well here is a band that has a reputation for excellent live shows. the records aren't bad either, so i decided to go.
denovo opened this one, and their derivative emo was not especially groovy (they played it well, though, and i liked the song with gourd shaker percussion).
the next band was s process, who was the night's pleasant surprise. lead singer bob came out before the show and introduced himself to everyone close to the stage, then the band proceeded to shake us up and down with their savy fav -esque tunes (the cd is significantly more experimental than les savy fav's funky pop, but they play more traditional stuff in the live show). though bob's gyrations were pretty impressive, their drummer's intensity may have been the highlight (she was on the verge of a bad headache throughout the show, but continued to jam). my buddy said they were the best band of the three, but i remain undecided.
when les savy fav finally got on stage, the whole place was excited. 3/4 of the band started playing first, and their singer trotted out with a brown monk robe and a crow puppet. he showed us his knuckles, adorned with "b-l-u-d/l-u-s-t," and sunk his teeth into the bird's head. the rest of the show was highlighted by his amusing, rythmic noises (from his electro-effects board, his larynx, and his pelvis colliding with the floor, among others), swinging from the ceiling, and full-body semi-nude shaddow puppetry (this might be easier to understand by actually seeing it). i don't know if i understood it, but it was fun as hell. oh, and the music was good too, even though the band seemed to stick with almost all newer material.