By: Jon Harrison
For a very long time, the band known as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have had such an unmistakable sound that is recognizable to even the most casual of music listeners. The trio, fronted by the trademark voice of Karen O along with guitarist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase, have been pioneers in the music industry ever since the band started in the early 2000s and continue to be a must watch act. It was expected that the band would hit the road after dropping their latest album Cool It Down just last year and sure enough the time would come for the tour to roll through 713 Music Hall with a wide range of ages, faces, and personalities eagerly awaiting to see the legendary trio.
Before the set began, you could feel in the air the utter excitement that was in the venue. People were amped because this would be their first to even tenth time seeing the band. Fairly soon, the show would start to roar of people screaming their hearts out before a single chord was played or inevitably when Karen O sang Spitting Off the Edge of the World. Throughout, the hits were definitely played early and often such as Shame And Fortune and Pin, as well as cuts from the latest album like Wolf and Burning. It was quite remarkable to see a band with as much prestige and longevity such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs play with such conviction and energy, and just as amazing to see people dancing while also not skipping a single word of a song.
Continually, their performance of Maps felt like a moment that took me back to childhood. Nick’s strings building up the track, to Brian’s drums coming in, to Karen’s vocals, to the crowd singing the melody, was a special musical moment. Following that was the electric performance of the hit that is synonymous with the trio, Heads Will Roll. To no one’s surprise, it made it feel like there was going to be dancing and singing forever. Closing out the show would be an incredible encore set of Y Control and Date With the Night, ending a fitting set for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
To wrap up my thoughts on this show, it truly felt like an honor to watch that performance and feeling like it was a moment that I can replay for the rest of my life. The feelings that I felt will be fresh in my memories for a lifetime, and I had a good feeling that everyone in the venue felt the same way.
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