Maybe I’m just late to this particular discovery — it makes sense, really, since I’m a single, twentysomething gay guy who hasn’t watched anything on the Disney Channel since, oh, the early 1990s — but my God, attending the debut performance Wednesday night of High School Musical: The Concert in San Diego, CA was nothing short of revelatory. I’m not talking about the show itself, although that was also pretty darn good, and I’ll get to it a sec, promise. But first I need to relate the earth-shattering experience of hearing hundreds upon hundreds of teen and pre-teen girls screaming in delight, at the top of their lungs, all at the same time.
Do the Departments of Defense and Energy know about this phenomenon? Because I think I may have stumbled onto a vast, untapped source of power so massive, so commanding, so sonically unforgettable that hours after the show was over and I was safely back in my Los Angeles apartment, I could still hear those girls’ nearly metaphysical shrieking echoing deep inside my eardrums. I think (I fear) it may never leave.
What was all the more baffling — if, ultimately, highly reassuring –was that all this energy was directed at such an innocuously catchy popconfection as High School Musical. Anyone unfamiliar with HSMshould know that, since its premiere last January, the Disney Channel’smade-for-TV-movie musical has barnstormed the tween market with afervor heretofore reserved for the likes of boy bands and sexuallyprovocative, bottle-blonde Mickey Mouse Club alumni. Want proof? Theshow’s original soundtrack is, no joke, the best selling CD of 2006.Period. Yes, I feel old too.
With all that built-in adulation, I was expecting HSM: The Concert to be, well, kinda like those Les Miz concerts that pop up on PBS (or, er, pan-Asian TV) now and again — that is, a semi-staged concert version of the movie. I mean, there is an actual stage version of HSMthat will reportedly be mounted more than 1,000 times across the country inthe 2006-07 school year, so I thought the least Disney could do for its40-city HSM: The Concert tour would be to make some effort to recreate the film on the stage.
And they have. Sorta. All the songs from the film are in the show,performed in roughly chronological order by all the same actors — savemale lead Zac Efron, who’s off in Toronto making the movie version of Hairspray: The Musical.(Not that you’d miss him, exactly, since his replacement for theconcert, Drew Seeley, is credited with delivering most of Efron’s vocalsin the movie. Oh, if only these kids knew from Singin’ in the Rain,they’d appreciate the irony all the more!) A few tunes get the fullproduction number treatment, especially “Get’cha Head in the Game,” abasketball-flavored semi-rap that was notable particularly for itsnonchalant use of a female dancer as one of the b-ball players (a smallexample of the casually egalitarian attitude towards gender — and, forthat matter, race — that is one of HSM’s most admirablequalities). All of it plays in front of a giant, ceiling-high videoscreen that displays pertinent clips from the film itself intercut withshots of the performers and the crowd, an overwhelming visual that morethan makes up for the otherwise basic stage design.
But rather than use this spectacle to retrace the film’s plot, the show’s producers have put together a kind of High School Musical revue, interspersing "showcases" of several of the HSMstars themselves between the numbers from the movie. The hope, it wouldseem, is that the audience cares more about the individual actors’ solomusic careers than they do about whether Troy and Gabriella will beatout Sharpay and Ryan for the leads in the school musical. (If thatmakes no sense to you, then, well, I’m not entirely sure why you’rereading this review, but no matter, since that’s the last time I’ll bereferring to HSM’s storyline.)
Based on the aforementioned gigawatted squeals piercing through theSan Diego ipayOne Center, I’d say it was a gamble that paid off bigtime. Stars Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu and Vanessa Hudgens took to thestage for multi-song performances of their Disney-fied pop singles — i.e.all hip attitude with zero actual edge — with titles like “We’ll BeTogether,” “Jump In” and “Say Okay” that were exactly as pleasantlyforgettable as their titles imply.
Which is, in its way, a remarkable accomplishment. Even thoughthere’s a part of me that wishes these kids had a bit more meat to chewon in their teeny-bop entertainment — and having caught the occasionalglimpse at tween cable channel The N, I know it exists — I also knowthat just a few scant years ago, these kids’ older siblings weregrooving to songs like “I’m a Slave 4 U” and “Dirrty." I’m sorry, Iknow I’m not a parent, but no 8, 9, 12, or 14 year old girl or boy needs to be watching their idol writhe on stage while bleating that she “wanna get dirrty.”
For one thing, a lighter touch seems to be just as effective. The 12year old boys sitting next to me seemed by far most interested in thecoolly doe-eyed Hudgens, who performed her solo set wearing a spangled,nude-colored dress cut mid-thigh, using the nom-de-pop-star Baby V, andwith a knowing expression that seemed to tell these boys what they hadto look forward to in their adolescence. (Meanwhile, poor MoniqueColeman. The recent Dancing with the Stars contestant is probably the only HSMstar guaranteed to be as familiar to parents as their kids, but shegot only a cursory dance number that wasn’t exactly befitting a memberof the Stars final four. At least it was with the U.S. Latin ballroom champ!)
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the evening’s emcee, Lucas Grabeel. The sixth tier HSMstar had the thankless role of pumping up the audience before everysingle act and then “interviewing” his co-stars after they’d performed(which was really just an excuse for copious “I love you guys”shout-outs to the fans), but he took on the job with infectious,polished delight. The kid just loves being on stage, holding a mic,hitting high notes, popping jazz hands and power stances, and wearingumpteen different bedazzled chapeaus, and for that, I gotta give himsome mad props. What? “mad props” aren’t the cool thing to do anymore?See, I told you I felt old.
Comments (1-30) of 69
another gay blogger. YAY!!! welcome to my world adam. anyway, being 32, that’s right, 32, i kinda enjoy the whole HSM thing. non-assuming happy music, and a MESSAGE!!! i guess i’m missing the early 90’s myself. i won’t be attending the tour, that would be weird, but it’s cool a Disney musical has sole more than any rapper or former N’syncer this year.
With all the talk of HSM CD records, I’m surprised no one has mentioned that this perhaps is the first true sign that CDs are becoming a thing of the past as more cash-conscious, tech-savvy consumers instead download music from their computer.
Though I’m surprised by its success, I remember reading some bad reviews and all I can say is: What do you expect from the Disney Channel? It actually was a fun little TV-movie if you came to it knowing the quality that comes from the people who also brought us “The Cheetah Girls,” “Model Behavior” and “Halloweentown.”
Thanks for the review — I’ll be attending the show this month with my 11 yr old and I wondered what I was getting into. I find HSM one of my guilty pleasures — I gamely agree to watch the movie when dd asks me to. Like you, while I appreciate music with something more to offer, this music isn’t for ME, it’s for kids. And it is fun, fluffy and positive. Nothing wrong with that.
Well, late 20’s here but uh… yeah… I LOVED THAT MOVIE. Damnit, I knew I should have gotten tickets but I don’t currently have a 10 year old kid to borrow so I don’t look like a total freak at the concert.
More irony, while Zac Efron is in Toronto singing his heart out for Hairspray, Torontonian Drew Seeley (and Zac’s vocals from the film) is taking his place. To be honest, I’m not sure who got the worse end of the deal though now.
i work at a middle school in northern france and the 13 year olds here are just as obsessed with “high school musical” as kids in the states are. they can’t form full sentences in english, but they can sing every song from hsm verbatim.
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Sigh, I am probably the oldest person to admit this so far (34) but I really like HSM. Yes, we watched it the first time for the kids. But the movie was great (think super G rated grease, with no real “bad” guys). We bought the DVD. The songs are great. The dancing is fun(and the guys are cute). To Josh, the poster who seemed dismayed that the CD was number 1, please do not use the high sales of this CD as evidence that the CD is a dinosaur. Keep in mind that not only “tweens” bought the CD. Parents bought the CD (we bought 2). Grandparents bough the CD. Heck, my kids’ school bought the CD so the kids could dance. Why? Because everyone in the family can listen to it without mom/dad having to frantically turn down the volume when the F Bomb is dropped. I think the high sales for this CD prove that if record companies release decent music that is appropriate enough for kids, we will buy it in spades.
And yes, we will be taking our oldest to the HSM show.
Hmmm, very interesting, Adam. Indeed, it should be eminently possible to harness the yet-untapped power at the disposal of every child…in the world!
i read somewhere the other day that Ashley Tisdale died in a crash…is this true?
Ugh, I can’t stand High School Musical. This isn’t my disdain for musicals talking, but for the decay of Disney Channel’s quality. Back when I started watching the station, it was filled with great programming for kids/teens, just like the old Nickelodeon before it started to suck. Unfortunately, just like Nickelodeon, Disney Channel went bad overtime for having no intelligent shows, horrible writers and pathetic acting. They don’t even look like they try anymore. Instead of movies like Johnny Tsunami that never gets old, no matter how frequently you watch it, we have tripe like Wendy Wu, an overly cliched kung-fu movie that I could barely get through without vomiting. Instead of great original shows like The Famous Jett Jackson, we have Hannah Montana, which rips many ideas from the former series (which did the premise of a child star going incognito a lot better). I can go on and on about how awful this station is now…
As for High School Musical, it’s just another pitiful reminder on how horrible Disney Channel is these days. Even without the annoying musical scenes, the underlying story retreads to story elements from Eddie’s Million Dollar Cookoff, another Disney Channel original movie (granted, Cookoff wasn’t an exceptional movie but I could at least sympathize with the characters, unlike HSM’s annoying bunch). I don’t see how this junk got so popular in the first place. While it’s not the worst Disney Channel movie, it’s definitely the most overrated.
I don’t see how Ken Tucker graded American Dad an F – even though I think it’s a mediocre cartoon, it didn’t deserve an F – but gave the awful HSM a B+. A C- would’ve been a fair grade, but then again, maybe this is my bias against muscials talking again.
I have a friend in her mid-50’s that LOVES HSM. She has it on DVD and everything.
Late 20s and I belt out “When There was Me and You” from time to time. By the way, the title of this article cracks me up. Call me old-fashioned, but I too am happy that something so wholesome and old school as HSM is such an unexpected phenomenom.
Your review isn’t realy clear. I don’t know whether you enjoyed the concert, or whether you regretted going at all.
Anyways… HSM is an awesome movie. Yes the story line is a bit perdictable, but overall its a nice movie to watch. Especially characters like Vanessa Hudgens and Corbin Bleu.
I, had to watch HSM many a time for my present employ. And let me just say that this is corporate American Neo-Con tripe at its best. It’s the GREASE of the Bush erra. Where kids don’t have to worry about drugs/drinking or other real issues, but whether their parent finds out if they are singing. It is afterall geared for kids, but I just find it ridiculous that its a musical about anti-musical people. And it’s okay for the basketball star to twirl about like a ballerina singing about how he likes to cook, but it isn’t okay for him to cook? I know its a tale of individuality and knowing how to persue what you wish for. But it is very cookie cutter, this is what we want you to be undertone that echos through out it that I have the issue with.
Granted if I had children I wouldn’t want them to watch women writhing on the ground. But, none the less its crap.
I was there, sir.
well… not even in my twenties yet. 18. and just got into college where we are now putting on this disney channel phenomenon. I can see how some poeple think it is utterly stupid, but it has so much more once you look past the technical crap that eveyone seems to be zeroing in on. I saw it in high school and totally connected even though I was just about to leave when it debuted. In a way that is truly how schools are now, with poeple constantly saying you can’t do something because of your group or shunning you if you do go outside the boundary. I admit kind of childish for an 18 year old to watch, but I really thought it had a great message none the less for people of every age, which is why I was more than ecstatic to get the lead in our production and hope that the music can once again inspire all the little kids that come to watch that it really is okay to do what you want and not what anyone always does.
OMG!!
!!!
No hablo ingles, pero todo lo que ellos provocan en mi… es demasiado
Solo los quiero mucho, de verdad
=)*****
Lastima qque zac no pudo estar…
PLEASE! HSM IN LATIN AMERICA
kiss =)
ps LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!
There were no good seats left for the Rochester show at ticketmaster…but I found some good ones on Ebay if anyone is looking, there are afew more there!
I get “vary” excited everytime I see something by the illustrious Adam B. All your days of toiling in the basement of McMillian hall are paying off. And to get to actually watch HSM for your job … I’m so jealous!
Thanks for putting out there what I suspected: that Monique (by far one of the most talented in the cast and my fave) got shafted. She should have gotten the chance to perform a dance showcase just as lengthy as the musical performances the others did. But alas, such is life. At least she got that; I wish I could get to one of the tour dates to see it.
OMg i havent seen it yet but i am going tomorrow! OmG!
another happy to be blogging blogger. YAY!!! welcome to my world harley. hi earthlings….. you are the greatest ever-even though i have NEVER seen you before… but my great friends are getting me tickets, but i am scared to be in the front!!!!! is that normal??? well i shall comment back later…. i bet you cant wait!!!!
GREETINGS fellow earthlings…..:) how are you doing today??? well i just got back from the video gane store and i bought the coolest video game EVER permited in the history of the human video game station…. it is called puppets in space!!!!!soOoOo people always say i am weird but i can never seem to figure out why!!!! would some one please give me some advice??? well off to play puppets in space!!! i am so excited….:)
HOLA TODO BIEN ESPERO QUE DE 10 …ME ENCANTA HSM ME FACINA MAS QUE NADA ESPERO QUE EN LA ARGENTINA TAMBIEN VENGAN PARA SER EL CONCIERTO .
HTTP://FOTOLOG.TERRA.COM.AR/NADY_ANTO
HTTP://FOTOLOG.TERRA.COM.AR/ANTO_PILY
GRACIAS LOS AMOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think the movie was awesome. It was the best movie ever played on Disney Channel.
hey i just wanted to say that i love the movie high school musical ever since it premiered on disney channel. Seriously the day after i saw it i went out and bought the soundtrack and i got the special feature/kareoke dvd the minute it came to stores. i am totally obsessed with zac efron i have loved him for 9 months now i have 45 posters, pillow and bed covers of him, 21 photo frame around my room, the special edition soundtrack, the summerland dvd box set because hes on it and the firefly box set as he stared in that aswell. i know every single thing about zac but im definatly not a stalker thats just stupid and feral 2 do that to people but i do love him and adore him morethan anything in this whole world. i swear i have never liked anyone on this earth more than the totally georgeous zac efron hes so taleneted with his beautiful voice and he can dance and act better than anyone who thinks that they can! ZAC EFRON IS MY EVERYTHING I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AND 4EVA!!!! luv alwayz xoxox rose xoxoxox zac is myn mwa mwa
Oh yeah!!!!!!!! I love High School Musical because I like that Troy and Gabriella sing together in the beginning of the film in New Years Eve at Ski Resort. As a matter of fact, I’m in the play at Bellport Middle School. I’m a full cast and dancer. I felt so exicetied, talented and perssional woman just like my mother[Valerie Raguseo].
so then zac efron didnt really sing on the soundtrack?? it was drew seely that makes me sad zac is so hott
hey high school musical is awesome!
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http://www.concertfan.com/gua/1051-High-School-Musical—The-Concert.html
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