Ted Leo And Friends Take Unexpected Turns Live
By Anna Deem in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 15, 2010 3:20PM
What started off as a routine set by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at the Bottom Lounge on Saturday night quickly turned into a punk rock karaoke free-for-all when they were joined on-stage during the encore by Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus (who were in town doing an in-store at Reckless Records) for a rousing cover of The Dead Kennedys’ “Nazi Punks Fuck Off,” and later by Ralph Darden of The Jai-Alai Savant for a cover of the Fugazi classic, “Merchandise.”
Before the punk rock encore took place though, Ted Leo and his Pharmacists blazed through a set that mostly consisted of songs from their brand new album, The Brutalist Bricks. Although it only just came out this past week, the majority of the crowd knew every word and they sang along excitedly to songs like “The Mighty Sparrow,” “Ativan Eyes,” and “Bottled In Cork.” It was the older favorites, however, that elicited a greater response from the packed room, as they danced and pumped their fists along to songs like “Little Dawn,” “Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone?,” and “High Party.”
Ever the jovial frontman, Leo was in great spirits on-stage as he bantered with the crowd and high-fived a fan. “We brought a few friends with us,” said Leo, gesturing to the four bumblebee piñatas that sat on each corner of the stage, representing the bumblebee-friendly artwork for The Brutalist Bricks.
After a stellar performance of “Timorous Me” during the encore, the punk rock karaoke began with Stickles running around the stage like a madman and screaming the lyrics to “Nazi Punks Fuck Off,” and ended with Stickles on tambourine and Locks on vocals, doing an all-star cover of Fugazi's "Merchandise." The crowd ate up every minute of the encore, jumping up and down and singing along loudly. Even as the overhead lights came on and the band left the stage, fans couldn’t help but yell for a second encore, hoping for more on-stage magic from the mighty Leo.