Tight pants, Australian accents, and wailing guitar riffs assaulted The Grove in Anaheim last Wednesday night as Wolfmother played to a crowd of young and old.
Wolfmother, the curly-haired trio of Andrew Stockdale (vocals/guitar), Myles Heskett (drums) and Chris Ross (bass/keyboard), rocked the sold-out Grove during its 90-minute set consisting of songs from its eponymous debut album. Opening with the album’s first single, “Dimension,” the band got the crowd moving from the moment it started.
By the end of the night, the band had run through every song on its 13-track album while adding one new song that fit flawlessly with those surrounding it. However, the fact that the album was released in October 2005 might worry fans who are hoping for new material.
Often compared to classic rock demigods like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Wolfmother kept that spirit alive by turning four-minute songs into 10-minute epics with impromptu jam sessions throughout the set. Despite the occasional comparisons to Zeppelin, however, Stockdale is no Robert Plant.
Part of the reason may be that Plant didn’t have to play a guitar while he sang, because one of the key drawbacks was that Stockdale did not move around much. In fact, he stood static behind his microphone for almost the whole show, and his epic Afro obscured any expression or emotion on his face during his performance. However, his vocals and powerhouse guitar solos did their best to make up for his lack of motion. And when he wasn’t singing, he still managed to jump off an amp or two.
Chris Ross did his best to compensate for Stockdale by turning the stage into his own personal playground, which he ran and climbed all over like a hyperactive grade schooler. Sometimes he jumped onto the drum riser with Heskett or danced in the middle of the stage, while other times he threw his bass to the ground and rocked out on his keyboard. At one point, he played his bass with one hand and his keyboard with his other.
Heskett seemed to lack the ability to play his keyboard standing still or with both legs on the ground. While playing his keyboard, he always had it up leaning to the right or the left or leaning forward, or sometimes he went around in a circle with it.
Part of the experience of seeing a band is not just watching the band, but being part of a crowd. This crowd was an especially unique one. There were kids who were probably still in elementary school in attendance rubbing elbows with adults who probably used their AARP cards for discounts on drinks.
It was a unique experience seeing grandpas rocking out, but it’s a testament to the wide range of fans the band draws in. By the end of the night, Wolfmother had brought the house down – a house full of grandparents and grandkids who definitely got their money’s worth.
