Dismemberment Plan outdone by openers

Last Thursday evening, we were under the impression that we were going to a Dismemberment Plan show. As we trudged toward Davis, clouds of frozen breath hung suspended in the cold air as we exhaled, mentioning favorite D Plan songs that spoke of the impending break-up, and wondered aloud whether the Plan would play "Ice of Boston" (their classic Boston-is-depressing-and-cold-in-the-wintertime ballad) or not.

During the T ride to Boylston and a hurried dinner of bagels and soup, the Plan remained our main topic of conversation.

None of us really knew the opening band or had much to say about them. A few of us had seen the Damn Personals play the Crane room at Tufts last winter and hadn't been terribly impressed by their unexceptional 'emo.' I personally recall leaving the concert early to go to a "luau" in Wren (and I can think of no clearer indication of a band truly sucking than its being ditched for a theme party in Wren).

As for Les Savy Fav? I'd heard of them, though I had trouble pronouncing their peculiar pseudo-French name. I'd read some incredibly positive reviews of their albums, but I hadn't really heard any of their music. They were one of those bands my friends kept on telling me I would like, but I never got into.

On Thursday night at the Roxy, I finally had the chance to hear their screeching, shrieking, crashing music and to see their frontman, Tim Harrington, freak out and frolic across the stage. Finally, I found out what all the fuss was about. In fact, the exhilarating experience of seeing Les Savy Fav open kind of made the Dismemberment Plan's headlining set appear sedate and stuffy in comparison. And after all was said and done (or, rather, strummed and screeched), it seemed pretty clear that Les Savy Fav stole the show. Les Savy Fav was the sex and the Dismemberment Plan was nothing but the post-coital cigarette: not by any means unpleasant, but lacking the energy, the urgency, the excitement of the former. But I'll get to that in a second.

So when we arrived at the Roxy, the Damn Personals had already taken the stage. I can't really comment on whether or not their music has evolved since they played at Tufts, because we spent what remained of their set checking our coats and wandering around the venue. I'd never been to the Roxy before, and I very much enjoyed running around the balcony and ducking into the elegantly-appointed mini-lounges lining the back of the second floor.

Incidentally, the mini-lounges seemed like a pretty decent vantage point from which to watch a show _ they all had comfortable couches and convenient tables but still provided clear views of the stage. Perhaps when I grow old and my aching back can no longer handle a night of jumping around on the dance floor, I'll come a little early to shows at the Roxy and commandeer a private mini-lounge.

We finally set up camp on the landing of the stairwell to the left of the stage. This arrangement not only placed us incredibly close to the performers (about ten feet away), but provided us with rather comfortable seating (the stairs), and a unique perspective _ we felt like we were backstage. We were above and slightly behind the performers, and we had a great view of their actions and of the reactions of the crowd in front of them.

Soon after we sat down, Les Savy Fav took the stage. To fully understand Tim Harrington and to envision him in all his glory, please take a moment and imagine your uncle. Yes, your uncle. Now imagine your uncle very, very drunk and climbing on tables and chairs at a family gathering, clearing his throat and preparing to sing. Everything about Harrington's appearance is typically avuncular _ the bushy beard, the balding scalp, the round belly under the plaid shirt. Only, unlike most uncles (or at least unlike my uncles), Harrington is an amazing, dynamic singer, yelping and shouting lyrics wildly and punctuating his vocals with his spastic stage antics.

As he sang, he jumped, ran and danced across the stage. He stomped on amps, he ran up a staircase, and finished one song while straddling the balcony railing. He jumped into the crowd and swung from a light fixture, he balanced on one leg like an overweight flamingo, and he ran to the edge of the stage and peeled off one of the security guard's yellow SECURITY shirts and put it on over his own plaid button-down (the security guard smiled politely and lifted his arms to facilitate the clothing exchange).

He encouraged the crowd to participate _ he thrust the mic into the audience so fans could sing along, and during the last song, "Rome," he pulled a King Kong and picked up a tiny girl from the front row and placed her on stage. Most of the material was from their new album, Go Forth, but they also played selections from The Cat and The Cobra and Rome (Written Upside Down).

Dismemberment Plan came on after a short break. Unfortunately, Travis Morrison's fairly reserved dance moves _ some jumping up and down, a few shuffles and slides _ were nothing compared to Harrington's antics. The Plan played some new songs, as well as crowd favorites like "You Are Invited" and "Do The Standing Still," and Morrison invited everyone up on stage to dance for "Ice of Boston." I got the impression that Morrison is tired of performing "Ice of Boston." He sang the lyrics very quickly and without the expressive pauses that make the album version of the song so funny and touching.

Even so, fans (including my friends and I) rushed the stage and danced to the song. We found ourselves dancing behind the drum set, where we saw Harrington return from backstage and try to grab the drummer's drumsticks as he played, stealing the show once again.