… I just know it wasn’t cool.
The event: M.I.A.’s /\/\ /\ Y /\ release party
The place: MoMA PS1
The players: Ninjasonik, Rye Rye, and, the Notorious M.I.A.
The evening started out pleasantly enough, with food, drink and DJ sets under part of this summer’s courtyard installation, “Pole Dance.”
Mmmm… beer.
First up on stage was Ninjasonik, wilin’ up their set with shorts fallin’ down, yellin’ at us to shut up and promising us that “somebody gonna get pregnant.” They are that potent! I should take a pregnancy test!
Then M.I.A. protege Rye Rye did a few songs, and then the lady herself:
The like, three minutes she played were pretty banging. She was barefoot, she worked the stage, she asked the audience if they had any tequila before launching into “Teqkilla” off the album. But she kept interrupting herself to ask for her mic to be turned up and, just as abruptly as it had started, it was over.
Then she started throwing things. First, the mic, into the audience, seemingly unprovoked. “You want my mic?”
Then her shoes. “You want my shoes?” (Actually, sure, they were kind of cute).
Then “You want my shades?” before throwing her sunglasses and instructing us to follow her inside the museum, where there was a better sound system and where she would presumably resume the show.
Soooooo dramaaaaatic, Maya.
I’ma start calling you Drama Maya. DrammaMayaa.
Dramamine?
Okay, I gotta work on that.
Anwyay, so we did, we followed our barefoot and sunglasses-less Pied Piper through the courtyard up to the doors, where we encountered this:
That would be, closed doors, which weren’t letting people in.
Some wily folks got by the security guards, who inexplicably held the door open while yelling at everyone to get back, but after about a half an hour of telling people to stand back, they just told everyone that it was over and we should all go home.
This is the opposite of how Justine felt.
BUT, where did all the people that went in go? Did PS1 swallow them? (and if it did that would make a pretty awesome movie: “Attack of the Art museum.”) Nah, something was happening and and we wanted to see. So, yada yada yada, sorry security guards, we ended up inside, on the top floor, where they were playing the “Born Free” video in a screening room and the main room was turned into a dance floor with a D.J.
We weren’t really sure if M.I.A. was going to play another song, but something had to go down… and then it did. She came out with two other women, all in burkas, and lurked around the stage.
Then she uncovered her face, played a quick song…
…then disappeared, leaving the other burka ladies on stage, and leaving us to wonder whether we had actually seen her.
And then the stage turned into a dance party. Here’s Rye Rye with a mustachioed gentleman who for some reason was carrying a ginger root and a pineapple (not shown). Hipsters.
You may recognize the dude in the yellow tank as one of the redheads from the “Born Free” video. He also had some fly moves (also, not shown).
And that was the /\/\ /\ Y /\ release party. Or one of them anyway. Actual M.I.A. time: a generous ten minutes. Hopefully she plays for longer at her Governors Island show or else there gonna be a riot, ’cause those people actually paid cash money.
Also, I just realized Ninjasonik was the opening band at the Drake fiasco at the seaport. Maybe they’re cursed? Maybe too many people in the audience were getting pregnant? Just to be safe, best save up for child support, boys.
UPDATE: Apparently the cops turned her sound off? Yeah… maybe that’s what happened outside, but it doesn’t explain the rest of the night. But maybe I just don’t understand “sound”.
Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment
B-Boy Limping 