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“Glee Live! In Concert!” brings the magic from the small screen to the stage

Gleeks everywhere are collectively mourning the final show of the season, which aired last night. But take heart! The long-awaited concert series “Glee Live!” kicked off Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Not only does it include a multi-city North American tour, but the show is being shot for a film (which will have a two-week limited release in August) and livestreams and video clips can be found all over the Internet. Technology sure can fill an empty little Glee heart.

The scene at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday was amazing. Gleeks of every age were happily wading through security lines to get into the venue. Cheerios uniforms, homemade Glee shirts, Glee-toos, glitter, Gleeabilia and frenzied tweeting were seen. One young man next to me proudly tweeted “the gays are out in force” and he was right! We were well represented at the concert.

The opening act was LXD, the Legion of Extraordinary Dance. From legendary writer director John Chu, their web series chronicles the journey of seemingly ordinary people who discover they have extraordinary powers and must choose their place in an epic war between good and evil. Each of their stories showcases the unbelievable flips, spins and twists that have already made The LXD a pop cultural phenomenon.

After the dancers were done, the big video screens lit up with none other than Sue Sylvester. She made reference that we were saps to come to the show but if we felt we had to stay, she invented something to help us on our way. The Cheerios made their way through the audience passing out Sue’s Barf Bags. That done, the music started, the crowd was on their feet and that was the last time anyone sat down for the next 90 minutes. If anyone had doubts about the talent of these performers, throw them away, they are the real deal. The vocals and dancing were spot on.

They opened up with the Glee anthem “Don’t Stop Believin'” and the show just got better as it went on. Heather Morris (Brittany) interacted with a video Mr. Shue and that led to her performance of “Slave for You,” complete with bikini and dance moves that explained why Morris ended up in the number two spot on the AE top 100 list.

At an alternate stage in the middle of the auditorium, Amber Riley (Mercedes) wailed through Aretha Franklin‘s “Ain’t No Way,” and Mark Salling (Puck) performed “Fat Bottomed Girls” then made his way up to the mainstage to a waiting Ashley Fink , who plays Lauren Zizes, and a mean guitar.

Blaine (played by Darren Criss) and the Warblers made their entry on the center stage with “Teenage Dream” and then went up to the mainstage for Pink’s “Raise your Glass.” The set included a reproduction of the Glee song room, where the cast performed a few sketches and Riley and Naya Rivera (Santana) sang “River Deep Mountain High.” Rivera also performed “Valerie.”

Cory Monteith (Finn) gave a rocking version of “Jesse’s Girl,” and Quinn (Dianna Agron) and Sam (Chord Overstreet) performed “Lucky.” Chris Colfer (Kurt) and Lea Michele (Rachel) sang a duet of “Happy Days/Get Happy” on the center stage and Morris, Colfer and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) surprised surprised the audience by dancing to “Single Ladies.”

Notable solo performances included Colfer’s “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” as well as “Firework” and “Rain on My Parade” by Michele, who brought the house down when she ad-libbed “Hey Las Vegas, here I am.” Also, Kevin McHale (Artie) sang and danced to “Safety Dance” and “Pretty Young Thing.”

Rounding out the set list was “Born this Way,” (with Rivera wearing her Lebanese shirt) “Loser Like Me,” “Dog Days are Over,” “Sing,” and “Empire State of Mind.” The cast closed the show with an encore of “Somebody to Love” followed by confetti cannons spewing “gleefetti” on the audience

It was a phenomenal experience, and even included a Brittana moment when Santana and Brittany linked pinkies and held hands (with a bonus butt slap). For the Faberry shippers, Quinn and Rachel held hands too.

If you get the chance, go to the show or at least try to see the movie. You won’t be sorry!

For more info on Glee tour dates, go to www.gleetour.com.

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