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Sia @ 9:30 Club, Washington DC – 05/04/2010
Written by Lancifer
Having a chance to check out Sia’s new album prior to attending the show, I was excited to hear the songs being performed live. I would even say that I was excited to see how Sia’s stage performance was. One would naturally assume that since her music isn’t completely off the wall, her stage presence wouldn’t be either. That, was the most wrong I’ve been about anything before… possibly ever in my life.
Let’s see if I can complete this review without really offending any particular person or group of people. I should have known that something was a little off as I entered the 9:30 Club to find the whole stage and everything on it wrapped in knitted blankets of various colors and designs. As Sia took the stage, she fit right in with her surroundings, in a clashing-Sia kind of way, wearing a dress made of red and white striped streams of plastic, from what could have been left over Christmas decorations for all anyone knows. Pointing from her head was a unicorn type glowing horn of changing colors, which she referred to as her “head penis”. This was just a preview of things to come. Throughout the performance, it often times seemed as though there was more talking and encouraged heckling going on than actual music being performed. Tales ranging from prosthetic legs, to golden showers… that included a song she claimed was made up about the act earlier that day, the performance as a whole seemed to mesh quite well with the stage decorations. About as random as the stories and conversations between Sia and the crowd, were the items she received from individuals in the audience to add to her costume with each song. Indian feathers, t-shirts wrapped around her head, an owl mask, and even a pair of jeans from an individual just as crazy as Sia were some of the items contributed that added to the quirkiness that was Sia.
I would have been tolerant or even accepting of the crazy things taking place throughout the evening, though it seemed that those were just a sliver of the giant shard of wood that seemed to be sticking out of my head, festering with each minute. It’s hard for me to nail down just what it was that was pushing me into the mood of irritation. Could it have been the heckling which Sia, herself encouraged from the crowd? Perhaps it was the obnoxious personality in general that Sia seems to attract? Or maybe it was the overly vocal and repugnant actions of the young and overbearing lesbians in front of me that insisted on everyone in the venue hearing them yell at Sia for attention between and throughout every song… accompanied by the arguing with security about how their actions were all in “enjoying the show”… topped off with the public display of affection towards one another that would leave me gagging even if it were a hetero couple.
In short, musically, Sia is great. She’s talented and sounds just as good live as in her studio recordings. But when I have to wonder which took up more time, the musical performance, or the obnoxious interactions with the crowd, it leads me to wonder if I would take the time to go see her again. I feel bad saying that since I do believe she really is a talented musician, but it seems the individuals drawn to her music are largely those who demand just as much, if not more attention than Sia’s stage presence.
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