Full set of pictures can be found here.
With a wait that felt forever and a start time that had some of us with jobs grumbling, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs descended upon the tiny Music Hall of Williamsburg. These art punk stars have come a long way but their set showed they did not forget their past and pulled out all the stops. Many rare tracks were played combined with plenty of antics, it was another dominating Yeah Yeah Yeahs performance.
As the 10pm start time came and went, the eager fans were waiting patiently and occasionally erupting with claps, cheers and whistles. Around 10:25, Nick Zinner and Brian Chase saunter on stage. The crowd goes nuts, some waiting over five hours for this moment. Before you know it, it’s not the traditional opener that’s playing, but “Shake It” and Karen O can be heard but is nowhere to be found. Towards the end of the song she makes her appearance, further inciting the crowd. It was a great start to a great set, proving again the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of the best live acts around.
It’s hard to be objective, the band has its haters and lovers with very few in the middle. This review is completely in the camp of the lovers and the show had a great intimacy to it. A lot of the hits were played and plenty from the new album including “Heads Will Roll”, “Cheated Hearts”, “Zero”, “Date With the Night”, “Soft Shock”,”Skeletons”, “Hysteric”, “Phenomena” and “Gold Lion”to name a few and they sounded incredible.
The Music Hall of Williamsburg has some great sound that totally captured the sound of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Zinner’s guitar was front and center, cutting in and creating angular blasts of sound. Chase’s drumming was perfection as usual, the steady and intricate work playing off wonderfully with Zinner and Karen O.The crowd was great and knew every song. Karen O, while thanking everyone made a joke that about half of the crowd were on the list.
More of the night after the jump.
The stage show was incredible with Karen O changing costumes, stomping, dancing, spitting and swallowing the mic. On top of that, there was plenty of confetti (I’m still finding red “Y”’s in random places).
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs pulled out so much older material, it was a great treat. We expect “Y Control”, “Date With the Night”, and “Black Tongue” but hearing “Shake It” as an opener were just a sign of things to come. “10×10″ was played as well as “Down Boy”, great cuts from the Is Is EP.”Honeybear” also added a fun take to the night. The acoustic version of “Maps” also added an honesty and intimacy as Karen O thanked everyone and anyone she could think of, starting and stopping several times. She also encouraged a sing-along because she gets lonely during the song.
“Machine” also made an appearance as did “Art Star”. The band’s older material showcased why they were all the rage back in 2001. Mix of razor sharp lyrics, a devil may care attitude and some great musical muscle behind it, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the perfect package. The band continues to evolve and always has new tricks up its sleeve.
The band’s encore included a request section which included “Down Boy” and “Tick”. “Tick” sounded as if it exploded rather than started. The band just ripped into the track and really took it to another level with its intensity.
But the closer, as midnight struck, was truly unexpected. The triumphant “Our Time” played and the song was chance for the band to stake their claim (Karen O had help from a fan who sang part of a verse). Truly a memorable show and another feather in the cap of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, one of the most dynamic bands of any era.
Services opened for them and they were a great act to bring the energy and party to the show. The two piece band had plenty of fun on stage. The songs were quirky and funny, the beats were enjoyable, and you had to love the cymbal punctuations.The songs sounded rough around the edges and punctuated with some fun dance beats.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs said they were an inspiration when they first started and were delighted to have them open the night. The crowd was moving to the music, and the time passed by very quickly. A very fun band that gained some new fans.
More pictures of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Services below.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Services
