'Glee' cast shines at Radio City

At the core of the TV sensation "Glee" is the battle between sweetness and snark.

What makes the soundtracks - "Vol. 3, The Showstoppers" just became the cast's second No. 1 album in two months - and this limited concert tour, which ends today, so successful is how it seems like there's no contest. Sweetness wins.

Sure, the 75-minute concert Friday at Radio City Music Hall by the high school chorus cast started with video of the show's Sue Sylvester, the villainous cheerleading coach, played by the magnificent Jane Lynch, directing her Cheerios squad to hand out airsickness bags to the audience, saying, "This show is that bad. You will be barfing, trust me."

But that negativity is quickly overwhelmed by the cast of "Glee" each getting their moment to shine during the brilliantly rearranged "Don't Stop Believin'." After all, the cast has Lea Michele on its side and, yes, her voice is even more stunning live than it is as Rachel on the show. When Michele belts out "Don't Rain on My Parade," while rushing down the aisles of Radio City, or teams with Chris Colfer (Kurt) on "Defying Gravity" or Cory Montieth (Finn) on "Somebody to Love," she is undeniable.

Amber Riley (Mercedes) was nearly as potent, giving Christina Aguilera a run for her money on "Beautiful," while Mark Salling (Puck) showed some star power during "Lady Is a Tramp" and East Meadow native Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) offered an emotional, showstopping take on "True Colors."

The rapid-fire pace of the routines from the show could satisfy even the shortest attention span and for true Gleeks - as the show's fans are known - there's even a sneak preview of the upcoming finale, where the cast takes on a medley of Journey songs.

The biggest surprise of the evening, though, was the live appearance on stage of Lynch and Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester) the choral director - who performed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" with Salling - before the encore. The roar for them was so loud and heartfelt, Lynch could barely hold back a smile. She managed to sneer, "Why are you people still here?" but she knew why. It's nice to see the good guys win sometimes.

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