ReViewed: Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Logan Square Auditorium

By Julene McCoy in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 28, 2006 8:26PM

The place: Logan Square Auditorium. The time: last night. The event? Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Chicagoist was happy like the little school girl we are because we scored tickets to the intimate YYY show last night. Knowing that we were going to hear the songs off Show Your Bones album that will be released March 28th , we were aware that figuring out which songs were which could be a little bit of a bear. Chicagoist, after all, is not the MSM who get a copy of the CD before the release date to review, cherish, and actually have the lyrics or for that matter the names of the songs in their very own hands when they go to see the band live.

Having never seen a show at the LSA, we really liked the place. It’s a little bit of a mini-Aragon with sparkling stars and a balcony – the stage is enormous and if the stated capacity is correct – holds 700 (the crowd seemed much smaller than that). It’s clean throughout and the only smell was that of fresh paint.

The YYYs take the stage by storm and never let up. The guitar sounds surround us and Karen O’s Siouxie-style screams keep us on edge. Three songs into the set, we get our first “old” song “Black Tongue” after which Karen informs us that she’s been up for 30 hours and is having a really good time. The green lighting falls upon Karen’s face when she sings “Down Boy”, our new favorite. Then it was into the stomping beats of “Gold Lion” the single off Show Your Bones.

Karen doesn’t disappoint and stumbles erratically around the stage back and forth while holding a disco ball, remembers to suck the microphone into her mouth and occasionally stares out the windows into the Chicago night. At the end of “Turn Into” Karen raises her pink gloved hand into the air to punctuate the song. Thanking everyone and giving them her love, the band goes into “Maps” which was followed by “Date With The Night”. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs ended it all with a “Crimson and Clover” by the Shondells type song “Our Time”. The lyrics probably say it all for those of us who are known for dismissing sophomore efforts “It’s the year to be hated. So glad we made it.” If the live show is any indication of what the future holds for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Chicagoist doesn't think there will be much hate going around.