1. 
2. 
3. 

Reviewed by Katy St. Clair


All Amoeba in-stores shows have unique, specific feeling to them—a vibe, if you will. They seem to ask a question; what, pray tell, will the artist bring to the fold? What will said entertainer deliver in the form of auditory and eye-bally wonderment? The answer, gentle reader, to Sunday’s in-store concert can be summed up in the following words:

Booty.  Jamz (Bringin’ The).  Gem Sweater Rawk.  Mooooves.   ...and finally,

“Who the hell is this chick?” (The latter spoken and overheard by a random shopper who tripped into the event.)

The “chick” was none other than Internet sensation/Iowa’s answer to L’Trimm, Leslie Hall, who brought her stage show Leslie and the Lys to town in order to transform her pixelated wundershow into a live event for the masses.

For those of you who aren’t into this whole “computer thing,” a brief history: Hall began collecting gem sweaters in 2000, those delightfully, gaudy ‘80s numbers with rhinestones, piping, mirrors, and sequins that seemed to appeal to blue-haired Midwest retirees. She created a website where she modeled said sweaters. The site began to generate a lot of traffic, so she did what any woman would do: she formed a band and took her show on the road (Well, actually she created videos and put them up online. Then she went on the road.) She raps, dances, and, to put it plainly, is really f’in funny, all of which combined to make her an underground “Superstar.”

The show began with her “band,” backup singers Scraps and Bones, delivering her to the stage in the black cocoon of mystery (a hula hoop draped with fabric so as to conceal her until the unveiling). An excerpt from a Cher infomercial played in the background, the cocoon dropped, and sh*t got crazay. She lit into “Gold pants” (Thank you mama for makin’ my…”) and the crowd went nuts. “That was fresh milk,” she quipped when it was over. “You have found the golden goblith from your dreams.”

We had.

From there she went into “Zombie Killers,” the ditty she recorded with Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. “Shoot them in the brains, if you want to live,” she rapped. “Shoot them in the brains, even the little kids.” Her gold lamé body suit shimmered.

“Now it’s time for a new-bity dew-bity,” she said, unveiling a song on her latest record CeWEBrity.  An ‘80s aerobics video started to play and the gals jumped into Blame the Bootie. “My bootie is guilty of bootie loveliness,” she rapped.

“Show it!” yelled someone from the crowd.

"Oh...I will,”  said Leslie with determined satisfaction.

Right up front of the stage there was a group of three girls in gem sweaters, and when the Bootie was done, Leslie asked them up on stage. It was time to christen a gem sweater and bless it with gypsy talkin’. She chose on of the girls and brought her stage front. “Where did you get it?” she asked in admiration. The girl said she got it on Ebay. We all stood back and admired the sweater, as it was indeed a wonderment. Leslie invited her to talk about her sweater, all the while squeezing the young lady’s cheeks and stretching her face so that she couldn’t rightly talk very well at all. After the girl described her sweater Leslie praised her, “You’re like a river talkin’. It’s so flowin’ and Grand Canyony…” Then she named the sweater Popcorn Anvil Appleseeds, presented the young lady with a certificate of such naming and blessing

Then it was back to the jamz, "Gem Sweater,” natch. “Keeper of the jamz I am!” she sang over electro beats. “Wear your gem sweaters, with my shoulder pads I have the ability to destroy villages, homes, and crops!”

From there Leslie went back into the cocoon of mystery for another quick-change, this time into a “streetwalkin’ ladyhawk.”  She emerged in another of her famous outfits (sewed by her mom in Iowa) and performed How We Go Out.  “You got me hotter than a shot of hot glue,” she rapped, “I’m scrapbookin’ every thing that you do.”

This point the band was sweaty, their 80s neon bodysuits glistening with dew. “Thank you very much for randomly shopping on this street,” joked Leslie. She came out for one more song, an encore complete with breakdancing. She thanked the crowd again and then offered, as a token of her gratitude, Britney’s Toxic.

We all jammed. Word. Leslie Hall, thank you for delivering the bootie.