Andrew W.K./Shai Hulud

live in Bowling Green (2002)

DontBeSoDigital

If there is one word to describe this show it would simply be: bizarre.

At the show, you could find so many differant types of people, I can't remember the last time I saw such a diverse group of people at one show. You had people of differant color, fashion, shapes, sizes and age. Andrew W.K. must be doing something right if he's getting so many differant people together at one show.

The show didn't start until almost 10:00 p.m., people were getting rather anxious and the first band Gil Mantera's Party Dream opened a little early. Gil Mantera's Party Dream is a two peice, local band that plays this strange mix of techno, dance, and rock. The singer "Ultimate Donny" often went into incoherant ramblings, the few words I did pick up were either about 1) How great he is, 2) incest and 3) He and his brother will be the first in line for Jurassic Park 4.

The band did a lot of strange things such as do weird dances on stage or on the bar, wear nothing but speedos and leotards and rub themselves constantly. Quite bizarre and possibly the most disturbing performance I've ever seen in my life.

I heard someone say that they are a "retarded version of DEVO." I couldn't agree anymore with that. Next came Shai Hulud…

For those who are unfamiliar, this is a hardcore band, they reminded me of Poison The Well. This band isn't my cup of tea, I'm not going to sit here and bash them because I know people are into this type of thing and simply put: This isn't something I'm into. They did however, have a lot of fans at this show. I was quite surprised. The pit that the band started was a little on the rough side, some elbows were being thrown, some kicks, some fights broke out, things like that.

The actual performance of the band was good, despite the fact I couldn't stand the music. They have a good stage presence. They had a lot of energy and the singer did a lot of interaction with the crowd and he was often found crowd surfing. For all you Shai Hulud fans, they announced that they have a new album that will be coming out early next year. Next came Andrew W.K…

A.W.K. is opening for Aerosmith now and on his off days, he's playing in small clubs, that's something I've always appreciated bands doing when they play with nationally known acts. It gives the real fans a chance to see their favorite performers.

He and his band weren't the best sounding band I've ever heard, but they were probably the most fun band I've ever seen before. The whole floor became almost one giant party it seemed and A.W.K. obviously knows how to get a crowd going. A.W.K. is incredibly energetic, probably the most energetic performer I've ever seen in my life. And throughout the entire show he had one giant smile on his face, this guy really, really enjoys what he's doing. He loved every second of being on that stage. He then said at one point in the show, "No matter how bad of a day I have, the one thing that keeps me going is you guys, the fans. So, thank you for giving me a reason to live." That may have sounded corny to you readers, but this guy was sincere in saying that, and I think it made the whole crowd feel really good and respect the guy even more.

He and his band played all his songs off his album and did an encore to "Dont Stop Living In The Red". The show often had to be stopped because of the lack of security guards and people getting crushed up front. But, that happens at a lot of shows, so that's nothing really new.

Overall, it was probably the weirdest but the most enjoyable show I've ever seen. You don't have to like A.W.K.'s music, but I think you should at least respect the guy for trying to make sure everyone has fun and bringing so many people together.