El Perro del Mar, Peter Bjorn & John at Webster Hall, New York (11/9/09)

Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks Peter Bjorn & John Tour Dates 11/11/09 Phoenix Theatre* Toronto 11/12/09 Metro* Chicago, IL 11/13/09 Gargoyle Club* St. Louis, MO 11/14/09 House of Blues* Dallas, TX 11/15/09 La Zona Rosa* Austin, TX 11/17/09 Rialto Theater* Tucson, AZ 11/18/09 House of Blues* San Diego, CA 11/19/09 Great American Music Hall* SF, CA 11/20/09 Great American Music Hall* SF, CA 11/21/09 Club Nokia* LA, CA with El Perro Del Mar Read More Peter, Bjorn and John http://weheartmus... Speaking of solo album, Peter Morén (you know him as Peter from Peter, Bjorn and John) will also...

PB&J and El Perro del Mar ♥ photograph by Michelle

At Webster Hall, the perils of sitting in the VIP balcony often outweigh the perks. True, it’s the ideal place for a certified midget like me, and there’s a private bar and quasi-comfortable seating – but one must also put up with being asphyxiated by the many fog machines, the not-so-subtle orgies taking place on the couches, and that one skeezy guy who keeps trying to offer you a flask full of absinthe. (“It’s the nectar of Satan!”)

But last night the VIP balcony was the place to be since it was the location of a historic fist bump between me and Andrew W.K.

I already knew he was set to make a cameo during PB&J’s set, along with a slew of others, but I did not expect our paths to cross. I don’t know what compelled me to lamely offer him my fist the moment I saw him, but all that matters is that he returned it and all was right in the world. Then he left, and I immediately texted my 13 year-old brother, who soon lapsed into an envy-induced coma.

El Perro Del Mar - Gotta Get Smart

Anyway: PB&J. I have to admit, I was really there for opener, El Perro del Mar. I’ve become obsessed with her latest LP, Love is Not Pop, as it is the perfect soundtrack for long nights of procrastination. Although the crowd didn’t seem too familiar with her work, she won them over with her peculiar brand of melancholy dream pop. She stuck to songs mostly from her new album, including her mind-numbingly lovely version of Lou Reed’s “Heavenly Arms.” The absinthe guy next to us dismissed her as “vagina music,” but I was too distracted by my estrogen-fueled state of euphoria to care.

Swede-fest ’09 continued with PB&J, who announced that this was their 10^th anniversary tour. It was easy to distinguish who was who, as Peter was the one in the pink shirt, Bjorn was the one not in the pink shirt, and John was the drummer. It only got slightly confusing during the smorgasbord of cameos that took place throughout their set. Some made perfect sense (El Perro del Mar on “Young Folks,”), some not so much (an L.A. rap duo who remixed an unrecognizable song off of Living Thing). The final cameo was Spank Rock, who seemed like a solid addition to “Nothing to Worry About” but his appearance was much too brief and almost abrupt.

Obviously the most dramatic cameo of the night was Andrew W.K.’s “interpretive” dancing during “It Don’t Move Me.” He didn’t utter a single word the whole time, yet he left the audience virtually speechless. It was spastic and random but ultimately the best moment of the night.

As for the band themselves, they were in top form as usual. Since the last time I saw them in March, people have warmed up considerably towards their newer material and seemed to enjoy it equally as much as anything off Writer’s Block. The band eschewed slower stand-bys for faster, upbeat songs from their first two albums, and they ended the night with the infectious “Objects of My Affection.” I was kind of hoping they’d play the slow burning track, “Up Against the Wall,” but my friend told me not to be greedy. After all, one paradigm-shifting fist bump was good enough for one night.

PB&J ♥ photograph by Michelle

Peter ♥ photograph by Michelle

Andrew W.K. ♥ photograph by Michelle

PB&J ♥ photograph by Michelle

 11/10/2009 02:13:56 ♥ kateg () ♥ peterbjornandjohn.com ♥ myspace.com/peterbjornandjohn