Last year, I remember picking up The Dresden Dolls album Yes, Virginia. To this day, I am not exactly sure what it was that compelled me to pick it up, much less buy it. At my heart, I am a metal guy. Sure, a metal guy who will take excursions into other genres and styles, but it is metal where I feel most comfortable. Anyway, I did buy the album, and when I listened to it, I knew it was something special. Not to say it is brilliance, or any other such hyperbole, but there was something about it that was different, it took a fringe style and brought it closer to the mainstream. By purpose, or by happy accident the music that it contained was different, alluring, and I really liked it. Now they have released their second DVD, and much like my experience with the CD, it was something different and just a little bit magical.
I will be the first to admit that if given the chance to see them live, I would go, but I would also likely stick out like a sore thumb. I would likely be the only audience member in a Pantera t-shirt. The crowd that The Dresden Dolls draws is decidedly different than you would find at the shows that I typically frequent. Now this is by no means a bad thing, just different, no better, no worse. I only bring this up because I am probably approaching them much differently than a fan would, not that I wouldn't consider myself a fan, but I think you know what I mean.
From the extensive notes contained in the included booklet, it seems like there is a good portion of the show that was not able to be included, or just did not make the cut. Fortunately, there is a documentary/interview section that includes some of this footage as well as interviews with some of the participants.
The Dresden Dolls is a musical duo that calls their music and performance "punk cabaret." It may not sound like punk, but the attitude is certainly there. Their music brings a keyboard and drum sound together with a burlesque, avant garde performance, in one free flowing mash of expression and entertainment. The bottomline is that they deliver more than a rock show — they bring the audience an experience which is much more than a mere concert, exposing them to an assortment of performers that they would likely not have seen otherwise.
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