Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ 400 Bar

Saturday night. It's like a fishing tale: I went to the 400 Bar and I once saw a line THIS BIG. The gaggle of young and eager beavers sinuously snaking down the length of the sidewalk, anxiously waiting entry into the Four Hundo. We opted for biding our pre-show time indoors with a couple of beers instead and skipped off to the Town Hall where a couple friends were about to eat dinner.

The Brunettes opened, which was like finding a $20 bill on the sidewalk. My brother and I saw them open for The Shins at First Avenue last year, and they won our "Best Opening Band of the Year" award. Just a fun, cute pop band from New Zealand that I will always have a lot of affection for. Their music makes you want to pinch their cheeks.

The beautiful thing about Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and something I didn't notice until I saw the show (which surprised me, since I'm one of those guys who probably scares the crap out of small children on the highway with my boisterous rock-god/soul-crooner-in-the-car-solo singalongs), is that they are the best band around for throwing your voice out there. Just toss your voice across the room like a ragdoll. It's incredible.

For instance, take part of the lyrics from the refrain of the band's song "Upon This Title Wave of Young Blood," which looks like this, pallid and sterile in print:

But upon this tidal wave
Oh god oh god
But upon this tidal wave
Oh god oh god

Now, when you sing it like it's sung, it's more like this:

But upon this tidal waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh goooooood ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh gooooooooooood
But upon this tidal waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh goooooooooood ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh goooooooooooooooooooooood

And when approximately 300 people are doing this in unison in a cramped and sweaty cavernous bar with a great band, you experience that frisson of elation, that communal pleasure that only unified, democratic action provides (Why do you think Irish drinking songs are so much fun to sing?).

It's moments like this that remind you why you go to rock shows.

They are child stars...child stars...child stars...