S/T Survived … Sneaking Into the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Secret Santos Party House Show, Where We Enjoyed “Art Star” Right Alongside Andy Samberg
Posted on April 13, 2009
Filed Under Reviews, S/T Survived | 4 Comments
[Photos/Text by Andrew Parks; slideshow available here]
Okay, so we didn’t bum rush the door or anything. That said, the following happened in quick succession on Sunday night … First a close friend came up with a last minute route to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ ’secret’ friends and family show at Santos Party House. Left with no option but screaming along to “Art Star” in a small-ish venue one last time, self-titled waved goodbye to the Music Hall of Williamsburg just as Comet Gain were going on—sorry guys, but duty calls—and hightailed it to Chinatown.
Ambling into a full, anxious room at around 11 p.m., we were thrilled to find that New York’s most beloved power trio hadn’t gone on yet. They hit the stage soon after we arrived , though, delivering our favorite It’s Blitz! selection (the cascading chords, commanding vocals and shuffleboard beats of “Heads Will Roll”) and a brisk overview of the past eight years. That means everything from the hacksaw hooks of “Art Star” to a standout cut from the Is Is EP (a particularly potent “Down Boy”), rounded out by the band’s usual set-closing combo of “Maps” and “Y Control.”
Nothing new here for longtime fans of the band except for the presence of David Pajo (upping the indie rock icon quotient of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ touring member quite a bit from Imaad Wasif) and a handful of new songs. Most of which bared their fangs a bit, as powered by Chase’s piston-like percussion, Zinner’s perfectly-seared riffs, and the unparalleled presence of a certain Karen O. While her infamous spit/scream, prowl/preen routine has been replaced by the posturing of what we can only describe as a punk rock pageant queen—lots of hand-waving, finger-wagging, and goofy Cheshire Cat grins—we’ll still take watching a mellow Karen O (see also: our exclusive shots of last year’s Native Korean Rock project) over just about any other It Band of the past decade. After all, the girl can sing; so for every temper tantrum-fueled rendition of “Art Star” and “Date For the Night,” we’ll take a subdued, lightly-sweetened take on a song like “Skeletons” or what’ll likely forever remain as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ penultimate prom song crossover: “Maps.”
Speaking of …
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Santos Party House, 4.12.09:
Heads Will Roll
Black Tongue
Human Fly (Cramps cover)
Phenomena
Dull Life
Gold Lion
Art Star
Skeletons
Hysteric
Down Boy
Zero
Maps
Y Control
Encore:
Turn Into
Date With the Night
Poor Song (a.k.a. the hidden track on Fever to Tell)
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