Gleeked Out

Rather than have a birthday party this year, Riley chose to see Glee Live. She loved it so much. She was right in there, screaming along with the crowd. She was dancing. It was the kind of loud which makes your ears ring for a while after you leave. There were fireworks with huge BOOMS! We had to take escalators, big ones. There were steep steps to navigate up and down. There were crowds to negotiate through. There were insults from Sue Sylvester on a big screen between acts,and Riley roared with laughter, at being called a sucker, etc. Those of you with kids on the autism spectrum might appreciate the significance of tackling all these things. Of escalators and steep steps, and depth perception issues. Understanding sarcasm and that kind of humor. It would not have gone over well just a couple of years ago.

Our seats were waaaaay on the side, the furthest you could go without being behind the stage, and often we could see backstage. For instance, we saw Artie (I’ll call them all by their Glee names) hop out of his wheelchair and walk down the steps. We saw Kurt, do a lot of arm stretches, and bounce around working out the adrenaline just before the curtain went up. Kurt, BTW is taller than I expected. He seems like a very petite thing on the show. I mean, he’s thin and all, but not as short as I thought he would be. He did “All the Single Ladies” and it was awesome.

Brittany did her Brittany Spears number (without the snake) and she is an incredible dancer. That number was as racy as it got, and it wasn’t too bad. Quinn and Sam did their sweet little version of “Lucky.” Rachel was technically perfect as ever. They all were good, but Mercedes is the one who rocked the house. At one point she stood alone on a tiny platform at the back of the auditorium and really belted it out.

Behold a couple of our barely recognizable pics. They don’t even bother to tell you not to take pics anymore. So many cameras flashing all over. It’s a losing battle.

Santana and Mercedes

Kurt and Blaine

I’d like to pause here to mention we got a large popcorn to share, and some waters, and I got a draft beer. My beer caused a woman seated near us a lot of angst. She kept staring at it, giving me side glances, seemingly appalled that a mother, would sit there having a beer at a Glee concert with her family. It was perplexing, and I wondered what her story was. She seemed very conservative in her dress, and so did her friends. Like the Mormons accidentaly stumbled into a Glee show. I whispered the sitch to HT and he gestured the “slushie” move, and that made me laugh and reassured me I’m not an alcoholic. I don’t drink much. I go weeks, even months without having a drink, seldom have more than one, and never have more than two, but growing up in a family where alcoholism was an issue, the question sometimes haunts me.

Bless her concerned little heart. She must have had a reason for her discomfort. The woman and her friends left early.

Okay….where was I? Back to the show!

Riley swooned over Puck(the one with the mohawk). She’s had a crush on him for a while and several months ago gave her dad a heart attack, explaining her infatuation. “I like bad boys,” she told him. And then he died.

Blaine was just as yummy in person as he is on the show. All the Warblers were there. Santana and Mercedes blew the roof off River Deep Mountain High.

The whole thing was way overpriced, but it meant the world to Riley. The kid who cried when she was five at a middle school theater performance, because the applause were too painful for her sensitive ears. There was a time I wondered whether we would ever be able to do anything fun as a family. I know I say this every time, but I am still in awe. Still so grateful. I’ll never take it for granted. Here is a little video of the show. Well…it’s really of our two, enjoying the show, which was the show, for me.