So, as we already discussed, we were lucky enough to bump into them on the day of the show. It felt kinda surreal seeing them in NYC, even more so that it was just the 3 of us, and the 2 of them. We were on quite a busy street, so I almost expected some fans to turn up and start screaming or something but that didn't happen. We had a nice and chilled chat with them, we didn't ask them to sign anything and there were definitely no awkward hugs happening (the 4 times I've met them I've never wanted to hug them, I find it weird to hug a random stranger).
I've said before, the times I've met Dan I've found him to be very quiet compared to his online persona. If you go expecting to meet him and him being all chatty like he is on younow then imo you'll be disappointed, as I've always found he takes a little while to get warmed up. Phil is always the more chatty one (to begin with) and Dan kind of hangs back a little. I think this is just a confidence thing with him, he isn't rude with it at all, he just comes across as being quite shy. I can never work out if it's because of our age, we aren't their usual demographic, we aren't rushing up and asking for a hug and he doesn't use the "I like your hair/top/clothes" line, it's just a casual discussion and maybe he just doesn't know how to react to that. Once he gets into the conversation then it's fine and he starts being chatty and it's just like having a chat with friends. They were really nice, we mentioned that we had come to see the show as we enjoyed it so much in the UK. We told them that we had struggled to get tickets in the beginning (when they first went on sale) and they both made sure that we had managed to get some, I would assume that they would have sorted us out with some if we hadn't though (that's the impression they gave off). When people say D&P are good to their fans, I'd definitely agree with them.
After we met them, we went for a few drinks and then headed to the venue. Once at the venue, the M&G people were just going in, so we went for a few more drinks (lolz) until it was time to go in. Maz & Human both did some bits for ISG and Phil's weird kid story. We were walking around outside the venue just chatting and it was so strange how many people came up to ask if we had come from Britain, and people were just so friendly. It was so nice, people aren't so approachable and chatty in the UK so it was nice that people wanted to talk to us.
When we got inside we went and got a drink (there is a trend here) - the bar manager thought it was funny as we were literally the only people drinking alcohol. We went to our seats and because we had had a few drinks we were up and dancing to the playlist before the show (I can remember dancing to FOB, MCR and HSM). Some girl came up to us afterwards and said she was watching us dancing and thought we were awesome haha! Shame. I just hope noone video'd it because #cringe.
Just like in London, there were so many empty seats in front of us. We managed to get tickets in the 9th row (after being in the back row to begin with) but when we sat down, there were at least 15 seats empty in the 3rd and 4th row, so I went and spoke to an usher who then said it was okay to move. I dunno why other people didn't move closer, it must be so weird looking out and seeing such a big block of empty seats. Good for us though, as we had some excellent seats in the end. The playlist before the show was pretty similar, but there wasn't as much screaming for the songs, I mean I think me and Maz were the only two people singing the High School Musical song, haha!
I'm sure I read before the tour started that they've made the set a bit bigger. I can't say I noticed it being any bigger tbh. The set was the same, they still have the microwave and the lighting and music was the same, they have added in some streamers and some new confetti canons though for a bit more effect.
When the show started, the screaming was kinda intense but I didn't think it was any louder than London tbh, infact I'd go so far to say that London was louder. I didn't think the audio in the theatre was that good but I could hear D&P clearly through the whole show. The crowd were wetting themselves because Dan's trousers were hella low and you could pretty much see his arse the whole show. He's done quite well with his trousers recently, but the show was literally Dan's underwear haha!
I had forgotten how good the beginning of the show is, their entrance gives me goosebumps every time. The video montage they played had been updated to include some recent videos and aw, it's just super nice. You really get the feel of the D&P branding and their kind of story at this point. The videos start off from the most recent and just before they come on, it's a section of PINOF1. I really hope if they are filming the show the beginning video montage comes across as good on camera as it does live.
The beginning of the show is exactly the same as the UK, the lion and llama are still there and are just as cringe as the uk show. Their script here wasn't any different, although they've added in a line about how they're "having a domestic", total fanservice and not really needed tbh. I know the lion and llama thing is something that is related to them, but it really is so 2012, it's just strange that it was something they wanted to include in the show.
Seven Section Challenge:
This was the same as the UK, they had a few challenges to complete each. One of them (the only one I can remember now) was Phil having to pretend to be Dan, so he did the "hi, my name is Dan" quote and you could feel Dan cringing from the seat. It was pretty funny tbh and the crowd really enjoyed this bit. The ending was the same, with Phil wanting to do an all of nothing, and winning. It felt like they did a few more challenges in the USA.
The Amazing Phil:
The magic show section has changed and fuck me it, it is so good. I think this is probably my favourite part of the show. I love how Phil stands there, all silent and deadly serious. He's added a couple of new tricks in too which was nice. They do the ribena trick like they did in the UK which still looks very clever. Then he did one where it looks like he's got meters of rope in his mouth (I saw him stick it to the side of his face though so I know how he did this one) and Dan pulls it out. He then proceeds to throw the rope into the audience (of course all the girls were screaming at the apparent wet rope landing on them, oh jeez). He then goes on to do a trick involving a bowling ball and a pad of paper, and he has clearly practiced this bit because I still cannot work out how he did the trick. Basically, he draws a bowling ball on the paper and then it falls out of the paper. Human thinks it's a real ball, but I can't remember hearing the thud and can't work out how he would hold a bowling ball behind the flimsy bit of paper, but either way, it's so very effective. The end bit is like the UK where Dan goes into a box and comes out with llama legs on.
Weird Kid Section:
Phil has updated the 'why I was a weird kid' section and this is completely different from the UK show, he has three new stories. Tbh I found this bit kinda boring compared to the UK ones, they weren't that interesting,(how could he change telling people he was French for a story about a broken arm, no Phil!). Not only has he changed the stories, they also got rid of the projector they used in the UK and now he has a fancy button thing instead. The section still has Dan's failed selfie selection which still makes me laugh. Human got her story used in this bit (but I'll let her tell more about this). They've started rating the stories with new graphics on the screen too - they use spinning phil heads to rate them stories.
Internet Support Group:
Exactly the same layout, Dan answers questions that people have recorded. I'm sure during this point he said something like "this is for all the Mum's in the audience, hello ladies" haha, which really made me laugh as I've never heard him say something like that before. I can't really remember the questions that were asked or the advice he gave. Oops.
Tumblr Tag IRL:
Again, this is the same but they have 2 trolleys, one with a P and one with a D on it. There was a few good things they bought out. Someone had made a cloud with "sweet dreams are made of memes" on it, and some of the Dan centered memes on it. Someone else had made a scrabble board with all D&P related things on it which was very clever (although they had spelt out the word "die" on there, haha am I missing something here?). They ended it with the same "phan pop up art" book they used in the UK. Obviously people went crazy for this bit as they turned it into a bit of an innuendo (again, more fanservice imo).
Future D&P:
Exactly the same as the UK bar they've added some graphics on the back screen for this. The twerking and them drawing cat whiskers on each other is just as cringe as the UK but it's a real crowd pleaser. I still like Dan dragging Phil off the stage by his legs!
Existential Crisis:
Again, exactly the same. Phil tries to talk Dan out of the crisis, and Dan is laying flat on the floor. Again, this bit is a massive people pleaser, because of the things Phil says about "let's talk this out and work it out together Dan".
Fanfiction:
Honestly, I just find this section so full of cringe. It's my least favourite bit and I really don't understand why they feature it the way they do. I get that fanfic is quite a big thing within the phandom, but for 2 people who have constantly denied they are a couple and are just p-l-a-t-o-n-i-c bros, this section is just kinda sexual about them fucking under the stars. They still have the choices (although they've changed a couple of them around), but the usual one got the loudest screams: cowboys, camping, draw dan like a french girl. Personally I wanted them to be pirates, in space, eating cake (which was the other option), I think I was literally the only person who cheered for the "eating cake" option rather than the drawing one. When they were "camping" Phil couldn't get the pop up tent to work and it took him like 3 attempts to do it, which was kinda hilarious seeing as you're just meant to be able to open them easily.
Robot/Dil:
This is the same as the UK and has the same script. It gets a big cheer from the crowd and it's just nice what Dil says to them. I wonder if they came up with the script for this bit themselves. I like how they make Dil such a big part of the show and it's very clever how it brings it all together. I did wonder if they might bring Tabitha into it seeing as she's also a big part of their Sim's series but they just mention her (Dan called her T-Bag, never fails to make my dirty mind laugh ngl). The Dil head still freaks me out though, haha it's just scary.
Without The Internet song end:
This probably comes joint first as my favourite section of the show. The singing, the dancing, the over the top movements, the new american jackets and hats, ugh it's all so good. They even had some confetti canon explosion at the end. I cannot express in words how good this bit is. You have to see it to appreciate it, I honestly hope when they release this show on DVD or whatever they do, this comes across as amazing on TV as it does IRL. You can see how much work they've put into this, the lyrics are just so good and it just is such a good ending to the show. Obviously we gave them a standing ovation, they totally deserve it just for this bit.
I was thinking after the show, how crazy it must be for them, to have a sold out show on Broadway in New York. Who would have thought back in 2009 that these two guys would be touring a show over the whole of America. If you've seen the show, there is no denying that they worked fucking hard to put this together. I think it's things like this that keep me interested in D&P. I hate to sound like the "they edited for us, they edited for us" type of fan, but whenever I see tatinof, it just reminds me how much hard work they do put into certain things, and the ending of the show is definitely one of those times. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about going, to just buy a ticket and go. People are always worried about going because of their age, but it's a show for all ages. There isn't any parts that are just for children or for teenagers, it suits all. I am honestly kinda gutted that I'm only getting to see it once this time round.
Whilst watching the show, I did think back to how Dan came across when we met them beforehand. On stage (& on camera) he is a completely different person - I'm not saying this in a negative way against him btw. He seems to be very comfortable on stage and you can see he is putting his all into it, and trying to make it the best he can for the fans attending that night. He is a natural entertainer and does very well on set. Phil also, he is a good entertainer, but I can see that Dan looks much more comfortable than Phil but they definitely bounce off each other, they have a very good bond when it comes to most things, and you can really feel this when they're on stage.