Shwayze REVIEW/PHOTO GALLERY

Shwayze returned to McAllen Saturday, but he didn't put on a concert.

Shwayze threw a bomb party with a concert in it.

Normal concerts don't have half the audience on stage. Or the performers pounding drinks. And security guards normally push fans off when they grab entertainers. But the Shwayze show was not a normal concert. 

PHOTO GALLERY.

And to understand why it rocked so hard, you have to know about his last visit. Shwayze, a Malibu rapper who performs with singer and producer Cisco Adler, played in September at arguably 2008's best concert. The duo headlined in a sweaty, packed Cine El Rey for 900 screaming fans.

The crowd shrank for the return show at the Las Palmas Event Center in McAllen. But the intimate concert topped its predecessor.

Shwayze chugged tequila from the bottle. He climbed a speaker that nearly touched the ceiling. And he leapt at least 12 feet down to the stage.

Girls screamed. Dudes sang along. And security let fans on stage, receiving a scolding from Shwayze when they tried to control the situation.

"I love McAllen, Texas," he told the crowd in between songs. And it's easy to believe him.

Shwayze and Adler toured non-stop in 2008, headlining their own shows and joining the punk rock Vans Warped Tour. This January he started taking a break to write a new record. But the duo agreed to fly to McAllen for a one off show.

Regardless of whether you enjoy Shwayze's music - and I go back and forth - you can get down at a Shwayze show. It's pretty much impossible not to have a good time.

Shwayze spits simple rhymes about hook ups and partying. Cisco backs him up with acoustic guitar-driven beats -think Jack Johnson or Sugar Ray-and catchy hooks. They make fun music, but it stays simple. The duo's performances really rock.

When the show at Las Palmas started, hordes of hardcore fans packed against the stage barrier, which eventually snapped in half. And a few dozen stood near the back, surveying the action. By the end of his one hour set, nearly the entire room pushed toward the front.

Shwayze, of course, blew up the stage with the singles from his debut album "Buzzin'", including the title track and "Corona and Lime." But he also played new material and songs from his free to download mix tape "Rich Girls." Some of his new tracks showed new range. The song "Gotta Go" sounds like a high energy banger and the crowd responded accordingly by busting out dance moves.

At the end of the night, Adler and Shwayze stood sweaty before the crowd. Shwayze slurred his words a bit, probably from the massive pull of Juarez Tequila he took. And Adler sported red scratch marks from over-anxious fans.

"We'll be back in the Valley as soon as [expletive] possible," Adler told the crowd. They cheered their approval.

Wow, the dude called us "the Valley" and not McAllen. I think I speak for the hundreds of fans at the show, when I say we can't wait to have them back.

Props to:

-Dontgetemo Concerts for having the ba---er, guts to book Shwayze within four months of his last show and a week after hip hop superstar T.I. That was a risk.

-Security guards at the venue for turning their heads and letting the party continue undeterred.

-Opening act the Broken Poetz for sticking around after its set -which died early when they ironically broke a bass- and partying as hard as the fans.

-Local rapper Shawn Elliot and singer Lamar Jones, for as always putting on the Valley's best hip hop show and bringing a few guest singers along this time.

-Shwayze and Cisco Adler for remembering how awesome Valley fans treated them in September and returning the favor.

Boo to:

-Bottled water at the venue costing $4.

-The fan who requested that Los Angeles' excellent DJ Squigz play Lil Wayne, T.I., and techno. Every DJ in the country can spin that stuff. This guy works the wheels of steal with major talent. Give him a challenge. Prince maybe?

-Most other Valley hip hop musicians, who rarely come out to support the scene at shows like this. With the exception of the Broken Poetz, all these guys ditched out on Mickey Avalon too. It would help the scene if they came and supported.

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Zack Quaintance covers features and entertainment for Festiva. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.