This post was originally written a couple of months ago, immediately after the concerts it describes… but then other parts of life got in the way and so it is only now getting posted. Despite the belated-ness, I still wanted to share it! And I promise to update more regularly from now on!
Having witnessed the extraordinary energy of a Scissor Sisters’ live show for the first (and second) time during their 2010/2011 tour in promotion of Nightwork, I was so excited to hear that they had announced tour dates for 2012. As you can imagine, I was a bit deflated to realize that, as luck would have it, I would be on the wrong continent at the wrong time for just about every show this year. Fortunately, a close friend – who will be henceforth known as Jason – was lucky enough to see the Scissters twice on their recent North American tour. He kindly and enthusiastically shared his thoughts on their gigs at Boston’s House of Blues and New York’s Terminal 5.
The opening act was Rye Rye, whom I have heard more than one person describe as somewhat like Nicki Minaj. Jason reports: “…[I]t was a mix of pop and rap and she had two male back up dancers who provided most of the energy…She played about 5 songs and the crowd was really into her.” Between her set and some great music from the DJ, it sounds like everyone was appropriately revved up for the entrance of the Scissor Sisters.
I recalled from past Scissor Sisters concerts that the band came onstage one or two at a time, which built our anticipation perfectly until Jake Shears and Ana Matronic finally appeared just in time to launch into the opening lyrics. I was happy to hear they opened this show in a similar fashion and with a similar effect. “When the band came onstage, the crowd completely lost it as each component appeared.”
They opened with Any Which Way, flowed seamlessly into Keep Your Shoes and then continued on with recent single (and one of my personal favorites) Baby Come Home. During Kiss You Off, Ana owned the main vocals, while Jake performed as a fantastic backup dancer. Jason writes: “For me, that’s one of the strengths of them as a performance unit… Jake can potentially dominate a performance, but he is a team player. He just steps back, yields the spotlight, and backup dances among the Matronicons.”
A high point in the show was Running Out: “the lighting was phenomenal, the energy of that song was so high, they’re always in unison!” Year of Living Dangerously made for a more mellow, but no less enthusiastic, few minutes. And then the moment everyone – let’s admit it – was waiting for: Let’s Have A Kiki. I was not at all surprised to hear that the crowd went nuts! Jake returned to his backup dancer role, while Ana led the kiki. There was even synchronized dancing! “The dance mirrors the music in that it is like a gradually building ostinato kaleidoscope of movement.” The New York kiki also featured a drag queen.
In Invisible Light, Ana spoke the voice part that is performed on the album by Sir Ian McKellen. “Jake was looking at her as though transfixed. If anyone looked at him, their focus was immediately and completely redirected back to Ana.” Then came Shady Love. This song, I will admit, took some time to grow on me, but there is something quite catchy about it and I can imagine that it would be a lot of fun live. After brief thank you’s to everyone involved for working hard “even when they don’t feel like dancing”, the band played the last song of their main set… can you guess? I Don’t Feel Like Dancing.
In the interim between main set and encore, the crowd chanted: “Kiki! Kiki!” The band returned with Magic Hour’s first single, Only The Horses, which was “really fun and the crowd really loved it. A lot of people said that Only The Horses or Running Out were their favorite moments.” The Scissters closed out the show with Music Is The Victim, a song with so much energy – a great way to end the performance!
It was absolutely no surprise to hear that Jason (and everyone else I know who went to see the Scissor Sisters on this tour) had a fantastic time. This band certainly knows how to put on an incredible live show. I will be taking advantage of the next available opportunity to experience it again for myself! Thank you to Jason for taking the time to tell me about the concerts and for the permission to use his quotes in this review. So glad the “Kiki [was] marvelous”!
all my boyfriends are gay 
This post was MAAAAaaaavelous!