Sandler disappoints with sloppy show

The witching hour.

REVIEW
	Adam Sandler Nov. 21, 1997 Hill Auditorium

The time of night when weird things happen. When a full moon can transform young, unsuspecting college students into wild, raving party animals.

In the wee hours of Saturday morning, at the stroke of midnight, amidst the light snow that was falling, the most unlikely of outcomes came true. Adam Sandler finally showed his face in Ann Arbor. The comedian/musician from Saturday Night Live and such movies as "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore" had cancelled his previous engagement last month due to a bout of laryngitis. But on the final stop of his tour promoting his new album, "What's Your Name?," Sandler made it on stage ... for one hour. Yes, Sandler played for all of an hour in front of 4,000 screaming fans in Hill Auditorium, who shelled out upwards of $15 to listen to eight songs. Do the math.

Frankly, not every song was good. Sandler is a man who is definitely not known for his musical prowess, so he must rely on his quirky humor and creativity. But when that creativity delves into songs concerning human male anatomy, as did the songs of the middle portion of the concert, it turns into garbage. Sandler's musical career has been built upon his quirky tunes on "SNL," as he's successfully been able to take a simple topic and expound on it, injecting his brand of craziness into his work. Songs such as "Red Hooded Sweatshirt," "Thanksgiving" and "Hannukah" are extremely recognizable. If you approach any person on the street, you will find them knowing the lyrics to the upcoming Holiday song:

LOUIS BROWN/Daily Adam Sandler let a late-night Hill crowd down with his short, raunchy set.

"A turkey for me, a turkey for you. I like to eat my turkey in a big brown shoe." Kudos to the crowd for showing up. 4,000 patient yet enthusiastic fans braved the cold - and a half-hour delay - to see him, shouting cheers of "Go Blue" and singing "Hail to the Victors." One guy in the first balcony even brought a cow bell to keep the crowd occupied.

As Sandler started his show off with the title song from his first album, "What The Hell Happened To Me?," it was evident that he was wasted. But Sandler continued on, diving into "Hanukkah" with a sense of purpose. The crowd roared its approval; it was arguably his finest moment of the evening.

Contrary to the crowd's reaction, Sandler seemed to quickly lose his momentum, as he dove into a song concerning fat people and human body parts. This was definitely the lowest part of the 60 minutes. "The Goat Song," which can be found on his new album, had some class, but seemed all too disjointed when performed. The stuffed goat that he brought on stage was a nice touch, though.

But Sandler continued his raunchiness, lacing even his final two songs, "Red-Hooded Sweatshirt" and "Thanksgiving," with four letter words. But "Thanksgiving" was fun, as Sandler adeptly rewrote the final verse to give the University of Michigan a large pop against Ohio State.

For the students who shelled out the money to go see this man, my sympathies are offered to all of you. This was definitely something to look forward to, and Sandler partially came through, but he was way too inconsistent. There were no performances of "Lonesome Kicker" or "Lunchlady Land."

These are all songs to which we as listeners have so faithfully listened. Mr. Sandler, you owe the fans something, perhaps another half of a concert, perhaps their money back.

As Sandler said at the end of his concert, "Just do your best in school, and if you get a bad grade don't worry about it. I didn't do very well in school and I'm a millionaire." Well, just because he has a fat wallet, doesn't mean he should desert his fans.

Adam Sandler ripped off University students. While Sandler is a very funny man, he and his short-lived, raunchy show couldn't compete with the highlight of the evening: Blur's "Song 2," which played over the loudspeakers as the fans exited Hill Auditorium.

Adam Sandler tees off in "Happy Gilmore."

11-24-97