Andrew W.K
Math the Band
Suede Dudes
Revolution Live
Saturday, April 7th
Better Than: Puking on a rug that really ties the room together while in the midst of partying.
Do you get wet? Andrew W.K. has been soaking for the past decade. His current tour celebrates the 10th anniversary of his breakout record titled I Get Wet. While 2001 may seem so long gone, the truth in the lyrics of his first single "Party Hard" is timeless: When it's time to party, we will always party hard.
A line formed early in front of the Revolution Live while the oddball mix of attendees waited for the doors to open. They were treated to a performance from local fuzzlords Suede Dudes. In a partitioned section of gravel, they played energetically to an unamused throng, who continued to sip beers and lean against the side of the building. The Dudes jammed until eventually blowing a powerstrip, which brought their set to an end. Bogus.
Doors opened slightly later than scheduled. It made little difference to the show-goers as they filed inside. While most already wore shirts about partying, a noticeable amount chose to instantly become that guy as they enthusiastically donned new AWK merch straight from the table.
As the curtains drew, fans began to chant "Yes" in unison as Math the Band began their set. Introducing themseves as "the first band" the audience was hit with a barreling assault of synths, drums, and scratchy basslines as singer Justine Mainville clapped her hands emphatically.
The crowd jostled with excitement as they waited for Andrew W.K. to begin. They danced whimsically to the music, becoming notably lively as James Brown blasted from Revolution's speakers. A small gathering of corn-fed bros in Captain's Hats guzzled beers and took turns slapping each other in the face. They were begging to party, similar to this scene from PCU:
At the soundcheck, another chant began, "It's time to party! It's time to party!"
As expected, Andrew W.K., who was joined onstage with his wife, Cherie Pourtabib, began his set with "It's Time To Party." Attendees began to party. They surged forward, immediately stripped their t-shirts off, and began to sing and pile on top of each other, all the while Andrew and Cherie synchronized headbangs.
Keeping tempo with how hard the crowd began to engage in play, AWK dove into "Party Hard." The already staggering level of energy intensified as Andrew ripped an insane piano solo at the song's end.
Between songs, the crowd was treated to the first of a series of hilarious monologues from
Andrew, "We got a song about leapin' lizards!" He then went on a tangent about the strange bugs and creatures found in South Florida. The crowd, won over, began to chant "Andrew!" to which he responded by chanting "You!"
After playing "Girls Own Love," Andrew provided entertainment by himself, bringing out a guitar shaped like a slice of Pizza. The word "Pizza" was written on the fretboard. He began to slur "I want pizza!" in reference to this video:
As if that itself wasn't silly enough, he began to shred. After an extended guitar solo which included the opening riff to Pantera's "Walk" and ending with the national anthem (which prompted the crowd to chant "USA! USA! USA!") he made his way back to the piano. Attendees were treated to a charming vaudeville-sounding medley which segued into the opening notes of "Ready to Die." Upon recognition, the crowd screamed and the party resumed.
Between songs, Andrew, in his mastery of showmanship, asked a series of pressing questions.
"Has anyone ever barfed? Has anyone ever vomited? Has anyone ever puked before in their life?"
He then called upon the gods of party to bless us all with a good time, going into "Party Til You Puke."
Before singing "I Love NYC" (which was changed to I Love Ft. Lauderdale), Andrew spoke about how much he loves Florida. He talked about how most of the crew was from Florida and of his love for Floridian death metal.
The band carried on playing with unending enthusiasm. There was not a single moment when a person in the band was not grinning ear to ear. They routinely high-fived crowd surfers as they plunged over the barricade. A young woman was brought onstage between songs solely because she was wearing an Emperor shirt, which Andrew loved. A man in a banana suit was brought up as well. Andrew interviewed him on the spot, asking if he was having the best time of his life.
After playing every song from I Get Wet, the band took a brief intermission. The crowd cheered and chanted "Let's go Andrew, let's go!" and "We want fun!" until they returned. Andrew reminded everyone that the topic of the night's show was partying before going into the first song from his second record, The Wolf, "Victory Strikes Again."
As the second set progressed, an audience member partied a little too hard, diving from the balcony into the crowd. Miraculously, he emerged unscathed.
This set closed with a new song. Entitled "Head Bang," it touched on Andrew's roots in death metal, making no secret of Andrew's love for bands like Obituary and Slayer. The crowd reacted warmly, moshing hard and exploding into another circle pit.
Again, the crowd began to chant "We want fun!" This was probably the 16th chant that had started, which again brings PCU to mind again. Andrew and Cherie came out again, and Andrew began to play the drums, much to the crowd's delight. Cherie explained how lucky we were to witness this, as it was the first time it had happened on the entire tour. After smashing out a drum solo that would rival the likes of Garth Algar, the rest of the band returned to end the evening with "We Want Fun."
Critic's Notebook
Personal Bias: The whole vibe of the show was straight out of a party scene from a movie. Andrew's onstage antics were reminiscent of a children's TV show.
The Crowd: Lots of shirts about partying. The most pairs of white denim pants in a single building at any given time.
Random Detail: Before the show, the young man in a banana suit was seen hanging around out front. Andrew W.K. came out, met him, and then signed his suit.
Set List:
It's Time to Party
Party Hard
Girls Own Love
Ready to Die
Take It Off
I Love NYC (Ft. Lauderdale)
She is Beautiful
Party Til You Puke
Fun Night
Got to Do It
I Get Wet
Don't Stop Living In the Red
First Encore:
Victory Strikes Again
I Want to Have a Party
Never Let Go
Totally Stupid
You Will Remember Tonight
Head Bang
Second Encore:
We Want Fun
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