On Sept. 4, a hurricane hit Pop’s;.Hurricane Andrew W.K!
Although plenty of people may dismiss W.K. as just stupid
hair-metal revival, like Def Leppard or Whitesnake, W.K. is so much
more than that. If there is one thing that puts W.K. above his
alleged hair-metal kindred, it’s his live show. Even a half-hour
before the show started, the cigarette smoke in the room was potent
enough to make eyes water. When the first of the opening bands came
on stage, it was apparent that the crowd did not want opening
bands; they wanted AWK.
After the opening bands, Stateside, Vaux and High on Fire were
done, the magic started. The crowd was dotted with party hats,
inflatable guitars and an Oompa-Loompa wig. After what seemed to be
the longest wait ever, (during which several mosh pits broke out to
the Slayer playing on the speakers), he finally emerged with his
band.W.K.’s band really adds to the whole AWK experience.
Confetti and streamers burst into the air as W.K. and his army
of guitars burst into their first song, “It’s Time to Party”. As
soon as the song started, W.K. began to throw his arms and legs in
every direction in his own unique style of dancing. One of the
things that make his shows so wonderful, aside from his antics, is
that he truly does love his fans; there was no security stopping
droves of them from climbing on stage, jumping on his back or even
taking the mic for a chorus.
As the band ripped through fan favorites such as “She Is
Beautiful”, “Ready To Die” as well as songs from his new album,
The Wolf, the crowd got rowdier and rowdier. In between
songs, W.K. would blurt out some of the most uplifting,
inspirational bits of revelation such as “These aren’t my songs, or
your songs, these are OUR songs!” or “All the fun and good times of
the summer have been boiled down and condensed into tonight!” The
man just reeked of sincerity. The highlights of the show came
towards the end when AWK played two of the most energetic songs
known to music; “Party Hard” and “I Get Wet.” For “Party Hard,” the
stage was just packed with happy, dancing fools.
The crowd turned things up a notch and went even crazier than
before. After “Party Hard”, W.K. announced one last song. The crowd
seemed to be building up their remaining energy for one final
blast. The first few notes off of the keyboard signaled the start
of “I Get Wet,” and the biggest, happiest mosh pits ever.
Even more maniacs joined those who had gone on stage for “Party
Hard”. His army of loyal fans surrounded him; they patted him on
the head, rubbed his hair and jumped on his back, and the whole
time W.K. had the biggest smile ever.
After the show, W.K. came outside to meet his adoring fans and
not only give them an autograph, but a whole motivational
paragraph. He conversed with them as equals and answered their
questions.
This is a man who truly loves what he does and truly loves his
fans. You will never see a finer live show than Andrew W.K.,
ever.
