The Veronicas power through glossy electro-pop in Pittsburgh

May 13, 2009, at Diesel

By Melanie Cox McCluskey
Published: May 16th, 2009 | 12:50pm

The CW went to the prom this week, and musicians from two of the TV network’s most prom-tacular episodes made an encore performance Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. The Veronicas, who played the 90210 prom Tuesday, along with Taylor Momsen, whose Gossip Girl character sewed up a prom suit for that show Monday, treated real-life fans to a live concert at Diesel. Momsen’s band the Pretty Reckless opened for the Veronicas.

It may not have been the impromptu parking-lot post-concert performance that Louisville fans received on Sunday, but Pittsburgh fans were taken on a dream date with the Veronicas. With their appearance on 90210’s prom episode, the five-piece band fronted by identical twins Lisa and Jess Origliasso backed up a glossy-yet-vicious teens-on-the-screen tradition. (Remember when the Donnas played the prom in Jawbreaker? Not to mention that the Veronicas’ name is inspired by that darkest of high-school dramas, Heathers.)

The Veronicas hit the stage in Pittsburgh with the dance-pop “Untouched,” the first single from 2008’s Hook Me Up (Sire), with Lisa on keyboards and Jess belting out lyrics. The 24-year-old sisters from Brisbane, Australia, stole the show, but all the band members — guitarist Jungle George, drummer Vik Foxx, and bassist Sherman —felt the love from the crowd.

“I love your pants!” competed with shouts of “I love you, Jess,” “I love you Sherman!” got a shoutout alongside a chorus of “I love you, Lisa.” Screaming fans scrambled onto their boyfriends’ backs for a better view, while guys in hockey jerseys pogoed and jockeyed for a better view.

And the band showered the crowd with affection right back. Midway through an acoustic version of their power ballad “Heavily Broken,” the audience erupted in cheers as the Pittsburgh Penguins won the NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals. After the Veronicas finished the song, Lisa asked in her Aussie accent, “Did you guys just win a hockey game or something?” She professed her love for the city, which began with her obsession with the Juliana Theory, a now-defunct emo band from western Pennsylvania. Later, Foxx gave his drumsticks to a trio of tweeners as he left the stage and posed with fans for photos after the show.

From the turbo-speed “Take Me On the Floor” to the volatile “Revolution” to Hilary Duff–esque “Everything I’m Not” and snide “Popular,” bleached-blonde Jess and raven-haired Lisa let their bandmates carry the instrumentals early on so they could sing, dance, and rile up an already rowdy and jubilant crowd. Their choreography turned cheesy when the twins stood back-to-back, microphone to mouth, to sing. But their post-Avril punk-pop kept the crowd hopping and singing along as they powered through the electro-pop hits from last year’s release and 2006’s The Secret Life Of… (Sire). They spouted attitude and flirted with the crowd in their coy, sassy way. At one point, Lisa offered the front row a whiff of the newly purchased Egyptian Goddess scent on her wrist.

Following a demon-releasing cover of Tracy Bonham’s “Mother Mother,” the Veronicas slowed the set down. Jess, on acoustic guitar, and Lisa sat at stools near the front of the stage to serenade the crowd with a series of torch songs, including “This Love.” While Jess messed with her mic pack, Lisa carried the song, buoyed by the female voices singing along in the crowd.

The Veronicas lightened the mood with “Secret,” a bratty, bubble-gum rejection scorcher with the signature lyric: “’Cause I always thought you were gay.” Throughout the ska-infused anthem, Jess and Lisa traded suggestive gestures, entertaining the crowd with their comic timing. When she got to the line, “I’d be undressing in front of you,” Jess pulled up her shirt provocatively, to wild approval from the club.

Rounding out the Hook Me Up roster were the guitar-heavy “Revenge Is Sweeter (Than You Ever Were)” and the ’80s-inspired title track. The band closed the set by introducing a new song, “Rebel,” and added that it may be their next single. But as soon as the band exited the stage, the audience called them back for more. The Veronicas obliged with an encore of “This is How it Feels,” and left Pittsburgh with a feeling of what it’s like to live a teen dream.
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Review of the Veronicas’ Hook Me Up (Sire)