San Diego, Day #2

Hello out there in blogland. Matt again with San Diego update #2. So, since today was a rest day, there wasn't much planned. However, we all went to the San Diego Zoo today. I'd say that club had a pretty awesome time there, viewing everything from polar bears to baby pandas. Fun was had by all.

At 1:00, 40 of us went to the NCAA Water Polo Championships to see our lady Wolverines take on Pomona-Pitzer. We had a blast, as the Wolverines cruised to an 11-3 victory and will take on UCLA tomorrow. We also got some props in the post-game press conference from Head Coach Matt Anderson (which you can check out on mgoblue.com)!!!!!!! Some of the guys even went to the team banquet after today's game! The women's water polo team has been so gracious to us, inviting us to sing at their matches and wishing us good luck before our concert last night, and we are so thankful that we were able to spend some of our time with them here in SD!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow, it's off to San Francisco for our final stop on tour (YIKES!!) and the conclusion to our 150th anniversary celebration! So, as we stay classy in San Diego:

In T, C, & ME,
Matt

San Diego, Day #1

Hello everyone out there in the blogosphere, this is Matt the San Diego stop coordinator on the tour team. After leaving LA this morning, we headed down to Soldana Beach, just north of San Diego, for clubbers to kick their legs back and relax for a little bit. From frisbee to face, a good time was had by all. Then we drove down to our venue, the Torrey Pines Christian Church in La Jolla, and rehearsed for the concert later that evening. Between rehearsal and the concert, the Glee Club was invited to a pizza dinner sponsored by the awesome alumni club here in San Diego.

Since this was our second-to-last concert of the tour, the customary tour pranks were played. During one of our pieces, Little Potato, my roommate for our stay, Ethan Eagle, bought tiny redskin potatoes for everyone to pull out of their tuxes in the middle of the piece. But the madness didn't stop there. During our stay in Denver, a guy at Dave and Buster's taught us a song called "Heaven is a Wonderful Place," which club thought it would be a funny idea if we set the lyrics of the Merchandise Song to this little ditty. In retaliation, Doc pulled a bandana out of his tux to continue on a prank played on Anthony "Bambi" Ambroselli earlier in the tour.

We had an awesome, attentive, knowledgeable crowd tonight here in San Diego complete with a decent-sized audience. To cap off the day, Ethan Eagle, my cousin Brad (who we're staying with) and I went to a place on Coronado Island called the Night and Day Cafe and had an awesome late-night breakfast. Tomorrow, we are headed to the World Famous San Diego Zoo, as well as the campus of San Diego State University to cheer on our women's water polo team in the NCAA Tournament. So for now:

In T, C, & ME
Matt Kodis

Phoenix Day 2

Upon awaking from what was surely a restful night for all of us...the club boarded the bus in anticipation of a great day in the greater Phoenix area. We made a short trip through the suburbs and easily found our Destination; with a Michigan flag hanging proudly on its facade, the home of Penny Papadopoulos called to us like the oasis in the desert that it was. The home had all the accommodations one could dream of, and our exceedingly gracious host made us all feel right at home. After lounging in the sun, a few rousing rounds of Beatles Rockband, and a fantastic meal, the club had to move on to our next adventure. Next stop: Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. We first had our sound check behind home plate of the gigantic stadium, after that, some clubbers explored downtown Phoenix, while others followed our Liaison down into the belly of the stadium where we were provided with our own locker room. A few men may now proudly say that they have played the official sport of Glee Club, Face, in a professional baseball stadium. We were finally called to take the field and sing our National Anthem. The crowd enthusiastically welcomed our performance and we spent the remainder of the game trying to bring a little more life to Phoenix athletics. After several failed attempts to start the wave, however, we just livened up the game through our many cheers borrowed from Ann Arbor Hockey, Football and Water Polo matches. The home team lost and we boarded the bus for our hotel where we spent our final night in the deserts of Arizona. Reporting live from the 2010 Glee Club West Coast Tour, this is Brandon Cory, Phoenix City Coordinator. Over and Out.

Phoenix day 1

Well, the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club entered Las Vegas with 55 members, a conductor, a pianist, and a bus-driving Steve. The good news: we left with the same. There were no arrests, no marriages and no deaths. We lethargically checked out of our hotel and boarded the bus, all as tired as we could be from 55 uniquely eventful nights in the aptly named Sin City. After boarding the bus, we began a seven hour journey through the deserts of Nevada and Arizona. Upon arriving in Phoenix, we had our usual rehearsal and a hearty pizza dinner, courtesy of our tour manager David Coleman. In the beautiful and live Casa de Cristo we had a wonderful performance for an enthusiastic crowd. After the show some went to hosts and others to the hotel for nights of camaraderie.

Las Vegas 2

The glee club had finally arrived to their entirely free day in Sin City. The morning of this assuringly long day certain guys were lucky enough to see the Hoover Dam both in cars and on yachts. Many others checked into our hotel, which was only feet from the strip, early. So, what options do 5o some guys have in a glamorous city such as this? Well, we split up into many different groups respected to what you wished to do. Clubbers went to shows like Love, Blue Man Group, The Lion King and others... Many ate at some of the country's best restaurants with the best chefs. Oh, and we all got that chance to check out the elaborate casinos and of course to gamble away our money. Most clubbers lost money at Vegas however, thanks to a few sharks, The Michigan Men's Glee Club had a Net Gain after going to Las Vegas! As the day ended, most had yet to make it back to the hotel and it was still uncertain if we midwesterners had survived the magic of this mysterious town, but you must remain optimistic, right?

Zion/Las Vegas 1

After our day long ride we had one more stretch of driving before finally reaching Las Vegas. All clubbers knew something about our final destination, but little about our brief detour. The glee club stopped at Zion National Park, once a home to Native American peoples.

Zion boasts miles of steep canyons, expansive, but biologically diverse, deserts and countless hiking and climbing trails. Clubbers were allowed to choose the trails, which they were most comfortable, with only a few making it to the top of the most dangerous (man made) trail the park offers. After well spent hours everyone was ready for their afternoon nap and a little more bus time, having in mind that the next stop is Vegas!

That very same day, after arriving in Sin City, the glee club had their second concert in a church right off of Tropicana Avenue. This, in contrast to Denver, was a joint concert with the City of Lights Barbershop Chorus. It was a truly unique experience for these two types of music to share a stage and getting the opportunity to finish the concert together with a wonderful joint barbershoppy song.

The concert had ended with a blast, our gracious host Dave Dannemiller (who has an incredible voice) hosted a quite glee club friendly party and everyone, exhausted, fell a sleep immediately after arriving to their home stay. It was a full day and we all understood that energy was needed for the next one, a day entirely free in Las Vegas, with a hotel right on the strip (oh, and Mother's Day too, of course).

Speaking of Rocks

With the Rockies, Rock Formations, and rocky terrain, it seems fitting to share an activity well spent on the eve of Tour. Several clubbers gathered at the Rock on campus in Ann Arbor to decorate and celebrate the commencement of tour. A good time was had by all who came and the rock was decked out in Glee Club-ness.

Majestic Mountains

Our time in Denver was well spent. Our hosts were magnificent and the concert was well attended. Unfortunately, we had to depart and move on to Las Vegas. Those who have looked at a map know that this stretch, Denver to Las Vegas, is a rather long bus ride. In fact we were on the road for about 12 hours today. It's a good thing we have a comfortable bus and plenty of activities to keep us entertained.

The Bus.

We enjoyed riding through the Rockies. The views were spectacular and the tunnels long. The ski runs looked passable, but the slopes have closed for the season.

Copper Mountain

The drive was long but beautiful. Never was a half day bus ride so thoroughly enjoyable and pleasant to the soul.

The view from the bus.

It's not often that our bathroom breaks have magical backdrops. This is certainly a majestic and grand region.

A rest stop scene just off the highway in Utah.

The Voyage Continues- On the Long Dusty Trail

Hello All,

Today we drove 10 hours across the states of Colorado and Utah. It seemed endless, however we 55 found that which enabled us to make it through the journey. One word, okay I'll make it 2: tunnels and scenery. Majestic mountains, endless plains, imposing cliffs; none of the sights along the way failed to impress. From Eisenhower tunnel, a full two miles above sea level, to the deep canyons off the Utah Interstate, club discovered that, regardless of oxygen to breath ratios, singing and hollering is never in absence. As the sun sets, a day of movies and games ends to bring forth a new day that is sure to bring great hiking, beautiful weather, and most importantly less bus time.

Word of the day: jusgethere (thanks, bus driver Steve)

From the sprawling metropolis of Cedar City, UT

- The 6 clubbers of room 211

Denver - Day 2

Our second day in Denver was the day of our first concert. We spent our morning in Boulder, Colorado, home to the main campus of the University of Colorado. Clubbers spent their time here exploring the town, throwing a Frisbee around on UC's campus, or doing some shopping. One clubber found a game for sale called Yoga for Kids in the Rainforest, which he thought summed up Boulder's liberal attitude very well.

Our concert was performed at the Bethany Lutheran Church in Cherry Creek, just outside of Denver. The concert got off to a great start when our host Sam read us a proclamation from the mayor of Denver himself proclaiming May 6, 2010 as Michigan Men's Glee Club Day in Denver, which we all thought was pretty cool. The concert itself went wonderfully and the receptive audience greatly enjoyed all of our pieces, particularly "Dude, Where's My Car" and "Wonderful" to name just a few. After the concert many clubbers and hosts attended an afterglow at Dave and Busters, which in true glee club style was full of singing and camaraderie.

Thank you Denver, we had a great time here and can't wait to come back on future tours!

On Bated Breath

The first day of tour is always exciting. Guys going on their first tour are excited and anxious. They await the experiences of 2 weeks with some of their best friends. Old dudes are bored and annoyed with waiting and waking up early but thrilled to participate in another tour. The tour manager is in disbelief that the culmination of 2 years of planning is coming to a close and its execution (if all goes well, not his execution) is upon him.

The wait at DTW.

Now that tour has begun our bated breath has turned to gasps of breath for the awe inspiring sites of the Denver stop. At our visit to the Air Force Academy we were given the opportunity to sing a small informal set in the protestant chapel of the Academy Chapel. It is a beautiful, uplifting structure pointing towards the heavens with its 17 spires. While there is no official reasoning for the number 17, cadet lore says that it stands for the 12 disciples and the 5 joint chiefs.

The Academy Chapel at the Air Force Academy.

Singing inside the chapel was a true honor and we realized collectively the difficulty in singing at high altitudes. Props to the Academy's Chorale. They must think singing at normal altitudes is a breeze.

The interior of the protestant chapel.

After a short tour of the other chapels and the grounds we moved on to the Garden of the Gods for a look at the majestic and beautiful sandstone formations in the feet of the Rockies. We were able to stretch our legs and our lungs climbing some of the formations. We even made sure to show our spirit and started a little Go Blue chant from formation to formation.

Clubbers climbing the formations.

The first day of tour was fantastic! With scenery like what we have here, it's hard not to be happy about being on tour.

Garden of the Gods with Pike's Peak in the background.

Denver - Day 1

Hello from Denver! After a very early start and a surprisingly enjoyable flight on Southwest
(for both us clubbers as well as everyone else on board) the Michigan Men's Glee Club has made it safely to Denver.

Our first destination was the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Here we got a chance to take in the academy's scenic campus, learn more about cadet life at the that academy and get our first chance to take in the amazing Colorado Rockies' scenery. For many clubbers this was their first time out west and in mountanous terrain in general, certainly an entirely different landscape than Michigan. We culminated our visit by singing a few songs in the Air Force Academy Chapel, a truly unique and beautiful building that we all enjoyed getting to learn more about.

Following the academy we briefly visited the Garden of the Gods, a collection of towering red sandstone formations with a snow capped Pikes Peak in the background. Whoever hadn't fallen in love with the Colorado scenery by this point had certainly joined the bandwagon.

The day concluded with a gathering of hosts and clubbers at a pizza restaurant in the Denver suburbs. The food was delicious and free (thank you alums who helped cover this!) and everyone enjoyed the chance to relax and sing some songs with everyone in attendance. It's safe to say that tour is off to a great start.

Change in times for concerts

Hello!

As with any glee club tour, there have been a few changes to many of the concert times within the past week. The following changes are permanent changes to the concert times:

The Denver concert will now be starting at 7:30, not 7:00
The Phoenix concert will now be starting at 7:30, not 7:00
The San Francisco/Palo Alto concert will now be starting at 8:00, not 7:00

Thanks for your understanding. I hope to see you there.

David Coleman