The Virgins perform through the scene smog.
Le Baron, notorious for having a velvet rope reinforced with hardened tungsten, a semi-lax smoking policy and more waify model wannabes than you can shake a stick at, has been having a bit of a concert series. Last night Absolut Vodka brought us a live performance of The Virgins and The Observer dropped in to investigate.
10:30 and there’s a line down the block, everyone present claiming to be guestlisted, each cussing the insane wind that was laying in to our admittedly underdressed outfit. We dodge the wait, hop the rope and tuck inside – woah it’s hot in here. “We’re upstairs on the balcony! Get up here!” flashes a text from our PR contact, who had previously assured us that there would be a fountain of champagne and vodka awaiting our arrival.
What did we know about The Virgins? They had that song Rich Girls, remember? Fwoppy bassline, twangy guitars, tongue in cheek lyrics, a music video that would have passed for being shot at Le Baron, and an overall vibe that suggests that finding a leggy girl with a trust fund might not be the worst thing in the world. Everyone, it seemed was there to hear this single.
As the club assumed full sardine tin status, we crept higher and higher on our banquette, just high enough to be able to see some sort of manager looking guy signal to a hidden sound guy that shit was about to go down in 5. Partygoers funneled themselves on to the balcony, increasing the relative temperature 10 fold.
“Give me some champagne, I’m freaking dying over here!” The owner of our table saw the crowd forming around the ice buckets and decided to take emergency action, doling out rations of champagne and screwdrivers to sweaty scenesters.
One by one, The Virgins bend and twist their way on to the diminutive stage: lead singer Donald Cumming swinging what he would later call his “Most prized possession:” a polished aluminum Stratocaster around his neck, and the show began.
The New York natives bobbed and weaved through a mostly upbeat set, sprinkling in a bit of new, a lot of brand new, and a pinch of old, but as they climaxed into an encore, it became clear that they weren’t going to play ‘Rich Girls’. The audience seemed to accept this fate, and decided to ride out their last few songs in casual enjoyment before making a hasty exit out of the temporary tropics.
Follow Ted Gushue via RSS.
