Attired in their typical lingerie, flowers, bowler hat, and baggy baseball pants, the Dresden Dolls bounded onstage late on New Year’s Eve. Without introduction, the band (consisting of pianist Amanda Palmer and drummer Brian Viglione) dove into their set list with the eerie line, “I was dancing when I was twelve”, the opening of the melodic “Cosmic Dancer”. I was on floor level—close enough to see each theatrical display of musical talent, and close enough to encounter jostling die-hards, customarily drunk before the end of the first song.
As this was the final show of the successful band’s reunion tour, I could hardly blame them.
A self-proclaimed “punk cabaret” band of humble beginnings and theatrical performances, the Dresden Dolls formed in Boston in 2000 with only two members—Palmer and Viglione—who are equally talented at a variety of instruments, including keyboard, ukulele, drums, and guitar. As most successful music groups start, the Dolls originally opened for Nine Inch Nails until they gained a large enough following to tour Europe, Australia, and the United States.
Splitting a few years ago to do solo work, Palmer went on to produce her own record with the help of Indie artist, Ben Folds. She followed up with an unusual side-project known as “Evelyn Evelyn” in collaboration with fellow accordionist, Jason Webley. The album tells the story of conjoined twins, Evelyn and Evelyn, who were born into tragedy, raised by a chicken farmer, and eventually made a Music MySpace to record their songs on their ukulele. The album probably does not appeal to a variety of people, but as someone who takes an interest in unusual music, or (so to speak) art, I loved the provocative and occasionally ironic humor of the tracks.
It was “Evelyn Evelyn” that actually got me re-interested in the Dolls’ music, as I began following Amanda Palmer more closely after that. With her trademark, intricate drawn-on eyebrows and risqué attitude, I came to respect her music and artistic abilities from following her blogs and musical activities.
It seemed unclear whether or not the band would return from their lengthy hiatus until they scheduled a series of shows for the final months of last year. Luckily, I got an e-mail about concert tickets for a New Year’s Eve show at the Warfield in San Francisco, so a friend and I bought tickets months in advance. Little did we know that these relatively cheap tickets gave us floor-level “seats”—all the area directly in front of the stage.
Through arduous blogging, updates, personable attributes, and good ol’ human connection, the Dresden Dolls have managed to collect a cult-like following of devoted fans over the years. Those in attendance sported “Dresden Dolls” apparel, colorful wigs, lingerie, and tacky stage makeup. The opening band, Pomplamoose, the most glorious, nerviest cover band to devastate YouTube—meant with the greatest admiration, of course—performed with a full backup band.
One might figure these kinds of fans to convey disinterest throughout Pomplamoose’s show; however, the infectious, nerd-tastic music of Pomplamoose eventually led the entire crowd in a breakdown during their cover of Earth Wind & Fire’s “September”. Lead singer, Nataly Dawn, has a mellow, yet powerful voice/style similar to jazz singer, Norah Jones. In contrast, the harsh enthusiasm of fellow band member, Jack Conte, keeps the overall sound at a steady equilibrium between mellow and spastic.
How does one introduce a band that needs little introduction? In the Dolls’ case, an accordion-led rendition of “The Drinking Song” usually does the trick. Jason Webley, the other half of “Evelyn Evelyn”, brought the intoxicated “house” down before the show could even begin. A few stanzas in—and when I say stanza, I mean a constant repetition of the same verse—the crowd fervently sang along until the last inharmonious notes.
Throughout the remainder of the concert, the Dolls’ presented an unconventional performance style that suited the informal atmosphere of the Warfield. At about forty minutes to midnight, they announced that they “poorly organized the set list”, so this left a good block of time for the dynamic duo to “improvise”. This included a strangely erotic beat boxing number, a cacophonous, raging battle between keyboard and drums (that lasted at least ten minutes), and the final countdown to the New Year, starting from eleven.
One might picture the fans at any concert as a screaming mass of indistinguishable faces, but the fans at the Dresden Dolls’ finale definitely featured some individuals. For instance, a gentleman standing nearer to the front of the throng gesticulated throughout the concert, as if narrating the concert in his own imaginary form of sign language. Others sang each lyric as loudly as humanly possible, while the majority of the people bobbed and nodded in an accidental synchronized dance.
The opening band, Webley with his accordion, the entire tech crew, and random friends from backstage joined Palmer and Viglione on stage for the countdown to midnight. Palmer made a few requests—to think of someone “with whom to make out” and to “locate them immediately”. Palmer had her own make-out buddy in attendance, best-selling author and husband, Neil Gaiman. Webley led the crowd in a chorus of “Auld Lang Syne” before the entire stage launched into Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right to Party”, a popular late 80’s hit nearly every English speaking person should familiarize him/herself with. Confetti burst out from the sides of the stage, and Webley smashed the long-awaited bottle of champagne, only to share the majority of the drink with the floor.
Concluding the concert was a rather sordid affair, as the Dolls’ failed to decide exactly how many encores they would perform. After midnight, they covered “New Year’s Day” by U2, and “Hurt” by their original headliner, Nine Inch Nails. They then made a hasty exit, but the crowd lingered expectantly until they returned for a not-so-brief encore. And another. And another.
The only appropriate way to end a “punk cabaret” extravaganza: smash the piano bench on the keyboard.
My favorite aspect of the Dresden Dolls’ music is not so much the theatricality or uncensored antics (although that’s an added bonus). I love that the band cares about how they come across in their live performances, that their live shows are even better than the recorded CD’s. At the show, I did not feel as though I was simply one of many and I did not crane my neck the whole time to watch an overwhelmed musician on a television monitor; the Dresden Dolls express a solid command of their music and their audience. Even after ten years, they still manage to retain a connection with their fans that some artists never manage to establish.