I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: April 7, 2023] Bikini Kill [rescheduled from November 22, 2020, October 2, 2021 and July 13, 2022]

I bought a ticket for this show on November 10, 2019.  That’s 1,244 days.

And it finally happened!

It felt like a pretty long time before the band came out.  My daughter was a little nervous about the place being sold out and the crowd definitely pressed in on us, but she was a trooper and we enjoyed talking to some of the other people around us.

And then the band came out.

Three of the original Bikini Kill members were touring, Tobi Vail on drums (and vocals) Kathi Wilcox on bass (and drums) and Kathleen Hanna singing (and bass).  Original member Billy Karren was not part of the reunion and was replaced by Sara Landeau who has an impressive musical background.

They came out and launched right into song after song.

Kathleen Hanna is a great front woman–talking to us about the songs, saying how great it was to see so many young people whose parents were into th eband and talking about how different it was back in the 90s when people would heckle and throw things at them.

They played a bunch of songs and the crowd was singing along with them all the way.

After about six songs, Tobi Vail came down from behind the kit and sang a couple of songs.  Kathi played drums and Kathleen went to the bass.

Then Kathleen retruned to the fore for a few more songs.  She talked about “No Backrub” as being about self-care and she was delighted to see punks slamdancing to a song about self-care.

It’s been a pretty long time since I listened to these records very carefully so I didn’t know the songs all that well.  But I enjoyed the energy and singing along to the songs and parts of songs that I knew.  I love “Reject All American.”  And it was soon after that they played a whole bunch from Pussy Whipped, the album I know best.

As the set drew to a close, she said they were going to a play a song that she wrote because her sister used to say it to all he guys who harrassed her on her way to school.  Everybody shout along now: “suck my left one!”

After a short encore break, Kathleen apologized for not introducing the band and shouted “We are Bikini Kill and we want Revolution Girl Style Now!” before playing “Double Dare Ya!”

And then came the moment everyone was waiting for.  They started “Rebel Girl” and the play exploded.  It was great fun.  And at about 80 minutes it still felt pretty exhausting from all the dancing.

1. New Radio §
2. This Is Not a Test ⇓
3. Don’t Need You ©
4. Alien She Ψ
5. Feels Blind ⇓
6. I Hate Danger § (Tobi Vail singing)
7. In Accordance to Natural Law § (Tobi Vail singing)
8. Carnival ⇓
9. Resist Psychic Death ©
10. No Backrub Ø
11. Capri Pants Ø
12. For Tammy Rae Ψ
13. For Only Ø
14. Demi Rep §
15. Reject All American Ø
16. Jigsaw Youth ©
17. Sugar  Ψ
18. Rah! Rah! Replica §
19. Hamster Baby Ψ  (Tobi Vail singing)
20. Tell Me So Ψ  (Tobi Vail singing)
21. Magnet Ψ
22. Lil’ Red Ψ
23. Suck My Left One ⇓
    encore
24. Double Dare Ya ⇓
25. Rebel Girl Ψ