Sunday night live entertainment can sometimes be kind of slow in Houston with everyone winding down from the weekend and getting ready for the work week ahead. But that was not the case last Sunday when Puddles Pity Party came to Warehouse Live’s Studio to perform for a sold out crowd.

Who or what is Puddles Pity Party you may ask. Actually PPP is Michael Geier, a kind of fringe performance artist who first created Puddles in 1999 when he was in an all clown band called Greasepaint. Since then Geier and his Puddles persona have gone on to create numerous viral videos on YouTube. The most notable is his performance of Lordes “Royals” with Scott Bradlee’s Post Modern Jukebox which by now has over 12 million views.

Puddles does not speak but when he sings people pay attention. Geier’s 6’8″ frame lends to an astounding voice as he sings versions of old and new hit songs by varied artists such as The Bee Gees, “I Started a Joke” or Gene McDaniels 1962 hit “Another Tear Falls”.

The show started with Puddles quietly tip toeing through the venue from the back of the room carrying a suitcase emblazoned with Puddles Pity Party lettering. He took the stage briefly before frantically sprinting up and down the isles as if in search of something. He was in fact searching for his first victim with whom to start the show with. After finding a poor unsuspecting fan standing in the back, Puddles proceeded to march him to the stage and then chase him through out the room until finally corralling him once again on stage. He then placed the volunteers hand over his heart and sang the “Star Spangled Banner” while holding a tiny American Flag.

The performance featured quite a bit of mischief but it was also filled with some incredible cabaret style singing by Puddles. Backed by recorded tracks, songs performed by Geier as the sad clown with the golden voice were sometimes moody and blue renditions of otherwise happy pop songs like ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” and “Chandelier” by popster Sia.

In between numbers Puddles engages the crowd by singling out audience members to get on stage with him for some humiliating fun. Anything from dressing up an unwilling volunteer in a yellow tequila bottle suit as Puddles serenades him with the Los Lobos song “Estoy Sentado Aqui” sung in Spanish to having someone sing “Yesterday” karaoke style with the lyrics flashing behind them on a big screen. The karaoke sketch may have backfired on Puddles though as the volunteer was obviously a karaoke veteran and did rather well. So well in fact that he was rewarded with a red clown nose from Puddles for his efforts after the song.

Puddles audience torment also included a disturbing performance of Tom Jones’s “I Who Have Nothing”. Lurking though the crowd and crooning to individuals literally in their face or by stroking their heads as they sat frozen in their seats with his huge white gloved hands Puddles seemed to own his victims with this number.

One outstanding number in particular was Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. Performing in front of a huge projected full moon back drop, Puddles boomed the audience with his version and probably received the biggest ovation of the evening for it.

The Puddles Pity Party show generated just enough angst to make the audience slightly uneasy since no one knew who would be picked next by the somewhat menacing and hulking Puddles. Sometimes creepy but always entertaining Puddles Pity Party is a must see. Check him out live or on You Tube and see what I mean.