REVIEW: YEAH YEAH YEAHS @ MGM FENWAY 11/6
By Gwyneth Moe
Monday night concerts are not for the faint of heart, but the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were more than up for the challenge.
Everybody knows that the best way to ensure a killer show is to burn sage on the stage before the performance. Wait, that might be just the Yeah Yeah Yeahs method, but you know what? It definitely worked. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs consist of vocalist Karen O, guitarist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. The band formed in the early 2000s in New York City.
Emerging at a time when the scene was filled with serious blacks and grays as the go-to concert attire, Karen O subverted expectations. Wearing vibrant colors and clashing patterns, she brought a different kind of energy to the stage.
Tonight, she emerged from backstage wearing a long black cape that encircled her entire body, with a red and yellow sun-like design emblazoned on her front. On her head she wore a crown of red adorned with tassels that fell in front of her face.
They opened their set with a single from their 2022 album Cool It Down. “Spinning Off the Edge of the World,” is a slow burning atmospheric track. Though the song is slower, it has driving force throughout, which sets the mood for their set perfectly.
Starting the second song of the night,“Cheated Hearts”, as she sings the lyrics “Take-take-takin’ it off,” she follows suit, removing the large cape to reveal a firework patterned jumpsuit underneath. The jumpsuit is paired with long red gloves with long tassels, matching tassels adorning her pants. The tassels flew around as she moved, an extension of her limbs.
After their 5th song O leaves the stage. She returns with the iconic studded black leather jacket from the 2009 “Zero” music video.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have not visited Boston in some time. They were originally set to headline one of the nights of Boston Calling in May 2023, but unfortunately had to pull out due to illness. Tonight, O reminisces, apologizing for the prolonged wait for a Boston show. She thanks everyone in the crowd that had planned on seeing them then and is happy that they can be here tonight.
As the song’s chorus begins, two stage crew members bring out the strangest, and best, bit of interaction I’ve ever seen. They threw two giant inflatable eyeballs into the audience.
Their entire set is filled with that bizarre energy. O commands the stage with a sense of quirky glee.
“This is THE Yeah Yeah Yeahs love song,” O emphasizes before the opening notes of “Maps” from their 2003 debut album Fever To Tell. As the song concludes, the lighting shifts to a lifeless black and white. O turns away from the audience, walking behind the drummer. With her back turned to the audience, the dimmed chords of one of their most iconic songs begin to sound.
A pause, then the lights become a bright purple, and O bursts back onto center stage. Ladies and gentlemen, I wouldn’t be surprised if heads did roll. “Heads Will Roll” set the crowd roaring. The past week I had lost my voice, so I was trying my best to hold onto what I was slowly getting back, but I don’t think anyone in the crowd could resist singing along. As if the pure energy of the wild song wasn’t enough, on the final chorus, pink and white confetti burst up, showering the audience. A perfect end to the set.
When the Yeah Yeah Yeahs returned to the stage for the encore, O announced that these final songs were going to be solely from Fever To Tell. She remarked that the album turned twenty years old this year.
They played “Poor Song” and “Y” before the beat turned heavy, leading into “Date With The Night”. O exploded with energy at every crescendo. The wild tune seemed to flow through her and make its way out, clawing into the audience.
All of a sudden confetti exploded as the song stopped with a cry, O standing frozen with her arm in the air. A sea of nervous glances and confusion simmered in the crowd until the music began once more and the frenzy continued.
It was like the band didn’t want the night to conclude almost as much as the crowd. False ends continued until finally all that was left was O standing at center stage, throwing her mic up and down and up and down as the music winds to a quiet drone behind her. She then makes her way to the edge of the stage and peels the colorful wrap off of the mic and tosses it into the audience as a final sort of goodbye.
The long wait for a Yeah Yeah Yeahs performance in Boston seems to have been more than worth it for the avid and casual fans alike. You could see in each band member’s face how much they enjoy performing and that passion really makes a show.