Webster Hall is the venue from hell when it comes to shows. It’s actually a dance hall. The bouncers and door guys are used to dealing with the ladies drink free, hip-hop, house, Saturday-Night-Desperate-to-Meet-Someone dance party crowd. When they see a cavalcade of skinny jeans and Urban Decay make-up, there is a bit of indifference. I couldn’t wait for the show to start and not for the obvious reasons and neither could the rest of the crowd because when the Kaiser Chiefs walked out on stage, everyone shut up and paid attention.
Cassist Simon Rix was sporting a hair do that was similar to my own and keyboardist Nick “Peanut†Baines bore a striking resemblance to Dwight Schrute from NBC’s “The Officeâ€.  Guitarist Andrew White and drummer Nick Hodgson were there, too, but are pretty interchangeable, believe it or not. Lead singer Ricky Wilson’s stage presence is exactly as I imagined it would be: a 15-year-old boy hopped up on Red Bull.
They played a few tracks from their new album Off With Their Heads as well as songs from Employment and Yours Truly, The Angry Mob. They sounded great, although “The Modern Way†could have used Will Ferrell on the cowbell. What would any New York City event be like without a Ronson? I know, I know. Mark Ronson produced Off With Their Heads, but I could have done without see him playing a tambourine on stage like I’m at an elementary school concert. I also could have done without Ricky Wilson’s crowd surfing during  “The Angry Mobâ€.  He left a few of us in the audience a bit flummoxed actually. The songs are good enough. Stay on stage and bounce around, Ricky.
Set List:
Spanish Metal
Everything Is Average
Everyday I Love You Less and Less
Heat Dies Down
Never Miss A Beat
Ruby
Modern Way
Half the Truth
You Want History
Good Days Bad Days
Na na na na na
I Predict A Riot
Take My Temperature
Angry Mob
\\
Can’t Say What I Mean
Oh My God
Kaiser Chiefs: website | myspace | Off With Their Heads review
