Scissor Sisters

April 22, 2006: Bowery Ballroom
 

April 22, 2006 marked the return to the scene of the crime.  The Bowery Ballroom was the first place in which I saw the miracle that is also known as Scissor Sister -- 2 years ago.  So many things have changed since then, but, yet, remained the same.  Over the past couple of years, the Scissors have exploded.  The band has headlined major festivals and arenas in England, played the massive Live 8 benefit while also playing 3 small incognito shows in its hometown, New York City, last summer under pseudonyms such as Bridget Jones’ Diarrhea, Megapussi and Portion Control. 

Tonight marked the band’s homecoming show again, being the first of two sold-out nights before going to California and playing the Coachella Festival and opening for Depeche Mode in a one-off west coast gig.  After opening acts Leslie and the Ly’s (gem sweaters people!), and superstar DJ Tiga warmed up the crowd (including a VIP section with Cher presiding over the evening’s events) before Scissor Sisters came on to tear the house down.

 The first song was a throwback to how the band's shows used to kick off over the years, with “Take Your Mama.”  From then on, Jake, Ana, Del, Babydaddy and Paddy alternated new songs and old favorites, though not missing a beat while doing so.  New tracks such as “I Can’t Decide,” featuring Babydaddy on banjo, “Everybody Wants the Same Thing,” and “The Other Side,” were peppered amongst the classics “Tits On The Radio,” “Laura,” “Mary,” the still beautifully amazing Pink Floyd cover “Comfortably Numb,” and “Music Is The Victim.”  New bits that weren’t played at any of last summer’s secret shows were “She’s My Man,” and “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing,” during which Ana went off on the city’s still imposed cabaret license that forbids people to dance in clubs without a license.  The band ended its sweaty night with the anthem “Filthy/Gorgeous,” which produced the most people getting off on the floor all night.  Every single Scissor Sisters show simply oozes emotion, sex and love.  That might sound a bit cheesy, but if you haven’t yet seen the band, then do so, and let me know what you think.  In this reviewer's eyes, the Sisters may be the best live band I've seen in ages.