Man Man & Yeasayer: A Contrast in Fashion

Finally made it to the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco's always interesting Tenderloin neighbourhood. I wish I would've got here sooner, because it is definitely one of the most visually appealing music venues I've ever been to. The sightlines aren't great, but the sound was exceptional and you've hit the jackpot if you can find a space on the mostly reserved balcony.

The concert was Man Man, supported by Yeasayer.

I was there for Yeasayer and had been eagerly anticipated how All Hours Cymbals would come across live. Well, it came across fantastic. There was an added heft to the songs, which were played with a real passion and talent. They played a couple that weren't on the album too, that were immediately gripping. Every member of the band caught my attention at one time or another, both by their stage presence and their technical ability. I was surprised with their confidence too since they're a pretty young band. I can't wait to see them again when they're the headliners.

Then came Man Man. The lead singer from Yeasayer had introduced them earlier as "the greatest live band in the world" (as his bassist scoffed). And I get that that's their identity to a great extent, that they are a wild, leave-it-all-on-the-stage kind of band. All dressed in white casual summer wear, with white war paint splotched on their faces, these guys definitely are exuberant. And I was willing to give them a chance (even after they underwhelmed me a couple years ago at the Silver Dollar in Toronto).

But after watching a sold out crowd be whipped into a frenzy (relative to the Yeasayer reaction and SF crowd behavior in general), I felt like I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone. I do not get Man Man. Their music is nursery rhyme simple, with a diluted Tom Waits thing going on that even 5 guys singing and clanging at the same time can't match. Maybe the reason they're so "wild" on stage is that they can't believe people are actually buying into their antics, and they're waiting for other shoe to drop at any moment. I'm all for an interaction of rock music and performance art, but with Man Man it just seems like a charade - a meaningless pantomime.

I don't know, like I said, I don't get it and maybe I'm missing something. So if anybody can explain to me why Man Man isn't bullshit, please do. I really can't picture anybody listening to their Man Man records 5 years from now, like I know I'll be doing with Yeasayer. Man Man screams fashion band to me... which sucks for them because when they come back to San Francisco in 2010 and play to a half empty room, they'll be wondering where all their old fans went.