Grimes, Elite Gymnastics, MYTHS at U Street Music Hall Sept 2, 2012

Grimes at U Street Music Hall, 9-29-12

Trish, Jill, my husband Eric and I all went to this show. The first opener, MYTHS was a 2-girl electronic experimental duo. They clearly had commitment to their music, though that music was not approachable. Good strong voices used in odd ways that sounded great for a few seconds of each song, then tried something that ruined the song. As Eric said, it was easy to respect them for going for
it, but not as easy to love their music. They both looked a bit self-conscious on stage, but tried to be good showmen anyway. It was a tolerable opening act, but I wasn't sad to see them go.

Elite Gymnastics is one guy - a seemingly gay man who sings/chants about a girlfriend, who is extremely effeminate and rolls his eyes constantly. He also talks with his hands while singing and does stress-relieving breathing exercises while he talks about his stage anxiety. The music was unbelievably bad. It was such a train wreck. Every time you thought he couldn't get worse, he did. Very memorable.

Grimes was backed by the MYTHS ladies, and MYTHS were fabulous as backup singers and dancers. I loved their skeleton shorts and shirts. Clair (Grimes real name) was extraordinary. She dressed a bit like a samurai in a very non-sexy way, which was cool, she moved beautifully (later learned she's a trained dancer), and even though she was high as a kite on pot, she connected with the audience. Grimes is truly talented - the real deal creatively. Absolutely amazing to watch. If you don't know her music, it's electronic with strangely beautiful atmospheric vocals on top. Upbeat and danceable. There was a lot of dancing at this show.

My only complaint was the mosh pit the broke out next to me. What the hell is it about U Street that encourages young men to mosh at EVERY show?

Verdict:
See GRIMES!  She's wonderful.