She pulls off the alien jumper -- Karen O goes for onstage costume transformations -- embraces guitarist Nick Zinner and sings "Turn yourself around, you weren't invited" from there new album "Show Your Bones." It's backed by a simple, abusive beat but the crowd is bouncying up in down in the spell of KO.
See, Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of those bands that are best seen to be understand. Recorded they hits some high points before you get lost in the noise. But Karen O says she thinks she's bigger than the noise, and on stage it's true. A full White Stage is discoing down like they were seeing Basement Jaxx crank their booties. It's KO's performance, one that takes her down to her skin tight outfit, and it's obvious at this point, she's Performance Art Super Hero, here to save your night.
Part of the act is the way she expands YYYs stripped down noise rock with vocal flourishes. She's a beatbox, a mixer an anguished call of strange joy. She mocks it all on "Art Star," "I've been working on a piece that speaks about sex and desperation" before screams screams screams.
When art rock gets corwds shaking, someone got the formula right. Partially primitive, partially performance, fully brutal, Karen O is clearly able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, be they in New York, Paris or Tokyo, and land on the stage for your entertainment.
Just to let you know she's done, at the end of the last song she smashes the mike, stomps it, grinds it to pieces and throws it to the crowd. Her job here is done, message delivered. Yeah.