Sleater-Kinney: 26 February 2015 – Terminal 5, New York (Photos)

I first saw Sleater-Kinney open for all-male band Pearl Jam back in 2003. Their rock was raucous, rough and impressive. I was fortunate enough to see them twice more before they disbanded in 2005. It’s hard to believe, but in the decade since then, there wasn’t any act who filled the hole left by Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss. So, at the end of 2014, it was very exciting to hear that the original line-up were returning with a new album No Cities to Love and a tour to support it. Fortunately, they don’t sound like they were gone at all.

As the New York Times said,

“The new songs are as gnarled and brazen as the rest of Sleater-Kinney’s catalog. They also reflect how 10 years have passed between Sleater-Kinney albums, as lyrics take on current economic insecurities (“Bury Our Friends” declares, “We live on dread in our own gilded age”) and ponder the band’s own future. “No one here is taking notice/No outline will ever hold us,” the band vows in “A New Wave.” During Sleater-Kinney’s absence, Ms. Brownstein found a new audience as a writer and star in the comedy series “Portlandia,” but Sleater-Kinney doesn’t play for laughs.”

The band may not play for laughs but they are able to laugh at themselves. Sleater-Kinney recently did an interview with Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, of Broad City, that NPR hosted. That entertaining video is available for streaming here. A political agenda wasn’t left off the table however. In a brief lull from music, Tucker thanked Planned Parenthood for having representation at the show and their commitment to reproductive health. The opener, Lizzo, a rapper from Minneapolis, had spoken earlier about gender and racial equality to the very receptive audience.

Below these photos of Sleater-Kinney’s first night at Terminal 5, you can find a video of the band performing “Price Tag” on Late Night with Seth Meyers.