Band Hits It Out of the Park in Los Angeles
By DONNA BALANCIA
Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs made a comeback to the stage while the Houston Astros made a comeback in The World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. At least the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were winners on this Wednesday night.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Pitch Remastered Album
The Fonda Theatre was jam packed with fans of the band and frontwoman Karen O who came back to thrill the audiences with favorite tunes and more recent songs. In the bar next door, screaming Dodger fans were recovering from a broken heart while waiting for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to take the Fonda stage.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs on the Road
The Dodgers will move on to Houston, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will also take their show on the road. The band is pitching a remastered version of their first album, Fever To Tell, which was just released via Interscope and UMe. The Fonda show was one of two single performances to celebrate the reissue that comes complete with a mini-documentary film which was shown at The Fonda before the live performance.
Karen O on Fire at the Fonda
At The Fonda, Karen emerged looking happy to be back on stage, garbed in a wildly colored coat and bright makeup, her Chrissie Hynde-style bangs revealing her cheery blue eyes.
Taking a page from some of Rock N Roll’s best performers, Karen stuffed the mic into her mouth, into her pants, jumped around, and played up to the loving fans. It was clear she was delighted to play, as the last Yeah Yeah Yeahs show LA people had seen was in 2013.
Fans Give the Thumbs Up
“The last time we saw her was two albums ago in a small venue,” said fan Alex Rios. “Another time it was in a larger venue.
“This album was released 14 years ago and they still sound the same,” Rios said. “They’re consistently amazing performers, they’re high energy, and they sound incredible.”
Karen O Visitors
Friends of Karen O are in rock’s new elite. On hand to see her were a bevy of artists including Romy Madley Croft from The XX, Hannah Marshall, and the Deap Vally gals.
“Karen is one of those dynamic performers who you can’t look away from,” said Rebecca Simpson from West Los Angeles. “She does some pretty crazy things and makes everyone feel good. Her songs bring back great memories.”
The Setlist
The band opened with “Modern Romance,” which comes on slowly and builds, drawing the emotions of failed relationships. Song number 2 was “Rich,” which still delivers the punch. Other songs included “Gold Lion,” off Show Your Bones; and “Maps” off Fever to Tell. For Poor Song, the first encore song, Karen came out dressed in a glittery cape and then wrapped up with “Y Control” and “Tick.”
Confetti and Eyeball
For a relatively casual appearance, a tremendous amount of work goes into the show, with confetti canons and the giant bouncing eyeball, a trademark of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs shows. The band plays Growlers 6 festival this weekend at the Waterfront at the Port and also plays a show at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre on Nov. 7.
