StarKid took over Manhattan yesterday in a one-day only concert event in celebration of A Very Potter Musical’s five year anniversary.

Team StarKid lent their unique brand of crazy talent to New York City’s Irving Plaza this weekend for StarKid Takes Manhattan. The concert, which had a matinee and evening event, celebrated the history of the group in honor of five years passing since the first performance of the show that brought them to fame and gave them their name, A Very Potter Musical.

Fittingly, StarKid opened with a narrative journey through their own back catalogue – from “Goin’ Back To Hogwarts” through to 2013’s Twisted – smoothly transitioning through a number from each of their seven musicals and showcasing the nine cast members present. It also evoked a little nostalgia, especially when, in describing their start, the group launched into “We Don’t Wanna Be Sued,” a ditty which served as one of their first messages to their newfound fandom in regards to removing Harry Potter: The Musical from the internet and protecting themselves from copyright issues by rebranding the show as A Very Potter Musical.

The entire structure of StarKid Takes Manhattan felt like more of a tribute to the memory of their musicals than either 2011’s SPACE Tour or 2012’s Apocalyptour, with each song managing to conjure the memory of its original on-screen performance while also showing off the strength of StarKid’s songwriting team by proving how enjoyable every number is as a standalone.

While still, of course, ridiculous, StarKid Takes Manhattan was the group’s most mature concert performance to date, perhaps due to the rich and complex harmonies on many numbers and the elegant appearance of the cast. Despite being light on spoken dialogue, the show included a hysterical running gag about covering the ’90s hit “Semi-Charmed Life,” and some cute personal moments, including Dylan Saunders helping a fan ask his date to prom. Rachael Soglin, StarKid’s newest member, was the audience’s darling as she thanked them for their enthusiasm and acceptance into the fandom before her princess solo “Everything and More,” and the set also featured a few cool musical twists and tricks regarding StarKid’s history, including Lauren Lopez taking lead on a number from Me and My Dick – the only one of the seven musicals that she did not appear in.

The music of Team StarKid in concert format is still a concept that, from an outside point of view, seems like it shouldn’t work, and yet it comes across more cohesively than it has any right to. The entire set was designed specifically, we’re told by Brian Holden, to follow StarKid’s history and give a perfect stranger an idea of what Team StarKid is like and what they do, and given the limited rehearsal time the group had in preparation for this performance, it’s a credit to how well these people know each other and how naturally they work together that they pulled off something beautifully balanced and almost seamless. Each of the nine performers – Brian Holden, Dylan Saunders, Joe Walker, Joey Richter, Jeff Blim, Lauren Lopez, Jaime Lyn Beatty, Meredith Stepien and Rachael Soglin – got their moment in the spotlight, as did StarKid bandleader and composer Clark Baxtresser, who opened the show with his band TalkFine in a short set that received its own fair share of cheers.

The vibe of any concert becomes electric when each and every patron is a dedicated fan, and StarKid Takes Manhattan isn’t exactly the kind of event that attracts casual viewers off the street. Team StarKid could have performed “Semi-Charmed Life” 15 times in a row and the audience – including young teens who surely weren’t around for the group’s inception, proving that with every new musical StarKid gathers a little more steam – would have hung off of every word. What was delivered, though, was arguably the most deftly crafted and and memorable concert performance in StarKid’s history. Here’s to another five years.

Team StarKid performed:
“Goin’ Back To Hogwarts,” A Very Potter Musical
“We Don’t Wanna Be Sued”
“Harry Freakin’ Potter,” A Very Potter Sequel
“Land of the Dicks,” Me and My Dick
“I Wanna Be,” Starship
“Dark, Sad, Lonely Knight,” Holy Musical B@man!
“Senior Year,” A Very Potter Senior Year
“Happy Ending,” Twisted
“Everything and More,” Twisted
“Those Voices,” A Very Potter Sequel
“The Rogues Medley,” including “Not Over Yet” from A Very Potter Sequel, “Kick It Up A Notch” from Starship and “Rogues Are We” from Holy Musical B@man!
“Hey Dragon,” A Very Potter Musical
“A Thousand and One Nights,” Twisted
“Take Off Your Clothes,” Twisted
“No One Remembers Achmed,” Twisted
“Voldemort Is Going Down,” A Very Potter Musical
“Not Alone,” A Very Potter Musical
“Everything Ends,” A Very Potter Senior Year
“Days of Summer,” A Very Potter Sequel
“Semi Charmed Life,” Third Eye Blind
“Finale (Making Love),” Me and My Dick
“Super Friends,” Holy Musical B@man!

Keep an eye out for Hypable’s exclusive interview with Team StarKid! We go behind the scenes at StarKid Takes Manhattan and get some details on this summer’s two new musicals.