tUnE-yArDs Are Utterly Rapturous Live

In terms of the crowd, Garbus had them in the palm of her hand before the show even started. Rarely have I ever seen a group so utterly devoted to the performer at hand. After the first few songs, Garbus, who embodies a type of innocent cheerfulness in her banter, laughed and said, "It's almost like everything I do gets a cheer." She then picked her nose and the crowd erupted in screams.

It's hard to point out any precise highlights of the show -- not once did the performance or energy in the hall wane, and, even after two encores, everyone still screamed for more until the venue lights slowly came back on. (Garbus joked before playing the second encore that she would have to start making up songs to sate her devotees.) When the show was over, a friend turned to me and said, "I could watch that entire concert again, right now." I felt the same way, and spent the entire cab ride home watching YouTube videos of Garbus's live shows, reminiscing in her spectacular presence and sound.

For more information on tUnE-yArDs' European tour, which kicks off May 28 and ends in late June with two stops in Los Angeles and San Diego, see their Myspace.

--MIKE BERLIN

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