Yeah Yeah Yeahs Totally Take Over Boston’s MGM Music Hall [Photos]

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs made their way to Boston’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway Monday night after bowing out of Boston Calling Music Festival earlier this year due to illness. The Boston crowd had been eagerly anticipating this return since their disappointing absence, and the band obliged by adding this show to their already completed 2023 tour. Along with them, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs brought singer-songwriter Sasami as their opener. After waiting six long months to see them live, the show was everything I hoped it would be.

Sasami opened the show solo. Though she typically has a band with her, the singer performed by herself with a medley of her own songs. The high-energy artist took over the stage. It almost went entirely unnoticed to me that she was alone up there. It was clear that the Boston crowd was not familiar with a lot of her music, but she was interactive with the crowd regardless. She held their interest with relatable anecdotes and lyrics as well as her performance intensity. I assure you many walked away as new fans.

Karen O entered the stage with her band of Yeah Yeah Yeahs with all the flair and glamour in the world. Covered in shimmery sequins and fringe, O shimmered from head to toe. Every movement of her body bounced light from every direction. Her band contrasted her in all-black outfits, truly emphasizing her star power and stage presence.

The group started the night with “Spitting Off the Edge of the World,” a heavy song about the earth’s dilapidation and the younger generations’ anger towards their predecessors for the state of the world. At the end of the song, O removed her sparkling headpiece before performing “Cheated Hearts,” where she pulled off her cape-like attire to reveal an equally spectacular bodysuit. While then performing “Pin” right after, she shot a confetti cannon filled with pink Y’s all over the crowd.

The interaction all night was amazing. O constantly pointed the mic toward the crowd. The band even sent out giant white beachballs with mesmerizing blue eyes on them so that they looked like a pair of eyeballs floating around the venue. The whole set was quirky, psychedelic and beautiful. They played hits across several albums spanning the early 2000’s to now, with an emphasis on there 2022 album Cool It Down. They ended their regular set with their 2009 smash hit “Heads Will Roll” before rolling into an encore of “Poor Song,” “Y Control,” and “Date With the Night.”

The entire performance by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was unbelievable. From the outfits to the props, to the confetti and sheer talent, this was one show I was ecstatic to see live. Their 2023 run of shows is ending this month, but if you get a chance to catch them in the coming years, take it. This is an incredible band with an amazing stage presence and was absolutely worth the wait.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs (w/ Sasami) @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway (Boston, MA) on November 6. 2023

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