First of all, I'm actually really embarrassed to admit that I had no idea that "Gleeks" was an actual term for Glee fans. I must be the worst Gleeporter in the world to have that thought that I birthed that myself a couple of weeks ago as a lighter version of the more popular "Gleetard." Just shows me how far out of the Gloop I am. Even worse, I hadn't heard anything about the Glee national tour until I read this awesomely condescending KATU article this morning.

Reason #1 to see Glee live: the costumes
  • Reason #1 to see Glee live: the costumes

Yes, the teenage cast of Glee are selling the drama from NYC, Chicago and LA after a debut show in, um, Phoenix, where lucky teenagers and their unlucky parents can witness the force of nature that is semi-famous people singing karaoke. AP reporter Amanda Kwan saw a press show and can't stop giving out the backhanded complements:


It was the start of an evening that only a fan would appreciate. Casual or non-viewers who paid upward of $75 per seat surely wondered why they spent so much to see costumes mostly comprised color-coordinated street clothes, or a backdrop of bleachers made to resemble a music classroom. Or perhaps pondered why the set list seemed so disjointed...

But whether the fans notice the cast's vocals over their own echoing voices is another question. Some were so pleased to breathe the same air as their idols that they gleefully ignored a "Like a Prayer" that came in at several octaves too high or that rival club Vocal Adrenaline's performance was a masked song-and-dance routine with no singing involved.

For a show whose hit Journey cover famously asks viewers to suspend their imagination, the pricey admission ticket is a lot to ask for a glorified high school talent show. But for Gleeks, there's no pretending that they won't love their favorite show come to life.

The gang have done mall tours before (sponsored by Hot Topic!) and hit cities in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas and Virginia but have so far shown no love for the Pacific Northwest to my knowledge. We're missing out?