clapping along. I love to clap along! Do the youth of today not clap in time? Not even during the breakdown of “Gotta Get Back To Hogwarts” where there is clapping in the original recording. I do not get it.

Afterwards the three of us went to the pub and tried to process over a jug of Pimms. We mostly just sat around being dazed. It was awesome.

So, yes, it was a wonderful gig that I got to go to with a friend that I love to see a musician that I love. It was seeing a fanboy made good. It was totally worth the sunburn that yes, I did end up getting, which is extremely ironic in the light of my pod_together  story (which will be up on Friday! And features the mild objectification of one Blaine Anderson!) I am still slightly heart eyed, starry eyed, shock-wide eyed about the whole experience and plan to relive through photos and videos many times over.

In another, slightly related point of interest, I got a tumblr. Because I needed to waste more time, obviously. Tell me who I should be following, ie which of YOU I can stalk on yet another social networking platform. I am probably going to be linking from here to there but not the other way round, if you see what I mean. I blame Kara. Also I like to tag.

Comments

[jibrailis.livejournal.com]

aw man, that sounds like an awesome experience. and never underestimate the superpower of knowing when to queue. one day it just may save the world. :D :D

who doesn't like to tag, is what I want to know.

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

It was so great. Though I'm not sure that the people around us in the queue were prepared for the amount of talk about Wardo"s stupid sad eyes.

Hey, we're British, queuing is like our superpower. I have been at bus stops with two other people and have neatly formed a queue of three.

My excitement when I found out you could use proper punctuation in tumblr tags was great and terrible to behold.