Gothamist's Week in Rock: A Sticky Edition

Kanye Crashes a Museum Party
Well this was unexpected! Not afraid to wear a fur coat to the Natural History Museum, Kanye West made a surprise appearance at last Friday's Cool Kids/Kid Sister party. As Kid Sister was finishing up her set, Kanye jumped up on stage to throw in his part of their duet. He then stayed up there to play a short set of all his current hits. DJ A-Trak claimed it to be a last minute arrangement, getting thrown together by text messages that evening, and it was a well kept surprise. It certainly made the several long will call lines attendees were forced to wait in more tolerable in hindsight. (Pic by Justin Charles for Flavorpill, who hosted the event)

The Thermals Do Karaoke
There have been many New York concert crowds that have been described as if they were glued to the floor during a set, but we're not sure this has ever been the case before last night at Studio B. We literally watched people's soles come off their shoes as they walked across the inexplicably sticky dance floor, making it a chore to even adjust in place, let alone mosh and dance around. When the band, unaware at the time of the sticky situation, suggested the crowd loosen up a bit, the spirited fans in the front row tried to explain that they couldn't without potentially popping their hip sockets out. The band and the upper body moving, fist pumping crowd tried to make the most of it, but combined with a light crowd, embarrassingly dreadful performance by comedy troupe "The Whitest Kids U Know" and an poorly implemented Karaoke set, this potentially amazing night ended up, more or less, a wash.

Chromeo Lights Bowery Up
Getting the audience moving was the least of Chromeo's concerns last weekend at Bowery. The retro electronic duo appears to have built a very enthusiastic fan base, not just selling out two nights, but filling the place with rabid fans who were completely losing their minds at every beat. Aside from the catchy jams, the band held their own on stage. A synchronized light show acted as a backdrop, scrolling and strobeing in time with the music while P-Thugg and Dave 1 kept the crowd responsive. It was an excellent set from a band long deserving of their current success.