Seemed like an appropriate thread title for this: New York Dolls @ Irving Plaza, NYC April 30, 2005
"Looking for a Kiss"
By Gina M.
A man in a short-sleeved dress turned toward the stage, and
placed his oversized sunglasses on top of his head. His date, a
smiling woman with a bright-orange Ziggy Stardust hairdo, stood
at his side in a pair of gold platform sandals. In the balcony, a
statuesque, frizzy-haired blonde elbowed her way through a
dense gathering of "VIPs." Looking over the edge, Jayne County,
a former Max's Kansas City regular and a downtown legend,
surveyed the crowd. As the minutes passed, those below grew
in number, only to contract, forming a tight huddle spanning the
width of the stage.
The increasingly restless mass wove a constant drone of
conversation that reverberated against the walls of Irving Plaza.
Intermittently, cries of "We want Johnny Thunders!" rose above
the din. Needless to say, the late Thunders would not be
appearing tonight, but his fellow New York Dolls â?? David
Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain â?? would. They, along with guitarist
Steve Conte, bassist Sammy Yaffa and drummer Brian Delaney,
would reward their fans with a glorious and glittered 75-minute
set of high-volume rock `n roll.
Johansen strutted and pouted his way through a performance of
classics: "Looking for a Kiss," "Personality Crisis," "Private
World," "Trash" and "Frankenstein." Extending his mike stand
into the audience, he led sing-alongs of covers that included Bo
Diddley's "Pills" and Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart."
Johansen and Sylvain huddled together to sing their tribute to
Thunders, "Lonely Planet Boy." The Dolls also debuted a new
number, whose refrain went "we're all in love." Indeed, those
gathered showered the Dolls with love and spirited applause at
the close of every song.
The infatuation was not one-sided. Throughout the show, Sylvain
asked that the houselights be turned on so he could ogle the
audience. He lasciviously flicked his tongue to tantalize, and
Johansen would often lift his embroidered loin flap and bump
his hips to accent a lyric. At the end of the show, Johansen
picked up handful after handful of flowers and tossed them
outward in all directions, and fans shot hands upwards to grab a
blossom or two. Plus, the band came back for a 20-minute
encore, which they concluded with "Human Being."
Of course, the New York Dolls are as well known for their
flamboyant style as they are for their catchy and campy
repertoire. Over sleek black trousers with embroidered, ruffled
cuffs, Johansen wore loin flaps depicting religious iconography
and a black leather belt with a silver, heart-shaped buckle.
Sylvain donned a multicolored blouse with an attached scarf,
and a wide-brimmed hat. Conte was decked out in a red satin
tuxedo shirt and black pinstriped Dickies trousers. The yummy
Mr. Yaffa wore his trademark vest and fedora combo: brown
fedora and slacks, a cream-colored vest with brown specks, and
a plum-colored satin shirt. The drummer had on a Mickey Mouse
T-shirt.
Saturday's performance in New York City was the final night of a
three-night, sold-out engagement at Irving Plaza that served to
kick off a wider tour. In upcoming weeks, the Dolls leave
glitter-strewn paths in Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia,
Washington and other cities. Tickets for the Irving Plaza show
were $35 a pop, which is a bit extravagant â?? but hey, so are the
New York Dolls. Trust me, it'll be money well spent.
