An epic-sized eyeball levitated on stage and stared down the concert goers, with a dizzying blue glittery swirl background that prepared the crowd of the inevitable result of viewing a Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert; one would be unable to look away from this avant-rock spectacle where performance art meets modern punk. Lead singer Karen O emerged out of the darkness, arms outstretched to the crowd as her bright red lipstick framed her Cheshire cat-like grin as she slowly pointed her microphone above her head, as she often did throughout the night. And as if we needed a reminder, she sported a single red fringed glove, yellow and black tiger-striped tights, and a short jumpsuit with a large eye pattern just below her belt, signaling that all eyes were unquestionably going to be on her.
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs
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 Entertainment
Art
Aragon Ballroom
Chicago, IL
May 26, 2009
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The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, lead singer Karen O, drummer Brian Chase, and guitarist Nick Zinner played a very full Aragon on an early Tuesday night. The show opened with “Runaway,” from their most recent album, It’s Blitz and was a departure from their more screech-laden tunes of albums past. However, soon the music kicked into familiar territory with their own blend of infectious dance beats and synthesized sounds.
As Karen O bounced from one end of the stage to the other, they performed their more radio-played friendly songs such as “Gold Lion” from the album Show Your Bones and “Black Tongue” from Fever To Tell. The performance, crisply played by Chase and Zinner, juxtaposed their more guitar driven songs of previous albums to the keyboard beats and dance inducing tracks of It’s Blitz. In between Karen O’s yoga-like poses, the concert was filled with bursts of energy as she playfully blew water from her mouth spewing onto the crowd and released storms of confetti that shot into the air and blanketed the stage. During “Cheating Hearts” she flirtatiously pushed her jumpsuit down to reveal her shoulders and then switched modes with the more melancholic “Soft Shock.”
The band quickly moved from song to song with little banter but it is doubtful the dancing and floor-pounding crowd seemed to mind. The only point where they may have faltered, even though they did keep the crowd moving, was the pace of the concert that lasted a little over an hour and may have been too brief for the sweat drenched fans that were ready to keep the vibe into the late night. Donning her spiked leather jacket featured in the music video with her initials KO on the back, she then launched into “Zero” aptly singing, “so get your leather, leather, leather on.” And although “Maps” might be the most well known song in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ repertoire, Nick Zinner’s understated acoustic rendition was one of the few quiet moments in the show and Karen O’s most vulnerable. The song marked the first point in the concert she spoke to the crowd, as she dedicated the love song to all the lovers in Chicago singing, “they don’t love you like I love you,” with her hand over her heart. The crowd returned her sincerity by singing along.
After the volume was once again cranked up, the set ended with “Y Control” as Karen O dropped to her knees and bent backwards toward the floor. For the encore, ever the performance artist, she emerged wearing a unusual pink mask, as she re-energized the crowd with the fist pumping “Heads Will Roll.” As the crowd favorite “Date With a Night” concluded the show, dancing fans couldn’t believe it was over. From the beginning to the end of the show, all eyes were riveted to the stage just waiting to see and hear what would happen next in a short but perfect performance.
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