Discussing our excitement over the upcoming reunion show with The Need a few days before last Friday’s finale a friend commented that she was worried that they wouldn’t still have it. That they were (as we are) getting older, hadn’t played in awhile, and who knows what kind of skills they’ve lost in the lackadaisical interim (I’m exaggerating her comments here for effect).
But I needn’t have worried. Because last Friday night they brought down the house.
Not only were they tight and nuanced, but every bit a energetic as they ever were. And even as Rachel pulled up her shirt to expose her own mastectomy scars she joked about now being able to mow the lawn shirtless before launching into another perfectly executed anthem. And though my musical taste has tended more toward that which can be danced to as of late, their alt-metal filled a need in my body I didn’t even know I had.
But the coup de grâce surely had to be when their horde of scantily and angelically clad backup witch dancers stormed the stage. The crowd, including yours truly, swooned with the heady mix of strong, fierce women and amazing music.
Bangs, too, were spot on with their brand of guitar riff heavy grrl punk. Their nostalgia was aided by the appearance of Carrie Brownstein who bobbed her perfectly kiki head in front of us for the bulk of their set until turning to a friend and proclaiming, “I just can’t handle it.” To what she was referring I have no idea but it made me chuckle nonetheless.
Below I’ve included a YouTube video uploaded by Diana Arens documenting some of the dancing witches, as well as a recording I took of “Dark Sally.” Unfortunately, while the iPhone may be more than adequate for conducting interviews, the sound quality of the song is pretty atrocious. But hey, if you missed it an it’s all you’ve got, you should at least get a taste of what you missed.
