Thu, 03/08/2007 - 12:57pm

What a treat it was to see the Scissor Sisters this past Sunday night at 9:30 club. If you thought, after listening to any one of the songs off the Scissor Sisters’ first two albums (their debut – a self-titled album and their newest album appropriately titled Ta-Dah), that a band whose sound is often defined by synthesizers, voice echoes and other electronica touches, could sound good live, you were correct – the Scissor Sisters sounded better. The show started off with an amusing romp of an opening “band” known as Wigs on Sticks. As I had neither heard anything by Wigs, nor had I even heard of the band, I had come to the concert with curiosity and intrigue.

Imagine my shock and eventual delight when the “band” finally came on stage and I realized that Wigs on Sticks were actually just sticks placed upright on the stage, with microphones in front of them, and of course, adorned with wigs. While I am officially disappointed that I haven’t been able to find anything official about Wigs on Sticks through internet research, I am not surprised as it is my contention that the Scissor Sisters themselves probably wrote and recorded all the Wigs’ songs (in the vain of a Supremes-sounding style) themselves in an attempt to defeat the need for an opening act. It was hilarious and the truth of the matter was, no one noticed or cared that the Scissor Sisters had poles on a stage as their opening act because all in attendance were there for the Scissor Sisters and the Scissor Sisters only.

The lack of an opening act may have been the Sisters’ greatest move. While I certainly can’t confirm the logistics of it, I believe that having poles with wigs on them as your opening act actually frees up a large portion of your touring budget, allowing you to have other kinds of performance indulgences – such as excessive yet indispensable light shows. The Sisters may have done a well enough job on their own to entertain an audience full of die hard fans, but I have to say: the light show which went on for the full one hour and a half that they were performing, really brought the house down. While the Sisters are generally known for ornate costumetry – glittering pants, platform shoes and (ah-hem) wigs, this time it was the spectacle going on behind the band that most colorfully complimented the music. It was by far one of the most visually exciting light shows I have ever seen pulled off at the 9:30 club.

"Laura", performed at the 9:30 Club

In addition to a hypnotizing light show, but by no means secondary to it, was Jake Shears’ explosive performance. Having never seen the Scissor Sisters live before, I was amazed at his ability to sing breathlessly through all the songs, hitting all the very high notes while constantly dancing and jumping around on stage. Its not as the though the crowd weren’t already pumped to be there, Mr. Shears just brought them to a new level of ecstasy.

Generally, the show could have been a little bit longer, with a run-time of only an hour and a half (lets not forget there was NOT an actual opening band) some may have been inclined to feel deprived. Believe me when I say however, I am not one to hang a band for knowing their limits and getting out of a great show in a timely enough manner than it stays great and that’s exactly what happened. Overall though, the short run time was nothing that could crack the foundation of what was generally a great show and a fun time had by all. In fact, I’m not sure the show would have been such a radical success had it not been for the fun had by the inspired and sold-out audience. Though its not to say the Sisters weren’t aware of this fact – on several occasions they showed their appreciation (in some instances by shooting colorful wigs out into the audience via bazooka) to the many fans who came out and stayed late on a Sunday night to play, dance, sing along and generally have a good time. By and large the show was a huge success, much like the success enjoyed over the past couple of years by this truly unique and clever band – I mean, what more could you expect from a group who put out the song entitled “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’” – a song that can make even the most uptight person you know want to dance like crazy when they hear it. If Ta-Dah is their motto then Bravo! is mine.

* For more information about the Scissor Sisters, a tour schedule, and to hear a selection of their music, visit http://www.myspace.com/ScissorSisters

About the author
Yasmin Tasan has been living in Washington, DC since 2001. She studied art history in college and is committed to furthering her understanding of fine art through the exploration of the many unique and interesting shows and exhibits Washington continually offers. When not roaming the halls of a museum you can most likely find her exploring a new or favorite restaurant with friends, running in Rock Creek Park or making a fool of herself at Bikram yoga.

Photo and video also contributed by Yasmin Tasan

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