YEAH YEAH YEAHS (live at First Ave.)

One of the best shows of my life. I only recently got It's Blitz!; but after just one listen I got goose bumps thinking about going to this show. We weren't the only people holding our breath--when we showed up it was already half full, and by the time Grand Ole Party finished people were pushing and yelling at each other trying to move up. In those 30 minutes of waiting you could feel the crowd's anticipation. They opened with "Heads Will Roll" and right away people were off their feet, more like an airplane taking off than a rock band. It was like that for an entire set that felt like it passed by in a matter of minutes.

Karen O has spectacular stage presence and everything she did made the people scream. She had a button on the floor that shot off y-shaped confetti, which was just as exciting in-show as it was when we discovered it littering the floor afterward. It was such a great show it's hard to pick out the highlights, but I especially loved "Cheated Hearts," "Zero" and "Y Control."

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Faces (on HypeM)




Grand Ole Party opened, and although it's a name I can't figure out because it seems so straightforward (GOP right?), they were great. They were a perfect opener for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and had a similarly charismatic lead singer in Kristin Gundred. We couldn't resist buying their album when she was behind the merch table signing them in person. Looking through the liner notes (I miss those), Blake Sennett is on a few of the San Diego-based group's tracks, which explains why some of you may have seen them opening for Rilo Kiley in the past.

Grand Ole Party - Bad, Bad Man

I've had Fever To Tell and Show Your Bones forever, but I'm now sure that if you haven't seen them live, you don't really know what's on those records.



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The thing about all ages shows is that they tend to suck. No drinks on the floor, but plenty of middle-agers (as in they were alive when feudal systems existed). I don't really mind anyone on the floor unless: they have a good spot and don't give a shit or if they're assholes. Why are you parents assholes at shows? Isn't Chris Cornell playing nearby?