The scalpers were out in full force near the Croc last night. The guy working the box office said he'd never seen so many around for a show, and word was they were charging upwards of $50 for an originally $15 ticket. That kinda makes sense, given that The Ting Tings show had been sold out for months now, and the last time we saw them they put on a solid, albeit brief, set.
The less said about last night's openers Hottub, the better. Oh look, another version of the Beastie Girls where the chicks wear ugly clothes and "rap" while the guys do all the heavy lifting with the beats. YAWN. Back to Oakland with ye, M.I.A.-knockoff hairbeasts.
The Ting Tings, on the other hand, can stay with us forever. The fashionable Mancunian duo of Katie White and Jules De Martino make sexy, swaggering dance pop, and the haters can suck it, because there's nothing wrong with songs this catchy. The appreciative crowd--beyond diverse with the trendy just-turned-21 clique as well as your gay grandpa--clapped along to all the songs in the band's hour-long set. The Ting Tings played pretty much everything from their chant-happy debut We Started Nothing, including the iTunes song ("Shut Up and Let Me Go"), before closing the night out with everyone's favorite, the cheekily transcendent "That's Not My Name."
Would last night's show have been worth paying $50 to see them play? Probably not, but just wait till the next album, when the scalpers will be charging $200. You'll be kicking yourself.
