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Concert Mon Jan 05 2009
The Dandy Warhols, New Years Eve @ Metro
New Years Eve celebrations are usually decadent affairs. The Dandy Warhols made sure that the Metro was no exception this year when they rolled into town with their catchy brand of psychedelic pop to set off the start of 2009.
Formal attire was encouraged, and the dapper Dandy Warhols were no exception, taking the stage in their classy attire before slowly building up amongst the swirls of fog and launching into "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth." The band clearly made the intention that the night would be a mix of their dreamy long jams fused with driving pop hits, mostly hand picked by the audience. The Dandy Warhols made the gesture to ask fans on their website to send in request for this special show earlier in December, which made for a large crowd of diehard fans and a laid back friendly camaraderie. Owner Joe Shanahan has perfected the art of bringing in quality acts to the Metro's intimate setting, making the two and a half hour set seemed more like a house party where you just happen to score one of your favorite bands to be the soundtrack for the night.
The set was heavy on earlier gems out of the band's catalog, including a fuzzy "Minnesoter," and a heavy yet solid "Horse Pills." Two and a half hours is a long time to keep an audiences attention, but the Warhols were able to balance the night by perfectly intermingling their shoegazer brand of long feedback heavy tracks, like the sultry and heavy "I Love You," before bringing back up the energy and launching into catchy hits such as "Bohemian Like You." I'm not a huge fan of long psychedelic style jams, but The Dandy Warhols have fine-tuned the art, possibly converting me to enjoy a 7-minute instrumental guitar part.
As lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor led the crowd in a sing along of the New Years standard of "Auld Lang Syne," confetti fluttering to the floor, everyone was brought a bit closer, sharing hugs and kisses, as The Dandy Warhols helped Chicago rock in a new year.
