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San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Yeah Yeah Yeahs ditch the chaos for a quiet, powerful night in San Francisco
Longtime fans of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are accustomed to seeing Karen O thrash across the stage and spray beer into the air. The frontwoman's statuesque presence and glam fashion solidified her rep as one of most enigmatic performers of this millennium. Yet on Monday, July 14, for the first of two back-to-back San Francisco concerts at Davies Symphony Hall, a centerstage stool for O hinted at what was to come: 90 minutes of lead singer O, guitarist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase purposefully shaving off serrated edges and slowing down tempos, revealing the beauty at each song's core. 'We've been working on this very different Yeah Yeah Yeahs show. It's very vulnerable,' O explained, early on. 'Nothing's more 'punk rock' than being vulnerable.' After 25 years of creating catharsis from chaos, the New York art-punk trio was reimagining their catalog with fresh arrangements and textures. The intent was to counter the outside world's current doom spiral with an expression of clarity and community through their music. To meet the moment, they were joined by guitarist and longtime collaborator Imaad Wasif, a string quartet and a conductor who doubled as stand up bassist. The setting was the tony home of the San Francisco Symphony, part of the band's 18-date Hidden in Piece tour, designed for smaller — and in the case of Davies, more ornate — acoustically pure theaters. Shannon Shaw of Oakland indie faves Shannon and the Clams opened the evening with a set of torchy roots-rock that bridged vintage Americana, Motown pop and DIY punk. Shaw was joined by fiddler Sivan Lioncub and keyboardist Joel Robinow, all sounding great in the classy environment (Shaw's click-clack footsteps were audible in the upper tier). As for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 'Cheated Hearts' and ' Skeletons ' benefited the most from this reconfiguration, the string section sawing away with verve, and drummer Brian Chase using timpani mallets to build 'Skeletons' to a triumphant close. 'Y Control' and 'Gold Lion' were similarly reconstructed but retained their lean sinew, while 'Despair' was a rousing halftime speech to elevate the masses. 'We're all on the edge, there's nothing to fear inside,' sang O. 'Through the darkness and the light, some sun has got to shine.' Still, there were moments of dissonance. Casual fans expecting to hear Zinner's epic guitar breakdown on the band's biggest hit, 2003's 'Maps,' had to settle for an unplugged take that whispered with gentle intimacy. This more subdued version begs to be used during opening credits on 'The Bear.' A cover of Björk's 'Hyper-Ballad' — a song Zinner and O noodled with when the band first formed in 2000 — was cooked down to its acoustic guitar-vocal essence. For YYY stans this might have been epic, but for YYY fans who know and/or revere Björk's original, the contrast was too much to process. Dressed in a red Christian Joy jumpsuit, Karen O was typically commanding, mostly ignoring the stool. During 'Spitting Off the Edge of the World,' she jumped up and down and two-stepped like an excited auntie at a wedding reception. Occasionally she brought out her old tricks, whipping the mic cord while posing and preening. But despite her approval of the audience standing up and dancing in their rows, many chose to enjoy the show seated. With early YYY fans who roughed it in the pit now reaching their 40s and 50s, this was an understandable compromise. As extra treats for its day-ones, the group dusted off a couple rarities: 'Our Time' from the band's self-titled 2001 EP, and a resplendent 'Warrior,' which was introduced with a bit of 'Isis.' A great Yeah Yeah Yeahs song has the power to propel you to the top of the world. These new versions make you feel like you're floating in an alternate universe, a zoom-out that allows for even deeper examination and introspection. Blacktop Our Time Gold Lion Hyper-Ballad (Bjork cover) Cheated Hearts Isis/Warrior Despair Skeletons Spitting Off the Edge of the World Maps Turn Into Y Control Zero Todd Inoue is a freelance writer.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
In ‘Semele,' Heartbreak Is Dressed Up in Lace and Diamonds
— No opera is short of heartbreak, but in 'Semele,' sorrow is wrapped in beautiful fabrics. The Handel opera from 1744 has been reimagined by Oliver Mears, the director of opera at the Royal Ballet & Opera, with a twist — this time it's set between the '60s and '70s. More from WWD Skeletons, Tears and Lobsters: Schiaparelli Exhibition to Open in 2026 Painter Nancy Cadogan Breathes Life Into Fallen Trees in Show at London's Garden Museum Bonhams to Auction 'Downton Abbey' Costumes, Props Ahead of Final Film Release The story follows Semele, played by Pretty Yende, who works for Jupiter and his wife Juno in their palatial house. She falls in love with Jupiter and is further seduced by his powers — he's in disguise, for he is a god. Semele grows weary of Jupiter and asks him to reveal himself to her, to which he declines because it would result in her death. Jupiter showers her in materialistic clothes and jewelry, but Semele persists by pressing for answers. Her wardrobe is unlike the French rags of an opera. Semele is dressed up in a silk, pale pink off-the-shoulder dress with black roses; a jacquard shift dress in white and lilac, and a white wedding dress decorated with small white flowers. Her most powerful and touching costumes, however, are her silk nightie that she rots in bed in and Jupiter's white shirt that she wraps around herself as she yearns for him. 'We wanted the opera to have this very dark, but kind of strange atmosphere with the reds and pinks,' said costume designer Annemarie Woods. She wanted the costumes to allude to death as a premonition of Semele's future, where she's burnt alive by Jupiter and Juno in the chimney. 'Semele starts off as a staff member at the house and then she becomes glamorous. Her hair and clothes become more glamorous. She's becoming this taken-care-of woman, but it's not making her happy. The sadder she becomes, the more decorated she is,' said Woods. The costume designer pored over photography books and images from the '60s to help her shape Semele's world. She also looked at the costumes of 'Mad Men' for Jupiter's sharp tailored suits that add to his charmingly, toxic demeanor. '[The costumes are] absolutely crucial because we wanted to make a show about power and hierarchy, and costumes are the main way to tell that story on stage — from the servants in Jupiter's household to Jupiter and Juno himself,' said Mears, who has been collaborating with Woods for 14 years. 'The principal characters look decadent and dark and sexy, to convey so much of the show's essential atmosphere, as well as their own psychologies,' he added. The collaboration between Mears and Woods was second nature. 'We know exactly what sort of shows we like to make. [We] have very similar aesthetics and senses of humor, and very similar views on what's important in the theater. I trust her completely — especially if she feels something's not working yet,' said Mears. The pair started working on 'Semele' three years ago, but it only hit the stage this year with its debut at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris in February. Woods has seen her fair share of tragedies on stage. She's worked on 'Orfeo,' 'Il Trovatore' and 'The Rape of Lucretia,' but found 'Semele' to be even more brutal. 'All the women always die in opera, that's a big criticism, but Semele has a lot to do with real female stories. When you die of a broken heart, that's kind of silly, but in this story, she's murdered and it's so sad because she doesn't even put up a fight. She's been destroyed by this very wealthy man and his wife,' she said. In the end, there's nothing left of Semele — not her pretty frocks or diamond necklaces — only her ashes and lessons in heartbreak. Best of WWD Fashion Meets Cinema: Jaws 50th Anniversary and Calvin Klein Spring 2019 RTW Show Retro Glamour: Giorgio Di Sant'Angelo's Summer 1973 Chic Straw Hat Statement The Story Behind Jackie Kennedy's Cartier Watch: A Royal Gift With 'Traces and Clues of Her Life' Revealed