Popular Toronto radio station Kiss 92.5 put on their annual Wham Bam concert last night at the Molson Amphitheatre. The doors opened at 6pm but it wasn’t until two hours later that the headline acts got started. The big trio consisted of LMFAO, Ke$ha and Akon, all of whom played to ecstatic and wild crowds last night.
At 8:15 the duo who calls themselves the ultimate party rockers took the stage. RedFoo and SkyBlu got the party started in typical fashion. Party Rock Anthem, I’m In Miami Bitch, Champagne Showers and other popular hits were played as the crowd started to get onto their seats and enter party mode.
It was an energetic and hyper set as LMFAO ran through a strong handful of songs, consisting of a lot of their new material from their recent album Sorry For Party Rocking.
Old or new, everything the group played was excellent and performed very well. The only song I really didn’t enjoy was Take It To The Hole, which is a track off their new album that I can’t stand. Aside from that, it was an awesome set and I was very impressed by the group.
While the energy levels were already running high through the thousands of mainly 18-25 year old, alcohol fuelled, young adults that were in the Molson Amphiteatre, LMFAO really took it to the next level. The amount of energy these guys had was nuts and they just simply didn’t let up.
For nearly an hour the DJs ran around the stage, engaging in silliness, shenanigans and general tomfoolery. The crowd loved it though and was with them every step of the way. LMFAO knows how to work a crowd and they can put on one hell of a fun show.
As RedFoo and SkyBlu showed off their shuffling, a bevy of back up dancers surrounded them on stage as the duo kept the crowd engaged. Complete with an inflatable zebra and even a couple bottles of champagne, which were unscrewed and poured on fans during select tracks, LMFAO managed to keep the atmosphere energetic, fun and amped up the party, getting the crowd ready for the next big act.
Pop megastar Ke$ha took the stage next and walked out to an already eager to dance crowd. Bringing her Get Sleazy world tour to Toronto, the singer got off to a bumpy start. A tad bit tamed, and rather underwhelming was the general consensus amongst the people I was with. Personally, I thought she was alright, but admittedly, far from great.
The mediocrity didn’t last long though. As she progressed into tracks like Take It Off, the crowd embraced Ke$ha as they took notice of the rising quality in her performance. By the third song or so, the singer was in full form.
Supporting dancers shot glitter-like confetti into the crowd (which I was lucky enough not to be hit with) and Ke$ha engaged the audience every so often, pulling one stunt that involved tying a 17 year old boy to a chair on stage.
She gave fans a bit of her party music (with songs like We R Who We R, Tik Tok and Your Love Is My Drug), which had the crowds up on their seats dancing, but she also slowed things down a bit with The Harold Song, which seemed to be well received by the audience.
Her theatrics were in full effect as well, with one particularly odd act during the song Cannibal, where fake blood oozed down the singer’s mouth. It was a strange sight to see but one that didn’t exactly surprise me.
As the singer finished off her set, fans flocked to another stage, where Akon would be performing an after-party put on by Hit Lab. In what was easily the highlight of the night, the performer took a more personal approach to his set and decided to ditch the stage. Instead, Akon got in with the crowd, performing right in the middle of it all.
Alternating between a bouncer’s shoulders, and two platforms only a couple feet off the ground, Akon moved around the area as mobs of fans followed. To say that it was pure chaos, madness and pandemonium would be a massive understatement. You really had to be there to witness what was going on. Let’s just say that people were doing whatever it took for a chance to interact with the superstar.
As Akon pulled girls onto the platforms to dance with him, and frequently bent down to grab the hands of hyper teenagers, the madness only heightened. He was so interactive that every audience member wanted a piece of the action. He was frequently pulling people up to dance with him and bending down to the audience’s level, allowing them to touch him and hold his hand.
Bodyguards tried to fend off swarms of screaming girls but it was no use, these kids were determined. As Akon egged them on, the crowds continued to rush his location. Being in the middle of it all was an odd experience and one that seemed to defy the laws of physics, as at times, I felt myself being simultaneously pushed and pulled, in almost every direction.
It was a wild experience but not one without danger. I myself got punched in the face for being accidentally pushed from behind into an angry girl. When she turned around, I noticed that she could have been no more than 18 years old but that didn’t stop her from socking me directly in the face.
I wasn’t the only one who felt the wrath of Akon‘s fans though. Friends of mine were knocked to the ground, stepped on and damn near trampled to death as the crowds continued relentlessly, all with one thing on their mind, touching and interacting with Akon.
As far as my interactions went, there were a couple hand shakes and when he took off his shirt and threw it into the audience, I surprisingly caught it. After the initial shock wore off that I was the one who had caught the T-shirt, I quickly told my friend to put it on, fearing for my safety if I were to simply just hold it in my hand. Aside from that though, I was just focused on two things, watching Akon perform and surviving.
By midnight things had pretty much wrapped up for Wham Bam 2011 and despite the many near death experiences during Akon‘s performance, I’ll most definitely be returning for Wham Bam 2012. It was a ton of fun and all three headliners put on a terrific show. I paid $13 (box office price) for my ticket, and to see Ke$ha, Akon and LMFAO for that incredibly low price, I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t go.
Props to Kiss 92.5 for an awesome show. The event trended globally on Twitter and deservedly so. I hadn’t been to a concert in a while and Wham Bam 2011 definitely filled the void. It was a high energy, well performed, at times dangerous but always fun show and I can’t wait for Wham Bam 2012.
If you were there last night, then let us know what you thought of the concert in the comments section below.
This post will be updated with official videos once Kiss 92.5 releases them.