Scissor Sisters Live!

Scissor Sisters
Riviera, Chicago
Friday, March 9, 2007

“Don’t Feel Like Dancin'” has become an anthem for Scissor Sister fans, although it was frustratingly taken to heart by the band, too, during Friday’s performance. For awhile the lethargic gig didn’t feel like it would ever get off the ground, and when it did, only did so in part.

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While the Sisters might deserve a break and were in town for a make-up concert — drummer Paddy Boom (Patrick Seacor) suffered a back injury in October — the “make-up” portion was solely in body, not in spirit. The whole of the Riviera seemed to be in a funny mood, perhaps a harbinger: S3 Security largely didn’t know what to do with itself, delicately wading through the largely gay crowd and steering clear of the men’s room, which five-minutes prior to showtime was an estimable haze of cigarette exhaust in a supposedly smoke-free venue. Eccentric characters in leather and boas roamed the foyers, taking turns to stand out on the sidewalk for a puff when restroom capacity could take no more.

Despite the artistic qualities of the Sisters’ two albums and a Jake Shears rant in Friday’s Sun-Times (about how the words “disco” and “gay” are used to dismiss his band), condom balloons were substitute beach balls above the crowd while a DJ spun an unimaginative club set. If the vibrantly named collective does have multiple personalities, only one was threatening to expose itself.

When they finally did get onstage, the six-member crew arrived with little of the panache that normally describes their live setup, and dutifully took their places among the bare minimum of props or stage design. The demeanor was almost as if they were a last-minute addition to the bill, as Scissor Sisters didn’t really take advantage until an ironic breast montage flickered above, midway through. Fabulously dressed (Ana Matronic’s silver dress might have been a sun mirror in less merciful lighting), there was no oomph when “Paul McCartney” kicked off, certainly not helped by the chatter enveloping the back rows.

In a reaction you might expect more from a hard rock audience, however, the sold-out Riv started to get going once the expletives starting flowing. After a rather tepid opening including “Paul McCartney,” “Laura,” and “I Can’t Decide,” Matronic got things going with her “Tits On The Radio” and later remarked how much the band like “fucking.” (Matronic was a truckdriver all night, ribbing the audience with a lesbian/fish market joke, among others.)

Invigorated, Scissor Sisters were allowed to stomp through the rest of their set, paying little mind to the nuances of either their self-titled debut or last fall’s Ta-Dah (Universal), going instead for the hormonal thumps of “Lights,” “Kiss You Off,” and the obvious closing pieces, “Take Your Mama Out” and “Don’t Feel Like Dancin’.” Paddy Boom might be done dressing wounds, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t need to wash his bandmates’ mouths out.

— Steve Forstneger

Category: Live Reviews, Weekly