As the lights dimmed inside of the Barrymore Theater April 14, fans wanted nothing more than to party. And they wanted to party hard.
Andrew W.K. brought his party-centered rock to Madison through a joint effort from Cingular and DemoDaze. Along with openers Squad Five-O and The High Speed Scene, the group is traveling to 10 different college campuses and playing free concerts for Cingular’s Show Me Your Cell (SMYC) members.
Shortly before Andrew W.K. took the stage, the relatively unknown group Squad Five-O played a handful of songs for a seemingly unimpressed audience. Jeff Fortson, the group’s front man, continuously shouted to the crowd of maybe 100 teens, often bordering on begging them for attention. At one point, he urged audience members to form a circle around him so they could “have church.” Between insulting and pandering to the audience, Fortson occasionally shouted lyrics to songs or spit a seemingly endless supply of bottled water into the air. Cheap pyrotechnics, I guess.
Soon after Squad Five-O left the stage, Andrew W.K. sauntered to his keyboard donning his signature white t-shirt, white nut-huggers and sneakers. The group, who has recorded such hits as “Party Hard,” “Party ‘Til You Puke” and “It’s Time to Party,” put on a great performance, giving fans exactly what they wanted. The group’s set-list danced around their various releases, hitting on all of their most popular songs. Eager to please their fans, they went so far as to play “The Kit-Kat Song,” featured on Kit-Kat commercials recently.
While they did play a few songs from The Wolf and their forthcoming third album, Andrew W.K. played mostly from their first release, I Get Wet. Though not as critically acclaimed as The Wolf, these early songs are more widely known and appeared to be favorites of audience members.
Born in California and raised in Michigan, W.K. had great stage presence throughout his band’s set, often pulling the fairly lethargic audience into his land of partying. A man of very few words, Andrew stood center stage with microphone in either his hand or inside the crotch of his pants. Occasionally, he would break into a sort of pseudo-robot dance, or flail around uncontrollably. For a first timer, this behavior would make one think that Andrew W.K. had lost his mind. But for those who are familiar with the man, they know he’s lost his mind.
After getting things started with “It’s Time to Party,” the group marched from song to song, inserting occasional banter between tunes, which consisted mostly of Andrew W.K. asking audience members if they were having fun. Songs like “She is Beautiful” and “We Want Fun” were instantly recognizable and catchy at the same time. The band’s unique genre of “party-rock” blends together metal, pop and dance. Andrew split time between singing and playing keyboard, but at one point picked up a guitar and showed audience members that he’s perfectly capable of shredding an axe with the best of them, by playing a complex solo.
Most aren’t aware of it, but Andrew himself is classically trained on the piano. His hidden talents are noticeable in a few of the group’s songs, but W.K. seems to prefer dancing around and singing rather than showcasing intricate piano ballads. Maybe it’s just better that way.
Things hit a high point when W.K. invited fans to join him onstage for “I Get Wet.” Over half of the crowd stormed the stage, dancing along with the band and taking turns with Andrew singing the lyrics. A couple of party-hungry teens tumbled from the stage to the hard floor, apparently unaware that there was no audience to surf on. Other than this small oversight, fans of the group seemed to love interacting with Andrew W.K. on such a personal level.
Despite a relatively small crowd and bland opening acts, Andrew W.K. rose to the occasion and put on a great concert. The energy of Andrew alone could’ve carried most of the set along, but the music spoke for itself. Though likely never award-winning material, the songs provided a great atmosphere for an overall enjoyable performance. Usually not the first on many peoples’ lists of bands to see live, Andrew W.K. plays an excellent show and should not be missed should the opportunity arise.
