Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum
Madame Lou’s, Seattle, WA
03.27.2022
On March 27, 2022, Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum and opener Lorelei K were met by an enthusiastic and lively crowd when they played to a sold out Madame Lou’s, part of the trio of stages at the new Crocodile in Seattle, WA.
Lorelei K opens the show with rich, captivating tones and a striking Cruella-esque stage presence. She sways and strides to every corner of the stage as she fills the space with ethereal and dramatic song. The audience is here for all of her dreamy goth pop energy and let out a collective audible “awwwww” of disappointment when Lorelei K announces her last song.
The crowd starts pressing closer together as the lights drop and a low thrum starts to build throughout Madame Lou’s. Blue lights begin rising as the abstract emblem of Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum glows neon pink through the haze.
Driving notes rise up as Michael C. Hall pumps up the crowd. Hall pulls the microphone close, closes his eyes, and starts crooning the relentless lines of Vicious – physically punctuating the end of each line with his whole body. Hall and guitarist/keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen rock along with every beat that Peter Yanowitz provides.
The set continues with Love American Style and we start to really see the depth of the connection among the three artists. The band’s name comes from Katz-Bohen’s daughter, and the “Butterfly Museum” serves as an artistic guide for their concept and music. The trio thinks of the Museum as a physical space that is entered during a performance or recording.
To these artists, the songs they share with the world are only those that they deem worthy of being displayed in the Museum. Hall, Katz-Bohen, and Yanowitz are clearly performers, and this artistic approach physically manifests onstage in how they interact with each other and the music. Each song clearly brings the trio immense joy and peace.
A hush falls over the crowd as Hall begins Ketamine. He holds his hand to his ribs as he sings, like he’s trying not to let all his energy escape in one moment. The mood changes once again as Hall turns, flourishes his speckled button up, and launches into Nevertheless.
Hall shares a small smile with the audience here and there, but he really, truly smiles when he is in the moment with his bandmates and the music. As red, pulsing lights take over, Hall mischievously rubs his hands together and continues with The Deeper Down.
During Eat An Eraser, Hall reaches his hand out and the crowd scrambles to try and grab him – almost pulling him off the stage. After freeing himself, he snags one lucky person’s phone and walks it around the stage, flips the camera, smiles, and sticks out his tongue before returning the phone.
The song ends and Hall takes a second to say hello: “What’s up, we are Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum. Thank you Seattle for having us. It is nice to be here. You beautiful, beautiful, beautiful people. This is a new song called Let It Go.”
Somewhere in Hall’s theatrical flourishes, a tear starts in his button up. Lights flash white and red as Hall rocks with Katz-Bohen, ever increasing the rip down his side as Sideways hypes the crowd up into a frenzy. They continue on with Airhead, Angela Peacock, Jetpack, a cover of Phantogram’s Cruel World, and Tomorrow’s Screams.
With wild hair and a new arm hole in his shirt, Hall pauses: “Thank you so much for coming out. This song is from our full length album, Thanks For Coming, and well, thanks for coming.”
The set ends there, but the trio runs back onstage for their encore, starting with Armageddon Suite. The audience sways along with cell phones held high, prompting Hall to comment, “I like those new school lighters. That was just something for you to take home with you. You can take this one home with you, too.”
Hall launches into Come Talk To Me and the audience sings along, finishing the night out on a literal high note. Hall blows a kiss to the audience and the trio bows. Hall thanks the crowd just before exiting, “That was a blast. You’re the best.”
Photos by Sunny Martini
Review by Mary Albano
