As people increasingly consume (and create) nerdy Internet culture, I’m not surprised to see it spill over and manifest into a variety-show-party mashup like LeetUp.

The event centered around a large projector screen above the stage and live conversations (called “podcasts”) between well-known and Internet-famous celebrities. This set up, in theory, was something the audience could absorb passively, much like when they’re online. But that wasn’t what made the night special.

It’s those things combined with the colorful attendees, giveaways, performances, and on-stage shenanigans that flipped it into something more immediate and participatory. In the end, LeetUp felt fresh as it channeled the experience of surfing the web into a physical, tangible experience, despite its individual elements being nothing the fans haven’t seen before.

Actors and personalities like Felicia Day, Alex Albrecht, and Epic Meal Time’s Harley Morenstein, who all maintain significant online presences, were on hand to chat it up on a living-room-inspired stage. Director Kevin Smith and comedian Doug Benson (among others) were also present to share their geeky musings. And apparently, the 1,000-plus fans in attendance loved to just watch everyone talk. Smith almost sounded thrilled when he noted that, “This passes for entertainment, these days.”

Why shouldn’t it? I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the majority of people there enjoy listening to prerecorded podcasts. Then, to see the actual bodies that correspond with the familiar voices and watch them play out the dynamics of a live conversation is a great change of pace.

The fellows in the second panel unsurprisingly shifted their discussion to pornography and masturbation…which, for the majority of male Internet users, is most likely a familiar route.

The projection screen (which did not show porn -- that picture is of actress Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally) also captured the attention of the crowd through the use of clips. One was on what a VJ like Mike Relm does in order to help the crowd appreciate his video-mixing routine. Another was a fake Justin Bieber-memorial montage to honor the death of the young singer (played by host Kevin Pereira) at the hands of YouTube star Ask a Ninja. At other times, the screen served as a jumbotron to give the audience a close-up of the antics. It all felt like we were watching a suped-up playlist of online content but in a predominately offline space (nevermind that they encouraged people to Tweet their thoughts).

Pereira, who came up with the idea of LeetUp, told me in a recent interview that he “really [wants] it to be a ‘you had to be there’ kind of thing.” Having experienced it, I can see what he meant.

The folks on stage tossed out free video games, Dungeons and Dragons sets, and bacon to the crowd. They also prepared and initiated a mustard-drenched eating contest between two audience members. Cosplayers dressed as Marvel super heroes and mortal kombatants roamed among sandal-wearing crowd members (in the swanky Club Nokia in L.A., Calif.). Mike Relm mashed up video and audio of Jay-Z with Super Mario Bros. and Dragon Age 2 with Rage Against the Machine. All of these sights and sounds are best experienced live and together but rarely have such a spot-on dedicated venue as this.

I’d say that the vibe of the evening was similar to going to a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. You don’t go to see the movie, and watching a recording of LeetUp from a computer is missing the point (“meet up,” anyone?). You go to experience it with a bunch of diehard fans whom you’ve probably never met before but share a common, cultural bond with.

At times, it definitely felt that way as plenty of rowdy guys throughout the audience would cheer for any noun or phrase the panelists mentioned. At one point, Doug Benson even uttered a well-received pro-Nazi statement in order to highlight the absurdity of the blind, incessant display of excitement. Then again, that’s why everyone was there: to share good times with like-minded individuals who, if they're anything like me, spend much of their free time browsing the web solo.

Fans who feel left out shouldn’t worry too much, though. The guys at LeetUp and co-sponsor Iam8bit are taking notes on the official Facebook page to see how they can improve things for the next go, wherever that may be.

“The goal is to bring this to cities and states and internationally, if even, that don’t normally have access to events like this,” Pereira said. This is the way it should be. A show that brings together diverse groups of people who share an affinity for geek and Internet culture should have no geographic boundaries.