Even before Wolves of Glendale took to the stage at Adelaide Hall on Monday night, the irreverent tone for the night had already been set by snippets of pre-show Wolves-related trivia on screen, with questions like “What is the band’s favorite film about wolves? (Answer: Teen Wolf, because “he friggin’ dunks”). Not that the audience really needed any prepping before the show – this was a crowd that was clearly ready for the band’s particular brand of comedy rock. That much was clear from the massive cheers only two songs in after the trio finished playing “Reptile Guy” off their latest album, Go to the Woods!
“We’ve been waiting to come back to Toronto for so long. Because of this,” came the response from the band as they reminisced about how great the crowd was the last time they played Toronto, at the now-shuttered Velvet Underground.
As someone who grew up loving Weird Al Yankovic and memorizing the lyrics to songs like “Melanie” and “You Don’t Love Me Anymore,” it’s easy to see the appeal of Wolves of Glendale. Much like Weird Al, the band has a talent for ramping up its storytelling to the most absurd levels. It’s something that likely works best on first listen – after all, once you get over the initial shock of hearing songs like “Vapin’ in Vegas” or “The Gym” for the first time, they’re still funny, but not quite as funny as they were that first time around. On the other hand, there’s something to be said for a room full of people singing their favourite lyrics at the top of their lungs back to the band. That communal experience is what live music is all about, after all. And there was no shortage of crowd-interaction moments at this show to help make the night memorable. And to give the band a chance to show off their improv chops, both musically and comedically.
One such moment came after “Vote Gus,” the band’s treatise on why Americans should just elect a baby skunk as president because, “Who gives a fuck?” Once the song ended, the crowd kept things going with an impromptu chant of “Gus! Gus! Gus!” The band then morphed the chant into the beginnings of some kind of proto-metal jam, as drummer Eric Jackowitz started busting out some high-pitched vocals that, as his bandmate Tom McGovern pointed out, sounded a bit like King Diamond. This then turned into a bit as the band joked about Jackowitz’s new band, Laughing Witch.
The band would then go on to improvise a song about horse masks after a group of fans donned them during the band’s performance of “Ricky,” as well as another about what guitarist Ethan Edenburg might look like with a dog tail after spotting a pair of fans wearing custom-made T-shirts, dog ears, and a dog tail. That particular look was inspired by “Olivia,” the tune that would close out the band’s set. Telling the story of a man who eventually falls in love with the ghost who lives with him and setting it to the sounds of smooth ’80s MOR rock, the song eventually culminates in the refrain, “Sacrifice a puppy for love, you gotta sacrifice a puppy for love!”
It’s perhaps the perfect example of what a Wolves of Glendale song is all about: taking an absurd premise, committing to it completely, and somehow turning it into a singalong anthem. Just make sure you stop yourself from singing those lyrics to yourself as you exit the venue and make your way home, or you might get some troubled looks from passersby.
