Industry types and looky-loos only fleetingly familiar with the band and presumably not combing the blogosphere for new tracks daily were thrown a bone early in the set with a racous "Black Tongue" next. Karen's showmanship continued to impress as she performed a fan dance with a long feather, stripping it of it's plumes with her teeth at a climactic moment, and greeting the crowd with a triumphant Sylvester grin.

Following a Johnny six times assertion by KO that she had to "pick the feathers from her teeth" we were given a trio of songs including the previously MS linked tracks, "Honey Bear" (mp3) and "Down Boy (mp3)." "Honey Bear" had a trashed garage rock feel to it, but with enough flourishes to keep it from being too standard. Something like a more thought out and intelligently arranged "Shot Down." "Down Boy" blew the tinny mp3 I have of it completely out of the water, and made me long for a clearer copy. Karen used her ethereal Adidas commercial voice, floating it above a simple keyboard line only to switch to full throat on the chorus when Zinner split the dreamscape with thunderclap guitar.

New addition Imaad Wasif was only used occasionally on songs needing more texture than NZ could provide alone. He stayed to the side mainly, playing and banging his fro enthusiastically and then dissapperaing into shadow when not needed. Since Karen's kinetic stage antics suck in most of the crowd's eye time, he was able to move in and out of formation without disrupting the formidable chemistry of the band's founding members.

Wasif's one real moment in the spotlight came during current single "Gold Lion." His strumming (which to be specific to a completely unneccessary degree reminded me of the acoustic version of "Creep" from Radiohead's Iron Lung EP) gave the band a different dynamic then they have had in the past. While the YYY's of old might have settled on a more familiar quiet/loud electric arrangement, or just left an empty space in the song awaiting the inevitable riff, the foursome allows a softer texture to segue into electric mayhem while providing a fuller sound over all.

Next newby, "Phenomena," was a juggernaut of propulsive rythym. It's performance was highlighted and enhanced by some serious lighting design. Towering shadows of Karen and Nick traded wall time as guitar squeals and the "White Lines" lifted chorus cohered into a dark and borderline funky banger. A highlight of the show's stellar stagecraft and a fitting lead in energy wise to a manic "Mystery Girl."

The set proper ended with the palette cleansing softball "Turn Into." Tuneful and soft, but destined to be a headphones and cuddles grower in comparison to the peacock strut of the rest of the debuted Show Your Bones material.

The encore started with "Maps," and it was good but unneccessary. I've seen them play it person on multiple occasions, on video, at the MTV Video Awards, on late night TV, etc, etc. To have launched into another new number or a more obscure oldy would have been another challenging and interesting move in what had been a set full of them. But, you know, it's "Maps" and it's good and folks liked it.

"Our Time" followed, but not before Ms. O engaged in a streak of brilliant audience baiting. A rambling diatribe about moving to L.A. and "scheming some plans" drew the ire of the jilted New Yorkers in attendance, and a chorus of boos followed. But I have to believe it was a masterful piece of manipulation straight out of a pro wrestling ring. How better to dissipate the wave of good will that greets your biggest hit then to tell your former home town audience of your move to its despised coastal counterpart? Then to follow that with by detailing your "year to be hated"? It struck me as both funny and and clever, and of course they nailed the song.

"Modern Romance" ended the night on a down, but sweet note. Those who weren't grumbling about the lack of recognizable tracks or how insufferable their peers in the audience made the show might have been gushing about the fact that they had just seen a top of their form performance by a band who just announced their intentions not only to stick around for a while, but to surpass the Manhattan size expectations their debut garnered. But it could have just been Keith and I, and to be fair, we were pretty drunk.

Keith's take, from a foot behind me and vodka rather than beer colored, is soon to follow...

Tags: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Show Your Bones, Bowery Ballroom,