Spider-Farm - Midtown

[@BarbershopHarmony]

SPIDER-FARM BACKSTORY - See the performances that inspired MIDTOWN’S record-shattering SPIDER-FARM PARODY in the 2023 BHS International Quartet Contest Finals. kzbin.info/aero/PLcwXdNVvSNbiRMPWm1cnzUvHjTmTdoxEf

[@sillysongs19]

This should get pinned to the top for those who haven't been following for the last decade ;)

[@abydosianchulac2]

@@sillysongs19 Was just about to write this.

[@lindsay3917]

Thanks! I was extremely confused, haha. Please pin!

[@oliverdelica2289]

5:11 this could be a reference to Love Me and The World is Mine parody

[@jeremygmail]

Can someone explain the reference "Let me catch my breath"? I missed the backstory on that one.

[@TimWaurickMusic]

This is the only song to EVER receive a perfect score in Performance!! Midtown crushed this!!

[@evanbell]

And the highest overall score ever, by a full point! Platinum’s “Cuddle Up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine” got a 95.9 and Crossroads’ “Lucky Old Sun” got a 95.8. This got a 97.0 😱

[@melaniehatzakos6987]

Amazing!

[@drumbum3.142]

Lol. It's Always Good to take Notes. Stay Sharp; and always be Flat Out Impressive. One of a kind here, but a precious few others have Equalled This.

[@WRDW_OKC]

Our chorus did a watch party and cookout for this. We do some funny stuff, but this is one of the best performances of ANYTHING I have seen. Brilliant. Singing that well, and not breaking because of the comedy is very hard. And live?

[@MSA03]

@judetheobscure519 if you don't understand the jokes then obviously you won't find the humor in it

[@Wiener-Doo]

Can we give kudos to the lady who is cackling hysterically thru the entire performance?! 😂😂😂😂

[@MatthewPherigo]

Truly living her best life, god bless her

[@EC2019]

WwoooooHAH! BwooooHAH!!!

[@LynxMajic]

2:42

[@newageoutlaw]

The judges were going to give a 99 but she made it 100.

[@Crafter_H]

She just makes the whole experience that much better! I always love listening to her when I watch this. Again, just adds to the whole experience

[@jaredt.murphy8257]

Barbershop: Into the quartet-verse

[@35Low]

KJ's acting carried this performance so hard with his acting. You can almost believe that he is actually confused and embarrassed. Most deserved 100 Performance Score

[@Antilles1974]

Having KJ play the straight man is such a genius move

[@joshaukonheim2845]

he has a wife and kids

[@dashandcrash6667]

@@joshaukonheim2845The straight man is a TV Trope as someone who pretends not to be a part of the joke. Like the only sane person when everyone else is acting crazy.

[@joshaukonheim2845]

@@dashandcrash6667 ohhhhh that makes so much more sense omg but in this case having kj as the straight man was absolutely genius

[@TCGaming1986]

I have watched this a lot lol

[@misomiso8228]

Was he always the 'funny' guy in previous quartets?

[@bdaveness]

I love the lore of Barbershop Harmony Society that shows up every year.

[@Orbit-sf8ok]

0:51 Anthony’s “Hello folks” is like BUTTER it’s so smooth

[@_satan_666_]

Barbershop lore goes DEEP

[@connerrock1164]

This is the ultimate inside joke for barbershop fans. The best treat I could ever possibly imagine. Also seeing KJ so just proud and happy at the end almost made me tear up. What an amazing performance. Long live the kings! MIDTOWN!!

[@carolemerckel3461]

AMEN TO THAT!!!

[@oliverdelica2289]

To think that before he was too busy twerking in the 20 before

[@MrWuChung]

I think we all miss Lunch Break… i mean Break Room…

[@eldiablo1000]

Definitely miss lunch room!

[@Thatll_Do_Pig_]

Any idea what KJ was joking about when he said "let me catch my breath"? Only joke I didn't get

[@CatholicQuartet]

Gotta love a barbershop song that will keep you fully interested for 13 minutes

[@MSA03]

Seeing Midtown whip out comedy in finals was one of the coolest things I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing

[@rachelmae9555]

I was SO SHOCKED in the audience when Anthony started talking. I was like “oh jeez, where is this going???” But there was clearly nothing to worry about 😂. Brilliant performance.

[@abydosianchulac2]

The more I think about the way they structured the comedy, too, the more I'm in awe at how great it is. From lampshading the fact that the three guys aren't known for comedy, and not necessarily good at it, and they're the clowns getting the jokes wrong and being (intentionally) mediocre, to the comedian playing a pitch perfect straight man, it fits the context of a group suddenly diving into comedy for the first time. A joke that could only be told by these four, and only this one time.

[@musicbaby81]

@@abydosianchulac2 This is the magic of THE David MacEachern. It's got his signature schtick all over it and it's fabulous, isn't it? :)

[@nooshiewest8738]

Didn't make me laugh. Making jokes about ADHD is just bad taste tbf. One "joke" stretched to breaking point.

[@MSA03]

@nooshiewest8738 to be fair humor is completely subjective. What might be funny to one might be not to another. As someone who has ADHD I found it funny personally but I obviously can't speak for the whole ADHD community lol

[@ManrikiKusari]

8:07 “I used to love watching that as a kid” Me too, me too. I remember I wouldn’t stop singing about Old McDonald’s Deformed Farm back in grade six, and I still sometimes sing that to myself when I’m bored. Lunch Break and Main Street were the ones that really got me hooked on barbershop as a kid.

[@rexelonproductions5458]

And Midtown really hooked me after listening to Newfangled Four a while back. And I'm only a freshman in high school. I will be doing choir all four years because of this video lol.

[@passonthering]

I just imagine all of the things they could’ve done and still won gold medals, but they choose to do this. To work their butts off to create this extraordinary gift that is still giving. Kudos and bravo, my friends.

[@MommeeMadre1]

This is STILL hilarious!!!! I just literally ROFL .... (And I actually HAVE Narcolepsy). Dying over here!😅😂😅😂

[@jaredt.murphy8257]

I'm dumbfounded. Making what likely took countless, countless hours, years of improving skills, to practice and perfect, seem as if it were unpredictable and, help me, off the cuff... standing on the shoulders of those came before... just... astounding. Bravo isn't a cheer big enough. I feel like this is a network award show ceremony level of quality

[@EC2019]

I love the idea that KJ has always been wearing his Lunch Break shirt close to his heart the entire time no matter if he's singing with another quartet, and now after this song he's decided he's proud enough to let everyone know he's been secretly wearing it all along XD Very clever lol. I just wish I could share this performance with others and have them get it though. It's so deeply deeply clever but like nobody would ever get it unless they were following barbershop. So sad that 7-level-deep in-jokes like that can't be shared more widely.

[@maryeh4636]

I feel the costume under the suit is another tribute to Spiderman... doesn'r Spiderman wear his suit under regular clothes?

[@sentry4944]

I still can't get over Anthony's first sloth face. I don't know how KJ didn't break character looking at him.

[@disguisedcyclops4593]

That look of realization on KJ’s face when Anthony said “I used to love watching that as a kid” was priceless 😂😂😂

[@BinkusTheTrinkus]

KJ wins the award for best character arc in barbershop history.

[@sillysongs19]

seriously

[@teodorlontos3294]

You win the award for best comment on this video!

[@joshwmiltonman]

Will only be topped if/when Gary wins as a lead

[@mrwyatt6006]

Jaxcississippi Nachos Bell Grande finally said his name right. That’s gotta be a bigger character arc.

[@kateschroth3304]

😊

[@EricCuiffo]

Gotta give it up for the laughing lady who really turned this into the perfect performance

[@steveboone1498]

Here's a little tidbit about Christian Diaz who the bass of Midtown, he is an accomplished tenor who can sing high notes full voiced without ever straining. He once even matched his voice to a high pitched soprano singing opera.

[@oliverdelica2289]

Tim Waurick beware

[@lyamkonings4758]

Are there any videos of this on youtube? would love to see it!

[@steveboone1498]

@@lyamkonings4758 not that I'm aware of but the possibility is there.

[@lyamkonings4758]

@@steveboone1498 sad to hear, I couldn’t find any videos of him singing solo without midtown or any other quartet.

[@ryandigney4703]

This has been a masterclass in "knowing your audience."

[@MoominJude]

The audience were on something. It wasn't THAT funny

[@nuffels6587]

@@MoominJude it's all inside jokes

[@mikosoft]

​@@nuffels6587he's just salty

[@Gamilieee]

​​@@MoominJudetell me u dont watch barbershop without telling me u dont watch barbershop

[@bulkvanderhuge9006]

@@MoominJude Nobody cares.

[@godfrey_approves]

Even after the craziness of this, Spider Pig hit me like a ton of bricks!!

[@lesleywilbourne7823]

Absolutely brilliant. Great nod to Lunchbreak. KJ smashed it with his acting and the singing and harmony was great too xxxx

[@loftus8660]

I've rewatched this so many times solely with the intention of seeing the reveal from 1:55, but its so brilliant musically and so entertaining i end up rewatching the entire thing evey time 😂

[@rodrigomira577]

Lunch Break walked so Midtown could fly! Congrats!

[@annacollier643]

The facial expressions in this performance are everything!😂

[@sueroork8452]

KJ you were such a great actor in this with the perfect pauses too.

[@taruheizu]

It’s crazy how these guys turned their lowest scoring song last year into their highest scoring song this year! Did not disappoint!

[@Gabe_M]

Being in the room, hearing Spiderman start, then the switch up, oh man it was everything you could ever want in a performance.

[@jetfoolishroche211]

This popped up in my feed again months later, and it's still 10/10 in my opinion. Even Christian's glance at KJ after he rips his shirt off is priceless.

[@paulahaddad5114]

Love this so much😊😊😊 So glad you got a perfect score - it surely was deserved.🎉🎉🎉

[@musicaltheatrefan2k226]

8:03 He’s back! He did the thing! I used to love watching that when I was a kid.

[@saraalhashimi2650]

Adding Midtown to the list of quartets who don't usually do comedy (especially on contest stage) CRUSH comedy! ❤

[@matthewportillo215]

lady cackling deserves mega props

[@mikenelson6630]

A great tribute song - I was able to catch a performance of Lunch Break in NW Wisconsin years ago. I believe it was sponsored by the local S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A. chapter. It was a great show, and afterglow gathering, where extra animals that didn't make "the ten" were showcased. I didn't realize that it had been 10 years already. I still enjoy watching the DVD that I got there! And a belated congratulations to KJ and the rest of Lunch Break guys for making "the ten" in your final competition! I love the final Lunch Break outfit reveal at the end!

[@eldiablo1000]

Its the nuance in the performance that makes it so wonderful, my favorite being, when KJ finally does the prat fall, the other 3 guys do the perfectly timed little bounce that attention to detail is what makes this performance truly legendary!

[@greenday61892]

There's also just something so *brilliant* about a quartet who wasn't known for comedy prior doing comedy, having the ONE dude who actually was in a comedy quartet before this one play the straight man, just absolutely genius concept

[@abydosianchulac2]

Wait, was this actually presented as "Spider-Farm" or did everyone think they were going to do "Spider-Man" straight again? If the latter, that's some grade-a trolling up there with NF4 rickrolling the competition.

[@daniboi6641]

As someone who was there, we all thought it was just normal spiderman before Anthony started talking. It was glorious.

[@maryvalent961]

Nothing has been this perfect since Who’s On First

[@maryvalent961]

What a classic tribute to a great group!

[@xenos7323]

I see a lot of people worried about KJ hitting his head, but don't worry, if you look closely, he lands on his shoulder with his left hand as support. But damn does he make it look realistic! Incredible job guys!

[@LunchBreakBari]

Oh don't worry... he's had plenty of practice over the years. He fine... and now my friend is wearing a GOLD medal.

[@laurenaponte4335]

Spider slapstick 101 🕷️ 😂 💈 🎶

[@JoelERea]

He had some padding around his chin that he didn’t have a decade ago.

[@oliverdelica2289]

@@JoelEReahehehe 😂

[@chrisring123]

Great commitment on his part!

[@werdsivad1]

Outstanding performance and what a great tribute to Lunch Break! Love it!!

[@keeganeich5755]

I think my favorite part is the little baby notes you can hear while they're holding for applause

[@scootermom1791]

This song/act reminds me of Bar D Wrangler's "Old Matt Palmer's Farm," which I thoroughly love!

[@katherineroland6008]

10 years ago, the very first Barbershop YT vid I watched was Lunch Break Old MacDonald. It made my turn 6 year old and I laugh hysterically. I’ve followed Barbershop ever since. What a wonderful full circle moment! The perfect score was so well deserved! I look forward to all the videos from this year. 🥰

[@themusicman5578]

Goddamn, let’s just take a second to appreciate the blend through the bari jumps KJ had to do…gah just fantastic!

[@Joelabramson-y5c]

I keep on laughing at this parody. Loved the version with the score and side captions. They are brilliantly funny and talented harmonies. Been playing it over and over and over to get all of the words memorized to say it to my friends. Here an and there a …..

[@dodôcarriel1384]

what a music!!!! Great JOB GUYS!!! HUGS

[@VolkGreg]

Saw the 100 performance score, and see that it was deserved. Wow! A singing quartet that can out-schtick all of them.

[@nicolasgian8822]

Can’t stop rewatching this perfection

[@bryanmcaleesejergins]

Legendary! So proud of my brother and the Midtown boys ❤❤❤ 2023 CHAMPS BAYBAY!!!

[@yeticat3462]

They are amazing! ❤

[@aaronmusic01]

Your brother is one of the reasons I sing barbershop in the first place! They earned their win!

[@bahadirvaroglu]

This is the most epic thing I’ve ever seen for a long time. 😂🤘🏻

[@jenniferhanses]

Those sloth faces were epic.

[@Abijah12411]

Ok, I'm crazy🤣 this was so funny

[@bgbari]

Love this so much. These guys worked as hard as anyone I’ve ever seen, especially on this song. And yes it’s inside baseball, but some of the greatest performances in barbershop history have done that and this is another incredible example!! ❤

[@camanawana]

This Quartet ROCKED It!

[@HymnLee]

Oh yeah, now that's bah'bah'shop right there.

[@laurenaponte4335]

Is that for spider lamb? 😂

[@christopherfuller8604]

Reading the negative comments is almost as funny as this performance. The beauty of this are all the inside references. Remarkable.

[@byhisstrengthh]

I knew as soon as I heard them sing their first song in the quaterfinal that these guys were gonna be the champs this year. Way to go midtown❗️

[@Anirah_Li]

That little jump the others do when KJ falls ads so much to the comedy. 😂 All of them really nailed that whole performance. 👏

[@emilyrln]

10:39 now THAT is dedication to the craft 😂

[@jeanforrester4134]

What can one say except fantastic!!!!! ln 4 part close Barbershop harmony😅😂❤

[@robgraessle4109]

This is like the 10th time I've seen this and just now noticed the "Wee!" reference at 3:29 😂

[@harmonygalpal9]

i love you Nick!

[@browncatt1]

Truly magnificent. Right on point. Clever without being smarty pants. Class gents. Well done and thank you to the Team that came up with this beauty.

[@milkpabotea]

How many times have you watched this? Me: Yes

[@leekimah]

That's why he looks so familiar :D

[@WilliamAiken]

12:18 Nick Gordon perfectly launches the toilet paper to the judges panel 👌🏼

[@UniqueActive]

Even hitting right on one of their desks 😂

[@grmmrc]

i love that it looks like he's launching his "web"

[@googingus]

WOWOWOWOW!

[@arifgegar]

The first 3 Quartet i ever known is Main street, Lunch break and NF4. Love the comedy side and harmonization. I tried to find something like this in my country and its seems non existant 😂😂 then i enjoy Stormfront and Max Q from whatever available in youtube. What a journey for KJ, from what i know Midtown is not a comedy quartet but they do it so well. its like they channeling the stormfront,free, Lunch break spirit. Thus that 100 point for the presentation. KJ is like being haunted by his old sin tbh 😂his reaction is perfect and the emotional ride that he had. In the end he would love lunch break to be there. tbf he wear that lunch break jacket for the win what a story. perfect ending.

[@oliverdelica2289]

As much as i wished nf4 won, this isnt a bad choice

[@moet805]

My first quartets were Nf4, then instant classic, lunch break, and storm front. I guess I have a preference! 🤪. And yes, I wish Nf4 won, but I am just as happy these gentlemen have won as well! 🤗

[@carolemerckel3461]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't there a video made of Lunch Break's last year as a quartet in competition at International, where it showed the call off and they actually made THE TOP 10??

[@JellyMyst]

Indeed so. The video you're talking about is _One Last Break: A Documentary of Lunch Break's Final Competition._ The id on youtube is 2JTLPuk-0Kc. Unfortunately I can't post the link without serious risk of deletage by the comment gremlins.

[@wendybrown500]

I can’t stop watching this. I have watched it a few times a day since it came out. It’s so entertaining!

[@MusicManPotter]

Absolutely amazing performance. I can’t wait to watch this year after year!!

[@l.a.f.4421]

Hovv about THAT ! ! God Bless SPEBSQSA and, along vvith; also The Salem Senataires [thanks Pop].

[@frak7190]

Even their comedy is extremely rehearsed and perfectly calculated. Never change, Midtown

[@frak7190]

Like missing the high five??? gold. You can't do something like that on the fly. It takes practicing missing a high five dozens of times

[@figmo397]

That was both hilarious and amazing!

[@DrDaveSalisburyPhDMBA]

Awesome! Thank You!

[@lindavoges3520]

Incredibly amazing performance/humor!

[@Xemptful]

An absolutely incredible performance that requires a significant amount of homework to fully appreciate!

[@evanbell]

The greatest competition song ever performed at Internationals and you need a solid 13 years of barbershop knowledge to understand it all lol

[@sSLOSs]

@@evanbell Luckily they have a backstory playlist in the description

[@hanszauner1572]

@@evanbell And you need to be old enough to recognize Homer Simpson's "Spider Pig" song. It sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't attribute it until I found it in the backstory playlist.

[@jeffthedoggo7990]

My music teacher does not like barbershop, except for Old McDonalds Deformed Farm. I guess I should show this to her and explain all the non-Lunche Break references.

[@jonathan12349111]

WOW WOW WOW! What impresses me the most is how fantastic and consistent the singing is throughout all while messing around and clearly having a blast on the stage! The slide upwards on "hang up" in the tag gives me immeasurable joy :D

[@flyingc4]

I feel like there were inside jokes in this that I would love to know. But this was an A+++++ either way. Great job guys!

[@friendly_neighborhood_duck]

4:48 might be a reference to Category 4's Two of a Kind where one guy (i think the bass? but i can honestly never tell which guy is what) holds 4 fingers in front of the others face and the other guy pushes it down like KJ does

[@misomiso8228]

so good.

[@ariamentio]

KJ: This is a terrible idea. Christian: 😀 of all the bits in this video this stands out to me the most and honestly I wouldn’t want it any other way

[@Crafter_H]

5:04 the whole eye reveal is just hilarious

[@dalejarvis2126]

Great! After Hours needs to "update" their version of the song...

[@JacobKanupp]

I'm SO glad this is the song they decided to upload in honor of Midtown's win! What a historic performance that had me freaking out in the arena! Well deserved 100 performance and 97 overall!!!

[@steveboone1498]

97.89 to be exact

[@baegelandcheese4431]

THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!

[@iWhacko]

so amazing. best hommage to a classic, while still being original. well done

[@jaspastritt1364]

I think I've watched this atleast 2/3 times a day since seeing it live... It's so good! 😂

[@derschweigaa]

The little jump they do when KJ hits the ground is so perfect

[@djhill624]

WOW oh WOW oh WOW...enough said.

[@thatelectropig8678]

Absolutely legendary, the callbacks to lunch break and slowly pulling kj into the performance were hilarious

[@tfofurn]

"Everyone is saying this got 100th. How could this get 100th?!? This oughta be at least good enough for ninth!"

[@laurenaponte4335]

It got 1st. 🥇 They scored a perfect 100. 😊

[@tfofurn]

​@@laurenaponte4335yeah, my Emily Litella impression needs work.

[@carolemerckel3461]

11/1/23 I found an old video (2017) of JAG from Liberty Singers Liberty High School doing their version of "Old McDonald's Deformed Farm. They nailed the hyperactive sloth! 😄

[@Harmniz]

Thank you BHS for releasing this early!!

[@davidcmatt]

Bravo!

[@JoelERea]

*- TO THE MEDIA STAFF OF THE BARBERSHOP HARMONY SOCIETY-* Can you quickly please change the thumbnail shot of this video? It spoils the _big_ reveal at the end! Pick another frame from somewhere in the middle or something, _please!_ I wanna share the heck outta this, but I don’t wanna spoil the ending. and that spoilery thumbnail will get embedded wherever I share it to!

[@abydosianchulac2]

Thanks, BHS!

[@vera_6779]

I would love to give this more thumbs-up. It doesn't matter how many times I watch it, I'm always howling with laughter within seconds and can hardly breathe at the end. Hilarious, sweet and perfect, in one. I hope Midtown will continue as a group (and not split up form another quartet and win, then form another quartet and win .. :) )