"Sweatbox"

Sleater-Kinney w/ Flin-Flon & Versus

live at the Black Cat, Washington D.C.

5/27/99

Watching a Sleater-Kinney performance is like seeing a band spontaneously combust on stage for over an hour. Within the sauna-like confines of the Black Cat, the heat radiated by the three ladies envelopes them completely, providing no release until the final note is played and all possible energy is expended. It's suffocating and terrifying and exhilarating all at once, watching to see what will run out of steam first-the performers, the audience, or the songs themselves.

Mark Robinson's Flin-Flon opened up to a half-full house and were

well-received by the hometown crowd. After their set it became noticeably

more crowded up front as perennial favorites Versus awaited the stage. They

plowed through old and new favorites with abandon, often building to peaks

that were Yo La Tengo-esque in size.

It was practically a sweatbox when Carrie, Corin, and Janet-- Sleater-Kinney-- finally came on, much to the relief of their uncomfortable but anxious fans.

Starting with the classic "Anonymous" from Call the Doctor and proceeding

through material from all four albums, the three women of Sleater-Kinney shook the dripping room to the ground. Corin Tucker played all the low notes and utilized her piercing voice to its max potential, but it was evident the heat was wearing on her. Janet Weiss attacked the drum kit with an epileptic surgeon's skill and contributed some very nice backing vocals on a couple of songs. Carrie Brownstein stole the show, ruthlessly wielding her axe like an assault rifle, abandoning her body to the moment and pulling some very mean Pete Townsend moves.

Above all else, one could sense the unity and joy on stage playing for the kids and for each other.

Much to the chagrin of some fans, several of Sleater-Kinney's "hits"

were left off the setlist in favor of more challenging material and three new songs, which were excellent. Much of The Hot Rock album was represented, including blistering versions of "The End of You" and "Start Together," but "Get Up" actually fell shy of the album version in intensity. "Tapping," a newer b-side, was one of the highlights, a slowly building tour de force that exemplified how locked-on this trio can

be.

Although Corin looked like she could barely stand after the set ended with a raucous "Heart Factory" that had all the pre-pube girls pogoing like mad, they came out for a pair of special encores. The first started with "Dig Me Out" and a handful of fans from the front row climbed on stage for a chance to experience the electricity being shared there. A dramatic "Jenny" soon followed, leaving an angst-y feeling in the air, which was soon broken by the double high-impact workout of "How to Play Dead" (first live in four years according to Corin and Carrie introducing the song) and "Little Babies."

At last, only seventy minutes after the set started, did the three amazing women of Sleater-Kinney relinquish their smoldering positions, finally allowing a collective breath to be expelled. There was nothing but joy in the respiration.

-- Dominic DeVito