THE GOSSIP LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD
by Darion Lowenstein
On Monday night Peter and I were lucky enough to be invited by Alek & Steph to see The Gossip perform live at the Henry Fonda Music Box in Hollywood. Being new fans, we weren't quite what sure to expect from a live show, and I can happily say I'm now a huge fan! They ROCK live!
They opened the show with the band jamming out Dimestore Diamond, and lead singer Beth Ditto singing off stage - then making a very grand entrance, bursting onto the stage and being greeted by a loud ROAR of applause from the audience. One thing about Gossip fans - they are a ravenous bunch! Beth is clearly very loved by fans of The Gossip (Gossipheads?) and you can tell her performance soars on the energy the crowd gives her.
They followed up with the Pop Goes The World - which is a powerful song that's very clearly about gay rights. Check out the intro of the song:
Find yourself in a situation
Can’t talk your way out of
Stimulate the conversation
How do you rise above
You try to tell some one
But you can’t describe it
We’ll start a demonstration
Or we’ll create a scene
Make noise from our frustration
Newspapers, magazines
We’ll turn them on their heads
You can’t deny it
The song is fun but also has a strong message about human rights, speaking up and saying your mind. Given what's happening in the world, the raging human rights issues and marriage debates, it's great to have a band play great music with a strong message. With so many bands and popular singers staying heavily in the closet, The Gossip stands out as a band that's totally out and doesn't care. You can tell it's something a lot of their fanbase has connected to as well.
The show continued with a lot of high energy music, primarily consisting of material from their new album Music For Men - which is also their first major label studio release. It's a great album, I definitely recommend picking it up on iTunes or Amazon. My favorite performances from the show were the Love/Breakup song Four Letter Word and the Stevie-Nicks reminiscent Heavy Cross.
Love Long Distance
GOSSIP | MySpace Video
The Gossip also knows how to have fun on stage - Beth joked with the crowd in between sets and twice even handed the mic into the crowd where one particularly amorous fan belted his heart out. Later on Beth snatched an unsuspecting cameraman's high end camera and started playing with it on stage - promising "Don't worry, I won't break your expensive camera" to the flabbergasted man. It was hilarious! Beth also called out the balcony of the Music Box theater for their energy and dancing - asking the floor crowd if they were going to match it.
They performed three encores, starting with a fun version of What's Love Got To Do With It and bringing another singer on stage (personal friend? Audience member? Passerby? Who knows!).
Peter and I had a total blast! I also ran into my friends Brian, Brett, and Josh who were there to enjoy the show. I have to give a huge thank you and shout out to the adorable Holly from Filter for inviting us to the show, as well as Alek and Steph for sending me on such a fun gig.
+ Darion Lowenstein Blog
+ The Gossip Band on MySpace
