Van Dyk stood center stage with short, hyper-blonde bob, in a backless top that revealed her smooth, shapely arms, black mini, black tights. She is a front woman to be compared with the likes of Debbie Harry and Tanya Donelly.
My favorite moment of the night occurred when the band spun away from “Tom Boy” into an ambient, almost jazz piece. Van Dyk then wove some lines by Liz Phair (“Divorce Song” from Exile in Guyville) between the “wa-was” of floating guitars and intermittent cymbal crashes:
That it’s harder to be friends than lovers,
and you shouldn’t try to mix the two,
cause if you do and then you’re still unhappy,
then you know that the problem is you.
Brilliant. And a nice nod to Phair, fellow “Tom Boy.”
In concert, Bettie Serveert stays close to its recorded performances. Many of the songs sound just as I remembered them from when I first encountered this band in the early '90s. The crowd danced and huddled near to center stage, as the band rocked out number after number. They closed the night with a 2-song encore, ending with perhaps their most well know song, “Kid's Alright.” Van Dyk said that they played this one for the crowd – and how the crowd loved them.
Set List:
Palomine
Love Lee
Geek
Opal
Deny All
Log 22
Private Suit
The Pharmacy
Semaphore
Mossie
Tom Boy
Receiver
Calling
Encore:
Balentine
Kid's Alright
