Darren Criss and Starkid
Nov. 28th, 2011 02:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
allopenstarI have this love for the Starkid Productions, independent of Darren. I love Lauren Lopez and I think that Joe Walker is pretty amazing. I love that they are college friends who stuck together and created something out of a viral YouTube hit. They didn't stop when it was difficult, but because they love what they are doing, they continued doing so. They have a group of loyal dedicated fans, and they can sell about 3/4 of the tickets of the venues that they play in. They are really amazing and I can only hope to be half as awesome as them when I am 24. They are proof that hard work matters as much as luck and opportunity.
Prior to Leaky Con, I always appreciated Darren Criss for the fact that he continues to include his StarKid friends at his solo performances. I liked that he remains so grounded to where he came from. But after LeakyCon, I gained a better understanding of their relationship. It is not that he chooses to have them there, but rather, that he needs to have them there because he loves them. Darren is just so comfortable in their company, that he can lead them, but he can also take a step back and let them have the limelight. Basically, like he sings at LeakyCon, he is simply at home with them. That is why I love the fact that he is rooming with Joey in LA.
Darren recently joined the StarKids on the final leg of their SPACE tour. I have been catching bits of the SPACE tour prior to that, of my favourite songs. When Darren came into the picture, he simply joined in. There is no resentment among his friends or even the fans when Darren picks up certain lines, because to the StarKids, these lines rightfully belong to Darren. Not only because he might have played a role singing that song, but also because he wrote these songs. Even songs that he never participated in, such as Status Quo, he simply picks up a few lines and it is not awkward at all because the knows these lines. It may not be concert smooth, and he may not get all the dance steps right, but he simply fits in. Because this is where he belongs.
He is comfortable to tackle Joe and to banter with Brian on stage, to share a mike with Meredith and Dylan when singing backup, dance goofily when Lauren sings Boy Toy. He went from not knowing the choreography on the first day to picking it up by the end of the second day. He is simply happy to be there, singing back up or otherwise. I think he must have loved the Boston crowd, because when they bought the tickets, they had no idea he'll be there, so they were the ones who were definitely truly fans of StarKid. They didn't buy the tickets because he was there, Darren's presence was simply an excellent bonus. For the NYC shows, I bet there were some, but not all, who bought the tickets because Darren was there.
He can be himself in front of these fans of StarKid, because these fans have seen him at his goofiest, and have seen him interact with the other StarKids before. The way he smiles when he sings with Joey, or playfight with Joe and Brian, dance with Meredith and Jaime, hug Lauren and Dylan, he is so comfortable in his own skin when he hangs out with them. They (both the StarKids and the fans) don't expect him to be suave or anything. They willingly listen to all his weird analogies, and the way he loves music. They listen to him ramble on and geek out. When he is with them, the focus is not only on him, it is on them, as a team. And they take whatever he throws at them, and throws them back. His friends know who he is, and he is so comfortable with them.
And at the last show, break my heart Darren Criss. First of all, he is actually not obliged to be at any show at all. So when it was first announced, he was only going to be at the NYC shows on one day, the 26th. He made the extra effort and spent his Thanksgiving holiday to hang out with the Starkids in Boston on the 25th. And he is just so happy there. He had a flight on the 27th back to LA and the Glee set, so he wasn't expected to appear at the final show at all. But he did turn up, and in addition to singing the usual songs, he sang his own mini-set to thank the fans. He interrupted the show in the middle to sing Not Alone as a goodbye. Like, he could have left at any time, but instead he stayed till the very last possible moment. Like, who does that? Someone who loves his friends very much. He didn't have to do this AT ALL. He is decently famous enough that he doesn't have to do this, but he loves them, and he loves spending time with them.
And at the last show, he said that the fans changed all of their lives. And I believe that to be true, because they would be living very different lives now if they had no fan base. And the StarKid team never forgets that, and Darren, at the heart of that team, is forever appreciative of that fact.
I don't know, I have a lot of feelings about Darren and his relationship with the StarKid gang. And I just want him to have more time with them, okay, and not have to rush off after a short two days. Because that is where he is happiest.
Now for a song. I have a love for this song rn. I never heard this because this was in MAMD, which is a StarKid play that I can't wait cos of secondhand embarrassment. But I love it, hearing it at the show. Here's Even Though, sung by Joey and Jaime, and the rest of the gang singing back up.
Prior to Leaky Con, I always appreciated Darren Criss for the fact that he continues to include his StarKid friends at his solo performances. I liked that he remains so grounded to where he came from. But after LeakyCon, I gained a better understanding of their relationship. It is not that he chooses to have them there, but rather, that he needs to have them there because he loves them. Darren is just so comfortable in their company, that he can lead them, but he can also take a step back and let them have the limelight. Basically, like he sings at LeakyCon, he is simply at home with them. That is why I love the fact that he is rooming with Joey in LA.
Darren recently joined the StarKids on the final leg of their SPACE tour. I have been catching bits of the SPACE tour prior to that, of my favourite songs. When Darren came into the picture, he simply joined in. There is no resentment among his friends or even the fans when Darren picks up certain lines, because to the StarKids, these lines rightfully belong to Darren. Not only because he might have played a role singing that song, but also because he wrote these songs. Even songs that he never participated in, such as Status Quo, he simply picks up a few lines and it is not awkward at all because the knows these lines. It may not be concert smooth, and he may not get all the dance steps right, but he simply fits in. Because this is where he belongs.
He is comfortable to tackle Joe and to banter with Brian on stage, to share a mike with Meredith and Dylan when singing backup, dance goofily when Lauren sings Boy Toy. He went from not knowing the choreography on the first day to picking it up by the end of the second day. He is simply happy to be there, singing back up or otherwise. I think he must have loved the Boston crowd, because when they bought the tickets, they had no idea he'll be there, so they were the ones who were definitely truly fans of StarKid. They didn't buy the tickets because he was there, Darren's presence was simply an excellent bonus. For the NYC shows, I bet there were some, but not all, who bought the tickets because Darren was there.
He can be himself in front of these fans of StarKid, because these fans have seen him at his goofiest, and have seen him interact with the other StarKids before. The way he smiles when he sings with Joey, or playfight with Joe and Brian, dance with Meredith and Jaime, hug Lauren and Dylan, he is so comfortable in his own skin when he hangs out with them. They (both the StarKids and the fans) don't expect him to be suave or anything. They willingly listen to all his weird analogies, and the way he loves music. They listen to him ramble on and geek out. When he is with them, the focus is not only on him, it is on them, as a team. And they take whatever he throws at them, and throws them back. His friends know who he is, and he is so comfortable with them.
And at the last show, break my heart Darren Criss. First of all, he is actually not obliged to be at any show at all. So when it was first announced, he was only going to be at the NYC shows on one day, the 26th. He made the extra effort and spent his Thanksgiving holiday to hang out with the Starkids in Boston on the 25th. And he is just so happy there. He had a flight on the 27th back to LA and the Glee set, so he wasn't expected to appear at the final show at all. But he did turn up, and in addition to singing the usual songs, he sang his own mini-set to thank the fans. He interrupted the show in the middle to sing Not Alone as a goodbye. Like, he could have left at any time, but instead he stayed till the very last possible moment. Like, who does that? Someone who loves his friends very much. He didn't have to do this AT ALL. He is decently famous enough that he doesn't have to do this, but he loves them, and he loves spending time with them.
And at the last show, he said that the fans changed all of their lives. And I believe that to be true, because they would be living very different lives now if they had no fan base. And the StarKid team never forgets that, and Darren, at the heart of that team, is forever appreciative of that fact.
I don't know, I have a lot of feelings about Darren and his relationship with the StarKid gang. And I just want him to have more time with them, okay, and not have to rush off after a short two days. Because that is where he is happiest.
Now for a song. I have a love for this song rn. I never heard this because this was in MAMD, which is a StarKid play that I can't wait cos of secondhand embarrassment. But I love it, hearing it at the show. Here's Even Though, sung by Joey and Jaime, and the rest of the gang singing back up.
