Only Karen O. can make that sound cool. For any other performer, yelling the day of the week to rally the crowd is the only thing worse than a city shout-out (Fort! Erie! Wooo!). Seriously though, she could have screamed “TuesdAy mid-Moooorning!” and I think we all would have screamed back in agreement. “Yes it is Tuesday mid-Moooorning! And yes, this is AWESOME!”
Before the show started we took bets on what Karen O. would wear (partly as a distraction from the young drunk thing that was using my hip as a resting place for her sleepy little head). I thought thong bathing suit over leggings (sexy times). Kelly voted for diaper (risky). Surprisingly we were both kind of right. Leggings are a given, so we don’t need to waste time on that. The unitard was definitely bathingsuit-esque, but also kind of loose, in case she was trying to hide a diaper (I’m not saying that she needs to hide a diaper, just that American Apparel has co-opted her crazy styles, so it seems like the natural next step) . All in all, it was the visual delight we were all hoping for.
What was a complete surprise was Karen O.’s, well, smiling. Smiling and laughing. And not her normal, mischievous I’m-going-to-spit-on-you-and-then-wrap-the-mic-chord-around-my-neck-and-then-lie-on-the-ground-and-have-a-tantrum-and-finally-put-the-mic-in-my-mouth-and-screech-smile. More like I’m-enjoying-my-time-with-this-crowd smile. I kind of miss the mischief, but this was good too.
If it seems as though I am spending a disproportionate amount of time on things not related to the actual music part of the concert, it’s because the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are more than just music. They’re more like performance-art. Why else would Brian Chase bow at the end of the set (and then again at the encore, and probably multiple other times during the day)? Everything feels calculated, but in a good way. If they haven’t orchestrated every move on stage, I would be very surprised.
But what of the music? It was much more crisp than past shows I’ve seen. Karen O.’s lyrics were actually audible. They opened with “Heads Will Roll” from their newest It’s Blitz. “Zero” also made an appearance mid-way through the set (accompanied by the leather be-dazzled jacket from the video). The songs from Fever To Tell (“Man”, “Black Tongue”) were by far the best. Especially the secret song from Fever To Tell - when she sang the last words “cool kids are made for each other” and then did exploding solo ET fingers. *sigh*
“Art Star” didn’t make an appearance to my disappointment, but “Honey Bear” totally made up for that. Oh, and so did the gigantic eyeball that bounced over the crowd. It was sooo amusing that Karen O. wasn’t even able to keep her composure at times, especially when the eyeball neared the stage. It was the perfect SundAy NiiYGHT!
ps. thanks Mark Swierszcz for the pic
Regular moles? They’re fine. Irregular moles? Er, well, there is definite suspicion but not viceral reaction. Cancer moles? Oh no you di’nt. Sousa does not like you. I know this because she barks at you. So you better just stay away ok. Just STAY AWAY!
I actually wrote a post and then deleted it. I don’t think I need to say anything. You’ve seen her before – she is in basically every Canadian commerical. And I know you wonder “where did she come from all of a sudden? Why is she in every commercial?” Well I think some things we should just accept and not question. Her name is Naomi. That’s all you need to know.
I think the problems started when one of the avocados wasn’t ripe enough. And then I added too much tomato and red pepper (or maybe the problem was that I added tomato and red pepper. period.)
Ok. I’m not judging you for typing “young ladies spread wide” into google. That’s your choice. I don’t want to make you feel ashamed for just being yourself.
Oh, oops, not only is that not a link (apparently my copy-editing skills didn’t stick) but it’s also a balaclava, not the delicious honey-nut treat.
