Girl at the Rock Shows

My thought process on Saturday night was: the show in First Avenue’s mainroom is an all ages one which means it will be done early. This means I may as well duck down into the more intimate 7th Street Entry (in the same building and owned by First Avenue) to see what’s going on there after the mainroom show. It was honestly the best decision I have made in years.

Opening up the show with a quick fifteen-minute set was local comedian Tia Hannes. I was instantly in love with this woman as she talked about everything from mental health to dating to the way that sports are basically just the male version of… well, I don’t want to give it away. There was something charming and wholesome about Tia’s performance but also moments of brashness that both hit and didn’t with the packed audience. Regardless, I loved the way she would either give herself a pat on the back or acknowledge the fact that the joke had landed the previous night so, clearly, the audience on Saturday just needed to loosen up a bit.

Writing about comedians is hard. I’ve done it before, and I like the challenge, but that has been at performances that were at least an hour long, not just fifteen minutes. The challenge here is that you can’t talk about any of the jokes because, well, that would give it all away. I respect the craft so much that I don’t even want to get close to giving up one of Tia’s jokes so, although I wish I could tell you more about her quick opening set, I literally just can not. I can tell you that Tia was funny as hell and was the perfect act to set the tone for what was to come.

As mentioned, I literally just wandered into this show on a whim, so I had no clue what was to come, but a friendly human standing next to me at this show was quick to tell me all about what was about to happen. Although I took everything he said with a grain of salt, as I always do in these situations, his excitement about the headlining act, Wolves of Glendale, was more than enough to get me stoked for what was to come. As the house lights went down and the three members of this California-bred group took the stage, the roar of chatter in the room turned into a deafening explosion of applause. I may not have known what was about to happen but I knew that there was something to be excited about and I could feel a grin stretch across my face before the three men jumped into their set that would last about an hour which definitely wasn’t long enough.

Tenacious D meets The Lonely Island is the best way I can describe Wolves of Glendale. It’s half comedy, half music, and all hilarious. The first song they performed included high-fiving someone in next to you that you didn’t know and calling out one person in the front to go to the bathroom and not come back– the trio would wait for this person to leave for the bathroom before quickly explaining that they were just joking and this guy could come back. Okay, now that I write this, I’m realizing that you just had to be there but, trust me, this group had me rolling in laughter within just the first few seconds of their set. I was hooked to say the least.

Much like trying to cover a comedian, I feel like I don’t want to give away all of the jokes and funny banter that happened throughout Wolves of Glendale’s set but let me just give you some highlights:

The dreaded flashlight- This was the way the band would single people out in the audience. Whether it was to make that aforementioned guy go to the bathroom and not come back or to get people to sing certain words, the band would shine a bright flashlight on their victims. As someone with anxiety who hates to be called out, this was anxiety inducing but, thankfully, I was far enough away from the stage and the light never hit me.

The “fuck-around block”- They mentioned how every band has a “fuck-around block”. It’s when, in the middle of a performance, a band kicks into a cover or something to just kill some time. Instead of doing this, the band took suggestions from the audience. They would mash up two songs or artists that shouldn’t work together yet pull off a flawless song. I know this is a gimmick but this was a highlight for me. Hearing a version of “Break Stuff” from Limp Bizkit done in the style of Kesha was hilarious but also showed the talent of these three comedian-musicians.

The fight scene- at one point in the night, the trio got in a fight over who could beat up who. This led to an epic fight scene that played out on the intimate stage in front of me. There were no props yet their movements were so perfectly timed with the sounds ringing through the PA that it was easy to envision these men having everything from light sabers to guns to just a good ol’ fashioned fist fight.

There were so many moments like this that had me roaring in laughter. I seriously thought I was going to lose it multiple times throughout the performance.

Beyond the jokes was the music. It was 80s-inspired, synth-heavy pop music with catchy and infectious beats. Although this group is all about the jokes, I would be remiss to not mention the pure talent that they showcased in the music. From the improvisation they showed to the songs that are clearly “hits” and had the audience singing along, I was impressed how this trio was able to not only give a show, but give good music at the same time.

I really wish you all could have been at the 7th Street Entry on Saturday to witness this magic. It was one of those shows that, although I went in blind, I left with a new favorite and a show that will surely be on some of my “top of 2024” lists. This performance was part of Wolves of Glendale’s first-ever headlining tour, and it’s safe to assume that, based on the reception, it won’t be their last. If you need a laugh, I highly suggest checking this group out. They remind you that it’s okay to be silly and okay to just let loose for a bit, and, most importantly, they remind you that you should have just gone to the gym.

Line Up:

Tia Hannes

Wolves of Glendale

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 34

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- None

Mosh-ability- 0 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- 0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Irritated I Was With The Audience – 0 out of 10

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Phoebe Go – 0

Briston Maroney – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 10 out of 10

Show on Deck — TALK / Zinadelphia // Jonny Darko / REIKI / League Two / donlavinci

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