Andrew W.K. Parties Hard at the Glass House

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Written by Brittany Woolsey

Sunday, 11 March 2012 23:00

It's no secret that Andrew W.K. screams fun and, more importantly, "party." However, even the wildest parties can become tiresome after a while. This was the case of the musician/motivational speaker's two-hour-long set on Saturday night at the Glass House in Pomona, where he performed his debut album "I Get Wet" (now celebrating its 10th anniversary) in its entirety, and then some.

Kicking off the night with "It's Time to Party," Andrew W.K. let it be known what the night would entail -- a party. Almost every song mentioned partying and while it was fun in the beginning, the songs seemed to become repetitive after a while. However, while I became bored after the first 10 or so songs about the subject, most of the crowd seemed really into it. Fans were continuously jumping on stage -- something that Andrew W.K. seemed to encourage -- and one of the biggest mosh pits I'd ever seen formed in the center of the crowd. Not a body in sight was standing still. This was either because they were either participating in the pit, or involuntarily getting pushed and shoved.

"This song is about girls," Andrew W.K. announced before beginning an over-the-top guitar solo, which seemed to take too long to introduce "She is Beautiful." Still, the crowd totally ate it up as Andrew W.K. performed the unnecessary solo, and they roared even more in delight when he actually began playing the real song.

Fans continuously made their way onto the stage, and some even had gifts to present to Andrew W.K. The first was a red-and-white baseball cap and the second was a multicolored fur coat that looked as if it came straight out of the 1970s. And Andrew W.K. seemed to appreciate these gifts, as he stuffed each of them down his pants.

Despite the party vibe, something seemed to be missing. Booze. In some of the songs, Andrew W.K. would mention alcohol, but, unfortunately, the Glass House didn't serve any. Perhaps I would have gotten more into the show if I'd had some of the party substance that Andrew W.K. so frequently mentioned.

As well, the "I Get Wet" set -- which already included 12 songs -- was extended as Andrew W.K. came out for two encores. Despite the encores including one of my favorite songs, "Never Let Down," I would have been just fine with a typical three-song encore. But no, this one was eight songs long, and I was ready to go home by the third.

"Music is proof that God wants us to be happy," Andrew W.K. proclaimed. "We designed this music for a certain kind of joy."

And certainly, while the night did seem to get tiring -- at least for me -- joy was spread throughout the room as Andrew W.K. ended his set with "We Want Fun." And fun was definitely had.