The World's Saddest Flash Mob Happened at Market Days Last Weekend

Plus I think this is some kind of record for new commenters on any Gothamist site, ever.

I wish people could clarify if this was about Glee or Darren Criss. I haven't seen any comments about that.

 It looks like the gals in this event had some fun.  They sure are smiling!  

Flash mobs were amusing once upon a time, but now they mostly make me wince. I think we need to agree to euthanized the flash mob idea. It's past its time. 

Was this a special needs flash mob?

My God. I thank all that is holy I was on vacation last week.

Hey, Chuck. See what you people did with your stupid little Disqus thing? Is this really what you wanted?

wow.  the midwest really is all inbred.  hey "chicago" can you please keep your people away from the east coast?! thanks!
*rob*

I'm not a Darren Criss fan, or a GLEE fan, but I don't think it's funny to make fun of people who put in an effort, and these people obviously did.

It wasn't about Glee, it was about Darren Criss. Do some research and you'll know that the appreciation for Darren goes way beond a crappy TV show. And if you want to critically and legitimately comment on the fact that you disliked a flashmob, don't make fun of the people in it.

Thanks, Starpossum, but we've already read that comment.

Seriously? We get it already. See the 60 other times this was already posted.

Criss
Flashmobs
PalinObamaHitler/Nazis
That should just about cover everything

Thank you so much for the video, I've been looking for the video of the flashmob I wanted to be part of and I couldn't, but I wasn't able to find it. IT IS AMAZING, this guys are the best-fans-ever. And Darren loved it so, thanks for the video ;)

This is the awesomest comment thread on the internet ever.

fghg

The "snarky humor" from the editorial staff (read: Chuck Sudo) at Chicagoist usually borders on and crosses the indecency line, from hating on Stickney hicks to making fun of gays and gay stereotypes here. It's classless, and the work of all other editors on the site suffers accordingly.

gh

I don't care who or what these people danced for. I just want to know how this helps the economy.

When are you posting the pictures of the spontaneous dance that broke out at the World Lawn Care Association annual meeting? It was the world's soddest flash mob.

Wow. You really think these guys did this as some kind of statement or even, for you to write an article? Um, no.

They did it for DARREN. Honestly, the heart and time they put into this matters more than your opinion. Why? Because your opinion is INVALID in regards to this matter. Darren enjoyed it and they enjoyed doing it! Stop judging other people's fun and maybe try spreading a little love, yea?

Because that's all Darren is about and you know what? His fans hugged eachother, highfived, and made some great new friends that day too.

Maybe the flashmob was too tiny compared to these "big" statement things you're used to, but the point was to show Darren he is loved, and he saw that. These are fans who change the lyrics of their heroes song to sing back to him. Flashmob, or whatever you want to call it.

Bad quality video, better quality video, it doesn't matter.

FUN happened, and that's what should matter here, fun and good spirited fun at that!!

The author of this article made a mistake. It was the world's happiest flash mob, not saddest. Must be a typo.

My soul hurts after watching this.

Look, I'm not going to rip on anybody for their interests or whatever. People are into whatever they're into, and that's cool. Whatever.

But it's impossible to not look at this as something of a public performance, and part of performing in any way is putting yourself out there and letting people's reactions fall where they may. When it comes to performing in front of a large group of people, if you want to take praise, you also have to take criticism. That's part of the deal. No way around it.

Some people just didn't dig it. Period. Some people probably actively disliked it. That's just the way it is. You can say, "Oh, but we/they worked so hard yadda yadda", and while that might be admirable in some ways, that doesn't mean people have to not be critical of it. As ChicagoD already pointed out, "working hard" does not equal "producing something everyone thinks is cool." That's really it.

I'll grant you that the headline of this article is maybe a little shitty in its tone. But if you're gonna put yourself out there and perform something -- anything -- in public, I'd point out that criticisms like "sad" and "confused" are pretty darn soft in the grand scheme of things. So I think you all can shelve the outrage.

Be proud of the work you put into it, be proud for putting yourself out there, and own all of it. All these attempts at "b-b-b-b-b-But we worked really hard!" or "It wasn't intended for anybody except this one celebrity dude anyway!" apologia just come off as whiny and serve to debase the performance even more than its harshest critics could.

I love the 60 or so "BUT WE DID IT FOR DARREN" comments.

Dude. We get it. So if you did it for Darren, then who gives a rat's ass what any cranky Chicagoist commenters think, right? So WHY feel the need to endlessly argue over that? Just go about your lives, citizens!

... Actually, though, I know why, because I too was 17 once and (dating myself very specifically here) defending Alanis Morissette to haters on the AOL music message boards....

If they did it for Darren, they should have just gone to Darren's house and did their routine on his lawn. Instead they chose a street festival. Such is the passive-aggressive nature of the flash mob. It's not enough that me and my friends have fun, we have to make sure everyone else looks at us while we do it. But don't you judge us!

"Shelve the outrage"  I hope you don't mind that I steal that exceedingly clever comment and contextually file for future use.

Good Grief!  I'm trying to weed through the hooplah to figure out what exactly was so disparaging about the article.  Let start with the Title indicating: saddest flash mob and suppose this is simply referring to the fact that it wasn't what a "flash mob" was envisioned as opposed to how well it was or wasn't performed.

Then let's move on to the body of the brief paragraph - well, erm... I can't locate anything so egregious that would have led to the hypersensitive reaction that has been wraught.
Glee fans sure are a type: this is true and very innocuous.
Even gays can be confused by an impromptu breakout of song and dance: I find this statement also very benign, unless I missed something and Market Days is billited as a children street fair. 
You watch the video waiting for something worse to happen, but it doesn't. The link to this youtube video promises Criss's street team will post a "better version" of this video:  Well, the technical term of a flash mob IS a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an
unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then disperse.
Quit being so sensitive, Darren is after all - A nice enough guy. 

I found this article to be absolutely disgusting. The things that you said and implied about the people that worked hard to put this together are extremely rude and unprofessional. These fans were inspired by a man that strongly believes in self-acceptance and love for others. They wanted to put together something to show their love and appreciation for Darren because he has changed many of their lives for the better. It is a shame that this site decided to post an article that completely insults not only the work that the fans have done, but also the message that it is okay to be yourself and to do what you love. Congratulations, you just made everyone's day a little bit worse.

Personally I think what's pathetic is that the most traffic on this site is a grown man bickering with a bunch of kids, but hey, that's just me.

Yikes!  
As I alluded to earlier in all this, if you post on the internet you invite replies.  You can't just throw up the white flag b/c of age.  It would be pitiful if adults were bickering face to face with teenagers but the internet is anonymous so nobody knows anybody's age, gender, race, orientation.  Hasn't the internet been around long enough to understand the basics?

Honestly....I couldn't agree more.. it's actually pathetic that an older man is just bickering with teenagers. It's pitiful.

I like the way you guys play the "take us seriously, Darren Criss and our flashmob meant something" and the "we're just kids, man" cards at the same time. Again, that's not how life works.

D, any critique you have of these goofballs is sorta cancelled out by the fact that you've commented something like 35 times on this story in ONE DAY.

Slat, a good trolling doesn't happen without some effort. Some people are willing to put that effort in, some aren't. I am. It's what I do. It's who I am. I am the essence of "unprofessional" and am very likely immature. I also enjoyed the hell out of it. So, I take your criticism in the sense in which it was intended, and whistle my way to a new day!

Not everyone there is a kid, and to many people it did mean something. Yet, in the end arguing through comments is just a waste of time for everyone. Actually, its really embarrassing for some of us who are just kids and adore Darren, but disagree with how he is being represented in these comments. 

Sorry, that was mostly specifically to Jessica, Geridith, and Rebecca Canova. It's a pretty specific dynamic that they really ran with, not one that was more general. "We worked hard" is the general theme. 

I had nothing to do with this flashmob in any way. Yes, I'm a big fan of Darren and I am a part of the DCST. I know they worked hard, and you are entitled to your opinion. Actually, my comment had nothing to do with the flashmob. I just simply said that it's actually humiliating on your part to be arguing with a bunch of teenagers like this. It's unprofessional.

See, I really appreciate that kind of enthusiasm. When I was staring at my AP English packet it never crossed my mind to call someone "unprofessional." I mean, doesn't that depend on my profession? If I am a professional a-hole troller who riles up hormone driven Darren Criss fans, I think I am acting EXTREMELY professionally. If I were, say, a high school guidance counselor on Long Island . . . less so.

Wait.. that's so creepy. You stalked my twitter...

I don't know ChicagoD in real life or anything, so I can't promise you he's not actually a stalker. However, in his defense, all one has to do to see your Twitter is click on your name right above your comments. So, really, I don't think that's enough work to qualify as actual stalking. 

Who's trying to be professional? This is a blog comment section, not a professional setting...

I didn't even say anything about the flash mob. I was commenting on your behavior. Get your replies straight.

You don't need to apologize, that is the embarrassing part. I actually have to agree with some of the things that I would like to dispute because of the overall actions of the Street Team members in their comments. 

Oh don't worry, we're all grown ups (I think) and we have a grand old time bickering already. BTW, what's your opinion about bicyclists who don't come to a complete stop at red lights?

I don't see what the point of this article was. You just to put down a group of dedicated people that worked very hard on this to thank someone that most of them see as an idol or role model for all the hard work he has done. They wanted to celebrate the way Darren Criss makes people them happier and brings people together, even saves people's lives. I'm ashamed to see people judge and make fun of this group of fans when what brought then together was a man who is now on a TV show that is about bringing happiness to everyone, appropriately titles Glee. This article could really hurt the people that worked so hard on this, although it's not entirely uncommon for Glee fans to get made fun of for what they love.

Okay honestly as a Darren Criss fan I congratulate everyone that participated. If you had fun that is amazing and I hope more people realize how amazing he is because of it. But trying to defend your actions here is not really the best place to do so. Most people will never find this article and you aren't really living up to what Darren believes in by arguing and lashing out on people who don't understand. 

To the writer of this article, the way the little to no writing was worded offended a lot of people. If that was what you were going for, I am happy you succeed and I hope all this traffic helps you in some way. But until you sit down and listen to Darren's music or read even one well written article about him you will never understand why he enthuses such a reaction in so many people. Glee and the flash mob aside he believes in what that fair was about celebrating life and diversity.

Man, I was really enjoying this, but I have to go.

I hope the Darren Street Team keeps doing its thing. It doesn't matter whether you suck or not. Most adults don't know who the guy is anyway, so why worry about them? The thing is, stop thinking that "trying hard" and "lots of effort" makes something not suck. That is not how life works. Sometimes you just have to be OK working hard, trying hard, sucking, and enjoying it. That IS how life works.

Yes. Let this be a lesson to you, young readers. Sometimes you're going to suck. (I didn't even watch your video, so I'm not saying the flash mob was bad.) If somebody criticizes something you worked hard on - and it's gonna happen - organizing an online counteroffensive won't make it any better.

Anyway, your Darren Criss love is alright with me.

Seriously. I am a Darren Criss fan who is currently a little embarrassed to be a Darren Criss fan because of the way everyone's acting on here. Because they're right, you do sound a bit like Bieber fans and guys, that's just sad. If you genuinely meant everything you've been saying about doing this for Darren and no one else, you wouldn't be here in these comments trying to defend it. Do you honestly believe if you write one well worded comment the people trolling will say something like "Oh wow! I never realised hard work went into this! That changes everything! Perhaps I should try to fill that hole in my heart elsewhere!"
It's just not how these things work. You've got your support for the fandom and from Darren himself. Now it's time to back off and go watch A Very Potter Musical or something.

Ah, your troll-fu is strong as well. The hole in my heart? Very well-played.

these girls worked hard sorry if you can't appreciate that but darren could... im envious i couldnt be apart of it.

Listen. I'm a Darren Criss fan, and y'all are missing the point and making all of us look bad.

The flashmob was for who? Darren and his fans. So, who the heck CARES what other people think and why are you basically TROLLING the blog? Your support is not going to cause anyone to suddenly love Darren - if anything, what most regular readers probably would have forgotten, they'll now remember since everyone went insane.

Everyone's entitled to an opinion. I mean, a lot of work went into making From Justin to Kelly, that doesn't mean it was any good. (Sidenote: I have not watched footage of said flashmob and was not in Chicago, so I can't give an opinion on that.) Just because an opinion differs from yours DOES NOT MAKE IT WRONG. I wouldn't care so much but this is NOT the first time the street team members have run in to Darren's defense on blogs - and I hate to say it, but you all are missing the point.

To the regulars of the Chicagoist: some Darren Criss fans are sane, I swear :) Glad to see most of you are finding humor in it! (and honestly, I'd be lying to say I wasn't laughing a bit with you.)

What there can be sane Gleek fans, why I never... yeah I guess I can see that.

I think this whole project was something that was wonderful and respectful in theory but somewhat disastrous in practice. From what I understand, the majority of the preparation for the flashmob was conducted online, and they had very minimal rehearsal time as a unit in real life. Add to that the fact that next to none of Darren's songs that have been professionally recorded (i.e. not ripped off a YouTube video of a live show or something) are particularly conducive to a mass outbreak of synchronized dancing, what looks to be VERY limited space to cram this number of people into, and the fact that in several places the choreography was lackluster at best, and yeah, you do have a flashmob that's pretty weak and a little sad.

That said, I think it's somewhat rude to attack the people participating in it rather than just the performance itself, and to then generalize outward from there to discriminate against Darren fans and/or Glee fans as a whole. These girls are all obviously dedicated fans of a humble and hardworking actor/musician trying to share a fan experience, both with him and with each other. I really respect the emotional intent behind putting this together and the message they were trying to send. These girls love Darren Criss. So do I. They were just trying to express that, and it just happened to not turn out so well. :/

..

DCSTers, I encourage you to not feed the trolls. It won't help you any and it won't help the Street Team or Darren, either. Just leave them be. They're muggles. We already knew that muggles just don't understand.

The flash mob was brilliant, and Darren adored it. That's really all that should matter, right? It's not as though we're going to *convince* these people to become Darren fans or DCST members, and by sinking to their level, you're presenting yourselves in a way that just enforces fan stereotypes. Be respectful, even when they're not being respectful to you. Better yet, just ignore them. 

Lessthanthree, and good job to everyone who participated in the event- I love the glasses at the end.

Calling me a muggle is racist and inaccurate. I am a certified mudblood.

Hater.

i just feel like pointing out that i am a darren fan as well as a glee fan, and i don't particularly like that i am associated with this. 

I wasn't there because I live too far away, but I've done things with the DCST before. Why rain on their parades? They worked hard on this, they had fun, and they did it for Darren, who loved it. They didn't do it to get approval from you. Believe it or not, your opinion doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. :) !

Your right their opinion doesn't matter, so why get so upset about it?

That awkward moment when these are Darren fans, not Glee fans. That awkward moment when you find Darren to be a nice guy but hate on his loving fans. That awkward moment when it brought people together despite their differences. That awkward moment when Darren loved this and filmed it on his phone. Seriously, this article, if you can even call it that, is painful to read.

But 4chan isn't even that good

Oh, that doesn't even start to cover all the awkward moments now that we are 90 comments in. Not even close.

but i thought darren would be very much benefitted by my jiggling around to Pink songs :(

Well, this is hilarious.

I don't really understand. I thought it was a fun to watch.

I, personally, am frightened to see what happens when Darren gets replaced with Dick Sargent.

That. Is. Beautiful. Lost on this crowd, but I actually laughed out loud.

Yay for being old.

I don’t think it would’ve hurt if you asked anyone to do a simple research before writing this.

Do you realize how time and effort it took the amazing people in the street team to organize this? (Looking for a rehearsal space, getting the permission to do it, choreographing and tons of other things) also you should know that people who participated in the flashmob come from different states (Maybe even countries!) 

The whole thing was meant as a  tribute (and turned out to be a beautiful one) Did you see how happy it made Darren himself? Did you the smile on his manager's face? Did you see how excited complete strangers were when they saw it?!

So yes of course you’re free to state your opinion but maybe next time you should consider stuff like that before being this disrespectful because it’s not ok under any circumstances to bring people who worked so hard on this and people who had so much fun doing it down.

Oh and hating on people for defending something they love and passionate about? For politely trying to show you why you’re wrong? That’s just plain immature.

"politely trying to show you why you’re wrong"
How is there a right and wrong in this?  It's all just opinion.

You know, this is a common theme in these comments. Just so you know, effort does not equal adulation. People try really hard at things all the time. Most of them fail miserably. It is not enough to try hard. Nobody cares about trying. Leaving aside everything else, learning that lesson is the key to avoiding undue disappointment.

Our Brave And Trusty Leader

Wow. This is just... I dunno. Wow. I just don't know what to make of this. Any of it... the original story, the video, the comments... any of it. Wow.

Is this "Darren" guy like a cult leader or something? Are you all in a cult? It really sounds like it. Please don't shoot the ATF when they come storming in, don't forget about the children, THE CHILDREN!!!!

Yes we are a cult, usually civilized but when it comes to people intruding we can get quite vicious^^ And don't worry we took care of the children, they're all safe : ) Have a good day.

Ha! See you are bullies!  Are you supposed to be against bullying.  And don't confuse criticism and opinion for bullying

Don't be cranky. I have no idea who he is, but you know, they're doing their thing. They act like a bunch of half-wits on line, but at least they're getting fired up about . . . something. And their fun. Have you looked at any of the twitter feeds they link from? Gold, dude, gold.

I'm still trying to figure that out too, just what exactly are they all culty about? I want my cult to be clear and to the point god dammit. I want a cult leader who is concise about his cult's agenda. Fuck this half assery bullshit, gimmie the real cult shit. Fuck a flash mob. I'm trying to turn over my life savings. 

I don't think this cult would be for you anyway, 'cause it's for people who are nice to others and are open-minded...so that kind of rules you out, but I wish you a lot of luck with finding an other cult, I hear they are always looking for people at Scientology : )

Word up. I actually am horribly mean to others, and I am unnecessarily close minded. I push old ladies down as they cross the street, and I believe colors should have separate water fountains. So yes, I don't think your cult is for me.  There should be like the Home Cult Shopping Network, where I can shop around for my new found cult. I'm leaning towards a rabbit hunting UFO/MASONS control the world type of cult. Any links? 

Right? People who are passionate about something, man that's really something...Oh Gosh sorry I can't stop laughing, you're hilarious, please keep going. But we're not getting fired up, this is quite normal for us, so don't get to excited. Thank you so much :) !

If this isn't fired up, you guys must be complete dream to be stuck in a confined space with. Jesus, cyberspace feels claustrophobic with you guys in it . . . 

Then why don't you make room ; ) No really this is not being fired up, this is us explaining to you what our motives where and wondering why you're being so nasty about it. But I love your replys 'cause they make me laugh, so if I'm giving you more fire material with this, then go ahead...please :D

I really wish the haters would back off!! The Darren Criss Street Team worked really hard to put this together with members from all over the country! The fact that it was even possible shows how dedicated Darren's fans are. This wasn't about glee, this was our way of showing Darren how much he inspires us, both as an artist and a person. And guess what? He loved it, and a point to say so multiple times. Instead of making fun of what the fans are doing to show their support, maybe the article could have focused on WHY we're do inspired - just lol at the causes Darren and his fans support. Stopping gay bullying for instance - like the comment you included above. Congrats to my fellow members of the DCST, I wish I could have been there! Ignore the hate and remember, you're not alone. <3

His Most High

OMG I can't stop laughing, guys why are you even bothering justifying anything. These guys are the perfect example for what the internet world calls a TROLL (not in the funny sense of the word). I think what is most important is that our boy loved it, that we had fun and don't give a shit about what anybody else said, 'cause we didn't do it for them, we did it for us and Darren.
So stop giving them reasons to argue, may they think what they want, we know what the person thought, who's opinion mattered the most. Just move on ; )
I love you guys and I think this weekend has shown us how much potential this Street Team has, so let's not waste our time on this, alright? :D

Our Dear Leader

Well, technically speaking, you are the ones doing the trolling.

I resent that comment. I am trolling the shit out of this.

Is it possible to troll on a site where you are a regular, non-trolling contributor? I feel like that elevates you to some higher position, like a doler-out-of-snarky-witticismer.

I just know that I seen my opportunities and I took 'em.

I really wish the haters would back off!! The Darren Criss Street Team worked really hard to put this together with members from all over the country! The fact that it was even possible shows how dedicated Darren's fans are. This wasn't about glee, this was our way of showing Darren how much he inspired us, both as an artist and a person. And guess what? He loved it and a point of saying so multiple times. Instead of making fun of what the fans are doing to show our support, maybe the article should have focused on WHY we're so inspired - just look at the causes Darren and his fans support. Stopping gay bullying for instance - like the comment you included above. Congrats to my fellow members of the DCST, I wish I could have been there! Ignore the hate and remember, you're not alone. <3

Darren Is Our Savior

Is this Darren Criss someone I'll have to pretend to know who he is so my 8 year old niece won't think I'm old and clueless?  Christ, I'm going to have to start writing these names down.

Tell this to the numerous guys who were high fiving us and cheering their heads off as we walked away.

Wow! Watch out for those StarGleekerCrissfans, they're almost as bad as the Bieberites!

The World's Saddest News Article Happened at chicagoist.com

That sucks. I guess study hall ended and all of my interlocutors had to go. Oh well.

Good God, I just had flashbacks to when I was 12 and was trying to convince anyone who would listen that Scott Baio was a good singer and Joanie Loves Chachi was worthy of an Emmy.