01-10-04 @ 10:19 p.m.

Wow, the YYYs have definitely taken their success to a whole new level by showing everyone how fucking awesome they are, as judging by last night's show. The same 3 words you often hear me utter, yes, it fucking rocked. But let's start off with the, erm, 'difficult' opening acts:

Devendra Banhart: first of all this is a guy, and he didn't actually say his name, so no one knew who he was. but he was fucking cool. he walked onstage wearing a dress and flowers in his hair, and was carrying a bottle of red wine. he simply sat and played acoustic guitar and sang, but the lyrics were fucking funny; lots of people said it sounded like he was making the words up on the spot, which is very possible. 'i am a yellow spider, crawling in the sand'...or something. at one point he goes, 'i dedicate this next song to Donovan, who's in the audience tonight.' there was no reaction whatsoever, but really, how seriously can you take a guy wearing a dress singing about spiders and monkeys? he was a really good guitarist though, and did sound a lot like Donovan, who i personally love (brings back childhood memories...don't mess). then he had some girl who looked like she belonged back at woodstock in the 70's come out and play recorder and sing like 5 words and then leave. then another girl...oh wait, it was actually a guy, came on and sang too. it was strange. but i like this guy. keep a lookout for him. grade: A- just because he was so fucking cool.

Liars: most people know of them because the singer Angus is dating Karen O. i had actually downloaded a couple of their songs awhile back and they sounded pretty straightforward, sort of Adam Green-ish. But whoa, not last night they didn't. it was basically loud, chaotic noise. not really songs like what i'd heard. the singer has to be one of the skinniest guys i have ever seen, and he was dancing around and gyrating his hips quite provocatively. definitely interesting to watch, i'll give them that. i would say i didn't enjoy them that much but nothing could prepare us for what was to come next. grade: B-
[edit: oh, and i forgot, the drummer was wearing like a superwoman suit or something, no wait, it was actually just a tube top and verry short skirt. this night definitely wins for most inventive clothing all around, i'll say...]

Black Dice: all i can say is, what...the...fuck...? so we start to wonder why the techies keep fiddling with these electronic devices onstage, until we realize it was actually the band setting up. okay, this was just weird. basically, there was a drummer, two guys with these electronic tables in front of them, and a guitarist sitting in a chair. it sounded like you were in a factory or something....like, all these blurbs and squeaks and crackles and shit. i would definitely not call it music. the drummer also had a microphone, and sometimes he would stop playing drums and just sit there, and then randomly make strange noises into the microphone. anyway, it went on for fucking like a half an hour (which seemed like an eternity) and i'm not lying here, people were actually covering their ears. i think the band knew we hated it. it was almost intentional. those sadistic bastards! ehem, anyway. finally, after people starting gathering up the courage for small "get off!"'s and side conversations, it was over and we cheered extra loud, but just because they were finally fucking off. all we could think was that it made us appreciate the yeah yeah yeahs coming on more than ever. grade: F FFF GOD F!!!!!!!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: holy mother of god, they put on an amazing show. karen o looked fucking hot in this silver and pink sparkly leotard and high tops (see picture, which i didn't take but wish i had, as it is fucking brilliant). there were lights around the drumset and a disco ball, which made the stage look amazing. it was so great to hear their songs live, finally, and they were phenomenal. karen has so much energy onstage, you can't help but watch her. she also seemed so sincerely happy to be back playing in the city, smiling and giggling and dancing around the stage. at one point she looked out into the crowd and remarked to nick zinner (who looked gggorgeous as always) 'do you see how many fucking people are here tonight? fucking NYC, man!' the theater was packed, and she was obviously pretty overwhelming by it. as a band, they are just so...tight. the drums, guitar, karen's vocals, it just all ties together so well. it definitely wasn't one of those things where you're like 'god, they really should have a bassist'...because they're so good they don't need one. oh yes, and karen o, the goddess that she is, spit beer into the crowd a bunch of times and asked some girl in 'with the bangle bracelets on' to sing 'our time' with her. it was sweet.

and i have to say, the way the crowd reacts can really make or break a show, and last night the crowd was one of the best parts. it was like the first time i saw the strokes at irving plaza, when they were still underground and only their harcore fans were there. just the energy in the place was on fire, and that's what it was like last night as well. the chaos of all the cute indie kids jumping up and down, crushed against eachother sweaty singing the lyrics and just feeling the music; the fact that everyone's there because they believe in something, and we all know it's the same thing; the fact that we all trudged there and waited in line in our stylish clothes despite the fact that it was 6 degrees fahrenheit; the fact that you know every person in there really, really loves the band and their music, and the crowd isn't just a bunch of hangers-on who think 'it's hip to like the strokes now'. you find so much to relate to there and everyone knows it's special because soon this band you're watching will be up from the underground and it will never be the same. but for that moment, well, for those two blissful hours, everything is all right. grade: A+++++++

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