Blonde Redhead arrived in D.C. last night for their Sit Down for Dinner tour. Named after their most recent superb album, the tour's stop at the historic Howard Theatre promised a magical evening. And, as with many things about this trio, things did turn out fairly magical.
Of the new songs, "Snowman" and "Melody Experiment" worked very well. A poignant "Not for Me" was a highlight for me, Amedeo Pace's vocals filling up the beautiful venue nicely. Still, I am a fan of Kazu Makino and the numbers where she took the lead were the ones where I was really moved. I shifted myself up to the balcony for the final stretch of the 90-minute show, and caught an elegant "Elephant Woman" from their masterpiece Misery is a Butterfly (2004) on video. Extraordinary band who manage to translate their special sound very well in a live setting.
Sit Down for Dinner by Blonde Redhead is out now. Details via Bandcamp too.