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indie-snob>+!#
Yeah yeah yeahs @ the metro (3-2-04)
With entrance, ssion |
 Photo by John Shearer There was a time when Karen O was the only person in torn blue fishnets. Well, that era may be over, but I can still firmly assert that Karen O is the best woman in torn blue fishnets. And so maybe the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have caught on outside the indie world and I wake up every single morning to see the "Maps" video on MTV or MTV2. And sure, maybe it got to the point where this techno stoner kid from school asked me: "have you heard of that techno band, Maps?" Sure, he had the name and the genre wrong, but he had the right idea. What's more amazing is that the way completely unexpected girls idolize Karen, which is something I've never seen with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs before tonight. So when Entrance came on, all the girls could do was say: "where's Karen?" And all I could say was: "give it up." Entrance, however, seemed worthy enough of their attention. Somewhat referred to as a guitar prodigy, the 20-something Entrance stood alone on stage, backed by only his large guitar amp and a series of accessories, stomping heavily while fearlessly playing remarkable licks, riffs, and scales. It was way more than anyone I know could do on guitar, and made far more interesting than I could have imagined. At times, it seemed psychedelic, maybe calling more Jimi Hendrix to mind rather than Johnny Greenwood. And, while that may not be my favorite style, here it worked. I imagine the show would be better if you went stoned, though… and maybe if there were lasers. Grade: B Despite the more serious attitude of Entrance, it all seemed to be thrown away as a chicken, a lion and another animal of some sort came out singing over pre-recorded tracks. Ssion (pronounced "shun") was some sort of cosmic joke, but the funnier part was, their music was good. This had to have been post-post-post punk, beyond the seriousness of Joy Division and the irony of New Order into a something that was even more ridiculous than eletroclash. Hard to believe, but true. Ssion, made up of two girls and a very gay man, danced and sang like any platinum pop act would with strange video projections going on behind them. They even invited a terribly annoying old jock guy up to the stage as they practically molested him. After twenty minutes, though, their set got a bit old. However, as soon as I thought that, they stopped. It seems like Ssion knows the complete ins and outs of their business, carefully aware of the irony, but not jeopardizing their music as some electroclash does to make a point. If you buy the album, you won't appreciate it. But good god, if you go to their show, get ready to dance and laugh. Grade: A The YYYs are damn good at giving you a good time. Karen O is the most magnetic frontwoman to ever exist, so the crowd went all the crazier when Daren and Nick came out first without Karen. Seemingly taking on a bit more "conservative" persona for the evening (after all, she was wearing a dress with un-torn blue fishnet stockings), whatever kind of inhibitions held her back slowly disappeared as swig after swig disappeared from the bottle of Champaign. Through the carnage of Karen, strings of lights and cables were pulled at as she shuffled from one and of the stage to the next, and slowly, those new blue fishnets were torn bit by bit to shreds. And while I have yet to hear "Bang" or "Machine" from the YYYs live, the set tonight seemed a bit fairer to their debut EP and included some new ones. The dance level of the crowd seemed to be a bit low, and at times, I think I was one of the only people doing something between standing still and moshing. When people weren't standing still or moshing, they were holding their hands out towards Karen in hopes that she would grab them in return. It was rare, however, that Karen should oblige. One story I am proud to tell about this show is when Karen was across the stage (I was in the front row as usual), I looked up at Karen and she looked down and smiled at me. Fuck those fake Karen-imitating girls; at least the real fan got a smile. (PS: This wasn't like sometimes when I imagine artists looking at me, she really did, everyone around me said so.) One of the surprise songs of the evening was the bonus track off Fever to Tell which isn't the most dynamic live song, but it was an intimate appearance for Karen, who sang directly to the crowd, cracking up between each pause (either because she was krunk (yes, krunk), or because she realized the sheer ridiculousness of a sold-out show singing along to the quiet bonus track of an album that got way more press than the small art-damaged trio could have ever imagined. And that, most of all, is what I love about the YYYs. They made the move to the major, they made the TV appearances, and they're the same band. The show was as good as ever, as spontaneous and multi-dimensional as they've been. Some of the highlights are still the bizarre remake of "Art Star" (where the screaming sounds more like death) and the sheer insanity of songs like "Black Tongue" and "Date With the Night". It wasn't until their encore with "Maps" that the Karen-girls even started to pretend to enjoy themselves. But even as overplayed as the song got for a while, the YYYs are too spectacular to ruin it. It makes sense that Karen said the the only real reason they released Fever to Tell on a major was to let the world hear "Maps". And, cheesy as it sounds, I'd say they're listening. Grade: A+ Related Reviews:
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