Christopher NelsonThe Kills capped my Bumbershoot Sunday last night; their performance underneath the stars on the Fisher Green stage reprised their electrifying concert at the Showbox at the Market earlier this year. Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart were both in perfectly mastered rock-and-roll form, with Hince swinging his guitar from hip to hip, in broad strokes like a painter in front of a canvas, and Mosshart growling in the microphone and tossing her hair around like one possessed by something unholy. They again played a mix of newer and older material; the whipsnap of Midnight Boom’s “U.R.A. Fever” and “Tape Song” were highlights, as was Mosshart’s stripped-down, plangent performance of Blood Pressures’ “The Last Goodbye.”Some things have changed since the duo’s last visit to Seattle, though–Hince is now famously married to Kate Moss (Mosshart was his best man at the wedding; it should also be added that being married to one of the world’s most famous women hasn’t made anything of a snob out of Hince; we spotted him after the show standing by the stage, smoking a cigarette, and cheerily signing autographs and laughing and chatting with a crowd of fans). Mosshart’s black hair is now dyed a brilliant cherry-red. And they added a new cover to their setlist–a beautifully intimate version of Marilyn Monroe’s “One Silver Dollar,” during which Hince sat on an amp strumming his guitar, facing an also-seated Mosshart belting into the microphone. Before the song, Mosshart mistakenly announced that they’d be doing a Marilyn Manson song. “It’s an Insane Clown Posse song,” said Hince. “I’ve been drinking,” said Mosshart.Some other Sunday notables: The best part of The Lonely Forest’s set–their cover of Tom Petty’s “Listen to Her Heart,” waves, miles, and leagues more fun than their own songs. The most nauseous part of The Lonely Forest’s set–standing behind a couple grabbing ass and gazing into each other’s eyes while mouthing the words to “I Don’t Want to Live There” to each other. Also regrettable–I missed all but one song of Toro Y Moi’s set, but that one song was my favorite off of Underneath the Pine, “New Beat,” and it sounded incredible. And the reason I missed his set was worth it–sitting front row at the Intiman’s comedy stage, getting to see the stomach-achingly hilarious Amy Schumer thrust her microphone into my boyfriend’s face and ask him, “What’s your least favorite race?” and also seeing big teddy bear Eugene Mirman show off an ad he took out on Facebook and targeted to Florida seniors that featured a school photo of a tweenaged boy with text reading, “YOU KISSED ME! THAT’S WHAT I’LL TELL THE POLICE UNLESS YOU CLICK HERE AND GIVE ME $40!” (It got around 5,000 clicks). Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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