Ah, The Tavern. What can the bands that play here possibly think when they step into the fluorescent lights and whirring blenders of the beloved eatery. It seems like a place where good music would be impossible to hear and where quality would have to be checked at the door, as the idea of hearing great music opposite a Chick-fil-A and next to a Jamba Juice is a little weird.
But Friday in the Tavern, the Dresden Dolls proved that it's all right to be a little weird. Opener Jason Webley, solo accordionist, set the tone. The Seattle native was virtually anonymous to the medium-sized crowd, but he soon won over everyone in attendance with his charming stage presence and catchy, growly drinking songs. At one point in the show, before a particularly rousing sing-along, Webley got the entire crowd to point up to the ceiling, look at their finger and spin around twelve times, turning our clean-cut cafeteria into a whirling, hellish pit of debauchery.
Webley's songs were theatrical and involved stories of death and poison and deadly women. His voice changed between a dead-on Tom Waits growl and a pleasant but sad tenor. A highlight of his set was the song "Music That Puts Everything Together." Webley led the crowd in song, bringing everyone together and filling them with a love of humanity and belief in their fellow man. It was great. And in the Tavern!
Following Webley's amazing set, the crowd mingled around waiting for the main act. There was a group of performers setting the mood for the theatrical Dolls: a man on stilts, a bunch of folks in clown makeup, etc. They were all very friendly.
Around 10 p.m., the Dresden Dolls hit the stage. They drew heavily from the Weimar Republic-era burlesque scene, which influences their performances. Drummer Brian Vitiglione donned white face paint and a bowler cap, striking mime-like poses and affecting a German accent at times. Singer and pianist Amanda Palmer wore a black dress with Beetlejuice-esque black and white stockings.
The band does amazing work, somehow squeezing such complex and full sounds out of the two-person ensemble. Palmer pounded at the keys of her Kurzweil piano (cleverly changed to say "Kurt Weill," star of many German silent films) while Vitiglione used his drums to complement the piano and Palmer's powerful voice.
Highlights of the set included the frenetic "Girl Anachronism" and the sad sing-along "Backstabber." The songs, all penned by Palmer, are at times incredibly rocking, at other times soft and contemplative. All the time, however, the duo kept a connection with the audience. Like the opening act, the Dresden Dolls had a great stage presence, at ease yet still intense.
After the set, Palmer came out for an encore sans Vitiglione. It was an intimate coda to a great performance, and the touching rendition of the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" managed to be tender and pleasantly absent of schmaltz.
It's really too bad this event was publicized as poorly as it was, as is the case with most music events on campus. The crowd that gathered, though, were enthusiastic and grateful to the performers. The Dresden Dolls, who will be touring with Nine Inch Nails over the summer, proved that good shows can be anywhere, even across the cafeteria from American Pi.
