The throng loitering along 11th Avenue on Wednesday night was an eclectic, gender-blurring mix unlike any other. Club kids in Ed Hardy chatted up drag queens as they strutted about in sequined hot pants next to sinewy, tank top-wearing gym rats. Like supplicants awaiting the arrival of some otherworldly guru, this campy crew had gathered for one reason: the hometown return of the Scissor Sisters.
I, too, was making the pilgrimage, to feast my eyes on the glam-pop band whose fantastically escapist tunes formed the soundtrack to many of my Saturday nights. Despite it being midweek, I arrived prepared to boogie-woogie in the presence of Ana Matronic and Jake Shears, the Jack and Jill-style vocalists who sang about being "filthy gorgeous" years before Lady Gaga ever dubbed herself "beautiful, dirty, rich."
Ironically, Lady Gaga crossed my mind several times as I waited amidst the leather and lace. The Sisters riff on the Bee Gees, borrow elements of David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" phase and put a fresh shine on Donna Summer's disco ball, but it's Gaga to whom their electro-groove-dance sound is most compared. Yet as the pop diva fills Madison Square Garden, the Scissor Sisters remain below-ground staples in their native America, headlining small to mid-sized clubs (not so in Europe, where they're soon scheduled to perform at London's 20,000-seat O2 Arena).
In the American music scene, where Adam Lambert's mildly flamboyant antics cause a ruckus, is there room for the Scissor Sisters -- with Shears donning '70s-style leotards while dedicating love songs to his boyfriend? Judging from the shrieks that greeted the band as they entered the Terminal 5 stage, the answer: a resounding "Yes!"
For the next 100 minutes, we were treated to a nonstop sensual assault, filled with flashy dance moves and some of the most outré outfits imaginable. Kicking off with "Night Work," the guitar-crunching title track from their new album, the band proceeded to strut, shake and shimmy their way through a set that showcased their oft-underrated musicianship. "When I receive your shipment, I expect express delivery," a sweaty Shears teased in "Any Which Way," the band's innuendo-laden new single about a commitment-free hook-up. With lyrics describing a role-reversing relationship with "all the balls we need," the raucous "She's My Man" was another highlight, though 2006's smash "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" drew the night's biggest cheers. Musically, the show reached its pinnacle when lead guitarist Del Marquis and bassist Babydaddy put an organic spin on "Take Your Mama Out."
By the time the trio of encores arrived -- a speedy cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," new tune "Invisible Light" and "Filthy Gorgeous," one of the band's oldest tracks -- the energy (and, judging from some flirty glances being exchanged, sexual tension) was high enough to crack Terminal 5's roof like a walnut. The Scissor Sisters may never match the chart success in the U.S. that they enjoy overseas -- but when I feel like dancin,' I'll forgo Gaga and take their less-traveled, though still glittery, route.