On Friday night I went to the Wolf Parade show and became so fed up with the crowd that I wanted to leave early.

At first I mistook these people for “fun” and “rowdy.” But soon it became clear that they were more “drunk” and “disorderly.”

It wasn’t all terrible. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the opener, Ogre you Asshole. They’re Japanese. And adorable! About a minute into their set they got my attention. Here were four young, polite men in oversized comfy sweaters, singing a little more high pitched and playing a little faster than what I expected. My friend and I commented that had they sung in English, I probably wouldn’t have liked them so much. But for some reason, what they were doing worked for me.

This was their first time touring the U.S., and they often paused between songs to say “thank you” many times in a row. Awwww, aren’t they the sweetest?

Simply put, Ogre you Asshole is adorable and fun. And don’t we all need just a little bit of fun every now and then? Try not to read too much into it and lighten up.

Then the mood turned sour when Wolf Parade took the stage. The band was fine, but the crowd? Whooping and hollering, even during the quiet moments of the show. I don’t mind rowdy crowds at all, but I do mind drunk and obnoxious crowds. From the moment I arrived at the Granada, most folks were already tanked, pushing and shoving. So by the middle of the set they were borderline annoying.

But you have to hand it to the band. They really tamed the crowd. They didn’t miss a beat and kept the party rolling all night with their momentum and energy. I’ve never seen someone play the keyboard like that, hopping around with one leg propped up on a stool. They tried to tell jokes and did a little jig every now and then. They knew how to handle their ridiculous fans. For a band that’s been touring nonstop for nearly a year, they had absolutely no shortage of energy.

Until about the end of the show. A mentioning of KU basketball didn’t sit well with their fans (they got some boos). Then, right before the encore, one of them said “I might as well say this right now, we’re all pretty drunk.”

Yeah, you and everybody else buddy.

The bottom line: if you are a big Wolf Parade fan, you probably had a good time. Otherwise, the night sucked. But at least it got out early enough for you to catch a show at the Replay or Jackpot.