Live Review: Dresden Dolls at The Grand Ballroom [12.31.07]

Blocks away, a million people have been standing in the freezing cold all day, waiting for Dick Clark to utter the word "one." Inside Manhattan Center's Grand Ballroom, a few thousand await a comparatively intimate and decidedly different experience. It's New Year's Eve, 2008 and the Dresden Dolls are playing a sold-out show. The quasi-cabaret duo has drawn their usual crowd which, much like the group's music, defies singular genre or category. The room is filled with powder-faced twenty somethings dressed in gothic evening attire, club kids in silver body paint, roving bands of over-the-hill lesbians, and otherwise nondescript music-loving New Yorkers.

The Dresden Dolls (Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione), whose music lies at the confluence of punk, glam, cabaret, and rock describe themselves as "Brechtian Punk Cabaret". The live expression of exactly what Brechtian Punk Cabaret is, should not to be missed. Despite falling ill days earlier, Palmer's vocals proved dramatic and powerful throughout the majority of the band's grueling two hour set. Through alternating swigs of bottled water and Captain Morgan, Palmer sang a no-holds-barred set of scintillating rants and aching confessions. The sentiments of each song were mirrored in her devilish laughter as well as her uncomfortable and often jarring contortions. Drawing from both A Is for Accident and Yes, Virginia..., Palmer's performance swung wildly between states of agony and therapy. Both were equally captivating.



Let's not forget the drummer. Brian Viglione is one of the most dynamic performers I have ever seen. Switching between visceral waves of percussion and puppet-like theatrical expressions that would put Howdy Doody out of a job, Viglione set the bar for musical showmanship and technical endurance. Beginning with a guest performance with Brooklyn openers Luminescent Orchestrii, Viglione performed feverishly to within minutes of the show's 1:30am curfew. From start to finish, his drum lines provided the perfect foundation for Palmer's keyboard while his exaggerated facial expressions and larger than life physicality proved a primary source of charisma for the duo's incredible live show.



Performances of "Coin-Operated Boy" and a cover of Queen's "We Are The Champions" were personal highlights of the night. Even if there is no New Year's Eve countdown, the Dresden Dolls are not to be missed.

Upcoming Shows:

01.03.2008 Montreal, Qu Le National
01.04.2008 Toronto, On The Phoenix Concert Theatre
01.05.2008 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre / The Vic
01.06.2008 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
01.08.2008 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Theatre
01.10.2008 Tampa, FL Tampa Theatre
01.11.2008 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
01.12.2008 Durham, NC Carolina Theatre
01.13.2008 Norfolk, VA The NorVa











Photography and Review by Chris Owyoung for Loose Record.