Life In A Bungalo

Dandy Warhols@Bowery Ballroom, NYC:September 15, 2003

When the Dandy Warhols say they are going to play a long set, you better believe it. The modern rock media darlings rolled into New York’s Bowery Ballroom recently for a two-night gig that featured almost seven hours of music, and lots of drunk happy fans.

Life In A Bungalo was in the house for evening number two, and what a ride it was. The band hit stage a half hour late, which wasn’t that big of a deal since most of the audience didn’t show up until a quarter past nine. The Dandys opened with a ten minute intro piece that served as a melancholy mood-maker until the group kicked into Over It from their latest release.

All the new keyboard fine-tuning and new wave styling that saturate the new record were oddly missing, as the band focused primarily on older material and kept the songs rocking with straight guitar, drums and a bit of keyboard.

“I was going to play the same set as last night, but forget it. I don’t feel like it,” proclaimed vocalist Courtney Taylor-Taylor, who smiled at the crowd with this dazed look that recalled a strung-out Evan Dando.

That wasn’t the last time the crowd would hear Taylor either. The talkative vocalist chatted with the audience all night, bantering incessantly to anyone who called out his name.

The rest of the band was solid, playing through tunes like Good Morning, Get Off, Horse Pills and Kim Deal. As well as the hit singles Bohemian Like You and Used To Be A Junkie.

After a half hour jam session that blinded the audience with strobe lights and fuzzed-out keyboards, the band actually took an intermission and mingled with the audience for a few minutes, before jumping back on stage to close the night out with another hour and a half long set.

While many of today’s modern rock acts tease the fans with short and sweet rock shows, the Dandy Warhols fail to disappoint. Their show is a tride and true rock n’ roll event, for the fans and no one else.