Kaiser Chiefs, Portland, Oregon, USA

Populated by junkies, the homeless, and assorted loons, the Burnside
district of Portland, Oregon, made a perfect backdrop to the Kaiser
Chiefs show at Berbati’s Pan on June 3.

The Kaiser Chiefs have the most out-of-control stage show you will
ever see without anything actually being destroyed. Frontman
Ricky Wilson – in schoolboy jumper and tie – ran around like a
maniac, jumping off stage and hanging from the rafters. His
performance literally brought down the roof, as pieces of the ceiling
could be seen flaking onto the stage.

But the band showed its softer side, too – after bodysurfing through the
crowd towards the bar, proclaiming, “I just want a drink!”, Wilson
apologized to a girl he had kicked in the head. To make up for it, he
dedicated “You Can Have It All” to her, crooning the chorus on his
knees while gazing into her eyes. Aww, bless.

Head injuries aside, the totally confident Chiefs wowed the drunken
American audience, who inexplicably yelled for “More cowbell!!” as the
night drew to a close. Hanging his mic from the rafters for the last
song, Wilson sang “Time Honoured Tradition”, leaving the mic to feed
back loudly while the band escaped to their tour bus, just as the Fire
Department arrived outside the venue.