It was a great way to commemorate 10/10/10: the first rock show at the newly re-opened Paramount Theatre, featuring the artsiest pop band on the planet – Deerhoof.
First, a bit of surprising news – on Friday, it was announced that Deerhoof was jumping from Kill Rock Stars for the release of their next album (the awesomely christened Deerhoof vs. Evil) which will come out in on Polyvinyl in January. This was, of course, almost instantly much less shocking after reading that Iron & Wine had signed to Warner Bros. But I digress…
The beautifully restored theater (keep reading for a peak at the new digs) threatened to dwarf the San Francisco band – though it’s opened for Radiohead, Wilco and the Flaming Lips in recent years, Deerhoof typically headlines grungy, mid-sized rock clubs – but the quartet worked the stage like theater-rock veterans. Diminutive singer Satomi Matsuzaki bounded about throughout, engaging in synchronized dance moves with guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez whenever she wasn’t stationed behind the mic.
Greg Saunier, though, is undeniably the leader of the group, and he does more with less gear than perhaps any other drummer in rock. Saunier also provided comic relief by stepping out from behind his drumset to address the crowd on several occasions, delivering deadpan, meandering monologs that drew some of the biggest applause of the night. And he even took over lead vocals when the band traded instruments for a cover of the Troggs’ “With a Girl Like You.”
Without a new album to promote, Deerhoof bounced around throughout its extensive catalog. They dug deep early on with tracks like “Panda Panda Panda” and hit on more recent crowd-pleasers like “The Perfect Me” and “Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back.”
Xiu Xiu held down the middle slot on the bill, bridging the gap between avant-garde Italian trio Father Murphy and the headliners.
And, finally, a quick peak inside the Paramount Theatre…
