The Donnas

Even after arriving late enough to miss the opening band American Bang, due to the unfortunate maps provided by Mapquest and a disappointing mishap with the lady selling tickets, the crowd was worryingly thin at The Great American Music Hall. With Aerosmith’s “Love in an Elevator” blasting over the speakers, we wandered through the small crowd of older couples and lone men in the 40+ range, wondering if we had come on the right night. Weren’t The Donnas playing? Our fears deepened a little when we saw a man in a beret-like hat and red flowy shirt setting up his guitar.

The man, it turns out, is Allan “The Italian” from Donita Sparks and The Stellar Moments, the second band of the evening to play. Sounding a little like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with an 80s twist, the show seemed to be another night in a series of long nights for Ms. Sparks and company. Sporting a blond Siouxsie Sioux haircut, Donita danced tiredly around the stage, lacking the spark that her name would imply. And when she shouted “People get ready, there’s a train wreck coming,” we weren’t really sure what she meant. The performance only seemed fresh for the bass player, who’s sweat soaked hair covered his face as he lost himself in the performance, rocking his hips spasmodically while completely ignoring his bandmates. The bassist, along with a few overly enthusiastic (or perhaps overly drunk) fans, proved to be the highlight of the set, doing little to gear us up for what we hoped was going to be a killer performance by The Donnas.

Finally, after what seemed like a ridiculously long lag time between sets, the ladies themselves arrived. With a Josie and the Pussycat-like vibe (with a pink tiger-striped drum kit) three of the four girls walked on stage, playing a long, rocked-out intro to build the crowds anticipation for vocalist Brett Anderson’s (formerly known as Donna A) arrival. And a crowd had finally appeared from out of nowhere, creating a motley mix of punked out couples in their early twenties along with those already present.

Starting with their latest single “Don’t Wait Up For Me,” their set was off to a great start with one of many awesome solos by guitarist Allison Robertson (Donna R), a slight blond who somehow managed to wail on the guitar like an 80’s hair rocker three times her size. Playing a nice assortment of new tunes from the just released Bitchin’ and a number of old favorites, the energy was high with the crowd pumping their fists along with Brett’s own while Torry Castellano’s driving beats shook the floor.

Although Bitchin’ was released the day before the show, the die-hard fans in the crowd were already singing along with “Oh, oh, oh, I can’t say no. I lose control ’cause with you I’m like an animal” on “Like an Animal,” the third song of the night. With a hand jauntily on one hip, Brett strutted across the stage, singing with as much attitude as any cock rocker, but still looking as fresh and sweet as Josie herself. Throughout the entire show, she kept a nice rapport with the audience, sweetly exclaiming “thank you,” with a surprised lilt after every song. And the crowd, young and old, was with her the entire time and joined in with fist pumping exuberance when she shouted, “Rock and roll, that’s the theme. You all feeling it?” after a high energy rendition of “40 Boys in 40 Nights.”

Although the themes started to feel tired by the end of the set (the girls have been singing about the same things since they graduated high school in ‘99), the energy level never wavered, making even a song like “Girl Talk,” a semi-ridiculous tune about high school gossip, impossible not to dance to. When the girls walk off the stage, the crowd stamped their feet for more, demanding an encore. And The Donnas were happy to oblige, cheerfully running back on stage and giving us three more, including a cover of Ratt’s “Round and Round,” that was even better than the original. Ending with their breakout hit “Take It Off,” from Spend the Night, we were glad we braved the city streets and got to see the girls in action.

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