Sleater-Kinney: The Whole Nine

Sleater-Kinney w/ THEESatisfaction
The Showbox, Seattle, WA
05.09.15

Almost nine years have passed since Sleater-Kinney took an abrupt hiatus from ruling the mountaintop of lady-driven rock ‘n roll. It was a terrible blow, followed by years of doubt, confusion, and reluctance to wish… but more importantly, an infinite sense of hope. That longstanding, unanswered thirst was decisively gratified on February 8, 2015, as Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein, and Janet Weiss stepped foot together onto the stage of the Knitting Factory in Spokane. And, like a phoenix from the ashes, pieces once again became whole. It was, in all respects, magnificent and soul-stirring.

And so here we are, at the end of the first Sleater-Kinney tour in forever, with a three-night stint at the Showbox, altogether overly-fitting to close curtains in Seattle. We are so spoiled here – always remember that. The love and dedication for this band was felt in the surrounding company; people smiled from ear to ear, freely shaking hands and chatting in excitement. The room swelled with anticipation, and clear views of the stage were at a premium as the Showbox filled to capacity. The album and pursuant tour may be called No Cities to Love, but I believe both sides would beg to differ.

To deafening cheers and filling two hot, white spotlights, the three ladies of Sleater-Kinney took the stage at 10:18. The set went immediately into “Price Tag,” “Fangless,” “Oh!,” and “Start Together,” before Corin finally addressed the starving audience: “Seattle, Washington, thank you so much! This is our last night in Seattle! Did you guys see Carrie throw out the first pitch today at the Mariners game?!” to which Carrie quipped, “I’m gonna say something right now – you can only have one good thing a day, and it’s a promise that I’m gonna mess up every song!” Henceforth, the set was littered with genuine thank-yous, for both the audience and the tour crew. Corin took a moment before “No Cities to Love” to spill out, “we’ve been on tour for the past month all over the United States, me and this amazing group of people, our crew – thank you so much! This song is for you! It’s not really worth anything unless you’re around people you love!” Surely much to Carrie’s chagrin, she played fantastically, all night long. I had always heard that good things come in, well, three’s…

Adding to the list of amazing things that surround Sleater-Kinney, the opener for tonight was Seattle’s very own THEESatisfaction, a funk-psychedelic feminista duo fresh off the release of their second album, EarthEE. Paired in all things jazz, soul, and dance, THEESatisfaction brought catchy rhythms, synchronous moves, and a packed house together for another extraordinary night, now in the books.

Sleater-Kinney Set List:
Price Tag
Fangless
Oh!
Start Together
What’s Mine Is Yours
Youth Decay
No Anthems
Get Up
A New Wave
Bury Our Friends
One Beat
No Cities to Love
Ironclad
The Fox
Words and Guitar
Surface Envy
Jumpers
Entertain
Encore:
Gimme Love
Call the Doctor
Modern Girl
Dig Me Out