Punk Cabaret, Teen Idols, and Dadaist Vaudeville

02-Aug-2006 11:37 AM

Contributed by: marley

The Dresden Dolls, Panic! At The Disco,
and Fuck the Back Row!
July 15, 2006
Molson Amphitheatre and The Bloor Cinema
Toronto, Ontario
Review by: Chris Marley
Photos by: Caio Salvagno of Punkshot Photography

The hot, muggy evening of July 15th promised to be an interesting one with the bizarre paring of self-proscribed "punk-cabaret" goth-rockers The Dresden Dolls opening for teen sensation Panic! At the Disco.

The Dresden Dolls, Molson Ampitheatre
Through relentless touring fuelled by the strength of their live shows and word of mouth, the Dolls duo of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione have amassed a loyal following that were easy to spot, peppered amongst the masses of disaffected Mischa Barton and Paris Hilton clones.

The Dolls played an energetic, if short, set. Singer / piano player Palmer roared through some of their more rock inspired numbers, including a great cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs. Viglione ferociously slammed on his drum kit, breaking an alarming number of sticks for such a short time frame, and then switched to guitar for a cover Jacques Brel's Amsterdam while Palmer sloshed beer onto the first few rows. The standout was a great performance of Coin-Operated Boy that was not only playful and intense at the right times, but also resulted in a few awkward moments for the dads in the audience with the line "I can even fuck him in the ass".
Unfortunately, the frenzy of screaming that followed the opening lines of Britney Spears' One More Time and lead Panic! crooner Brendon Urie strutting on stage to share vocal duties, overshadowed the entire show. One can't help but sympathize with the Dolls at this show – I don’t think the kids got it, I don’t think the parents got it, and no matter how good they played, who can be satisfied with an 8 song set littered with covers?
Enema Rating: (5/10)

Panic! At The Disco, Molson Ampitheatre

It is still an absolute mystery to me how some bands become popular. Sure, a constant barrage of marketing, disguised as playlists, on FM radio and video channels have something to do with it. And sure, some even claim that good music will prevail. You know, that whole "cream will rise" thing. But honestly, I can’t for the life of me figure it out and have long ago stopped trying, or even caring.

But given this conundrum, I find Panic! At the Disco particularly enigmatic. Where the hell did these guys come from? I have hardly heard of them and they are selling out arenas across Europe and North America. A quick visit to their myspace page shows almost 11.5 Million hits. What? Anyway, I could go on about how the set pieces look like they were bought from the lot of the studio that made Moulin Rouge. I could go on about how they seem to have successfully ripped the 12-17 year-old female demographic away from Good Charlotte. I could try and capture how confused I was by the frantic screaming and how the crowd seemed to know every word to all the songs (with the notable exception of a horrible version of Karma Police). I might even try to mock their obviously choreographed routine.

But none of that really matters. They were boring and unbearably bad. Nothing to see here… move along, move along.

Enema Rating:

(1/10)

The Dresden Dolls Present: Fuck The Back Row!, The Bloor Cinema

Apparently for all the stops on this tour, the Dolls book a small, intimate venue for a scarcely publicized night of short films and Dadaist Vaudeville. The night consists of band-inspired short films that are submitted by the Doll's fan base and interspersed with local acts and an Amanda Palmer solo show.

The first act was a performance piece from Ulysses Castellano. Looking like Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite in drag, he seemed to be reciting Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden, and singing the chorus in opera. Then, after berating a toy doll and reenacting the "wire hanger" scene from Mommy Dearest, he stripped down and lit his penis on fire. Twice. Let me repeat: THE MAN LIT HIS PENIS ON FIRE.

Feeling almost pity for anything trying to top that, local nine piece ensemble The Lollipop People filled the stage with instruments ranging from a bassoon to a harp while lead singer Friendly Rich barked and growled his vocals of topics such as Jesus and George Chuvalo, in the sprit of a backyard preacher. They were quite a pleasant surprise and I am really looking forward to a full show.

When Palmer finally started her set, it had been a long night, but well worth the wait. Most of the songs were covers, but she also tested the waters with some new originals as well. After a chilling version of Bright Eye's Lua she was joined by "special guest" Viglione, which seemed to be the worst kept secret of the night. At that point, Palmer really hit her stride, with beautiful renditions of Radiohead's Exit Music and Pink Floyd's Mother, complete with subtle military style drums. The harmonics of Exit Music's intense crescendo and Mother's ebbs seemed to resonate and bounce off every wall of the aged, half-full theatre. The whole 12 song set was quite moving and was capped off with an audience request for a rare, unrecorded title they seemed to hardly remember. A complex song with separate piano pieces that became increasingly disconnected, fragmenting layers and reflecting the narrative - those lucky enough to be in the audience were left speechless. A fantastic show and rare treat.

Enema Rating:

(8/10)

Note: Thanks to Caio Salvagno for allowing us to use his photos from The Molson Aphetheatre. Check out punkshot.org to see his excellent collection of concert photos.