Things We've Missed: Breaks, Birthdays, Covers & Interviews!

My phone was stolen thus leaving me internet/social network-less. But thanks to Jesus and Insurance, I have my Droid back and now can update the site! Here are some things we missed while we were gone.

Breaks:
Two songs into their opening set for the Monster Ball in Oslo, Norway – Justin broke his wrist. But like the glam fucking trooper he is, he managed to finish the final five songs of the set without a problem.

Birthdays:

October 21st Marked Stevy Pyne’s Birthday! He’s our FUCKING GUITAR HERO!

Covers:
SPW changed up their usual sound check and mashed up their fabulous song ‘Statues of Ourselves’ with Lady Gaga’s equally fabulous song ‘Dance in the Dark’ to make a truly great acoustic fuck of a song. Ch-ch-check it out!


Interviews:
Semi Precious Weapons took the time to sit down with Karmaloop TV, run by one of our favorite online clothing stores: Karmaloop.com

A Short Review of Semi Precious Weapons in Dallas

Steve Lee of the QuickSilver Interactive Group wrote this about his Dallas Monster Ball Experience!


"DALLAS — The American Airlines Center endured the ultimate in crazy fandom last night for the first of two Lady Gaga concerts. Whatever I had prepared myself for it wasn’t nearly enough, because parading through Victory Park in all directions were Little Monsters donning leather, rubber, sequins, glitter, platforms boots, and balloon-covered bikinis. And those were just the boys! It was a delightful sensory overload of painted faces, shredded fishnet tights, and puffy bows. I was so pumped I didn’t even mind the $4.50 bottle of Aquafina.


Semi-Precious Weapons opened. The glam rock quartet from New York was nothing short of a shock and awe show that put an ear-to-ear Cheshire grin on my face. Some of the younger girls dressed in their latexed Gaga best seemed surprised by Semi-Precious Weapons' act but lovingly embraced the overtly sexual, sequined high heel-wearing frontman Justin Tranter and his pack of hysterically fun misfit bandmates. Tranter humped the stage in his flesh-toned spandex leggings and jiggled his ass as he proclaimed, “We’re here to get you beautiful, filthy Texans wet and excited for Lady Gaga!”


Their sound is definitely a nod to late ‘80s hair metal, with a bit of a New York Dolls twist in style and attitude. They were wildly entertaining to watch as Tranter led the packed AAC in a back and forth “LADY! GAGA!” chant to get them riled. Overall, Semi-Precious Weapons were a deliciously shameless and fascinating gender-bending alternative as the opening act. After SPW, I could only imagine we were in for complete insanity next."

Photos Courtesy of Todd Owyoung 

Semi Precious Diaries 13: UK Highlights

Our Take on the Monster Ball

Hi loves,

It's A.J. and I am posting to let you know our take on the St. Louis Monster Ball. 

First off, the show was everything. My mind can't comprehend all the many adjectives you could use to describe how great the show was. But before the show was our actual trip down (or up, technically) we had a horrible experience with our hotel and travel arrangements, etc... and we were running extremely late (Go Fig.) but we finally got ready and ran down the street to the arena for the Semi Precious Street Corner Giveaway.  We got there about 10 Minutes late and saw our favorite boys there, signing stuff and taking pictures and needless to say... we both got extremely giddy and starstruck.  

I mean, for us, it was seriously a dream come true.  Jawsh and I have been listening to SPW for a reallly reallllllly long time and had never gotten the chance to meet them (since we've lived in podunk Kansas all our lives) and now that we were here - and they were right in front of us.. We had NO idea what to say.  But of course, they were extremely nice and we gave them a bottle of Veuve that we bought.  And met some fam and it was awesome to hear all the things they liked about the site.  It made me see that we are clearly the luckiest people on Earth to have contact with the most amazing group of musicians EVER!  After they went in for sound check, Jawsh and I just stood on the corner next to a man in a black studded mini with stilettos and an army helmet and we just had NOTHING to say.  I feel like it went by so fast.

But it was time for the show!  Starlight took the stage first and spun some great records - she really got the crowd warmed up - and she danced/drank/laughed the whole time. (Jawsh fell in love.) And she started playing 'I Could Die' and we freaked! She is a seriously talented artist.

Then it was time for our boys to take the stage - CREAM! - They played a sick-ass set.  Jawsh and I decided not to record the whole set, cause we wanted to sing and dance the whole time.  But we did get the intro! But first, check out this haute photo by Todd Owyoung of Justin getting myself and Jawsh 'Sticky'. We're in the lower corner of the pic takin that pagne!

We screamed, dance, sang, cried (all pretty terribly) but it was well worth it.  They're seriously some of the most energetic, fun-filled performers around. Jawsh caught Justin's sweaty towel (we missed the fetty necklace :( ) but at least we got the towel.

Then Lady Gaga took the stage and absolutely mind-fucked everyone. :)

In the end, we had a life-changing time.

Thank's SPW for making us feel comfortable in St. Louis.  We Love You. You Love You.

Aj & Jawsh XXXO

Semi Precious Weapons Afterparty: Boston

Check out what Stuff Magazine: Boston had to say about the rockin' SPW After Party:

"What I learned last night: I really can't party like a rock star after all. I wore Z Cavaricci pants in middle school. Cocktails at Woodward are dangerous.

Last night, the Ames Hotel hosted a private after party with the Semi Precious Weapons, who opened for Lady Gaga at her TD Garden show.

The ultra glam rockers arrived fashionably late but made up for it for it by infusing the place with electric and contagious energy, throwing one hell of a fucking after party. I'll refrain from filling you in on how late we partied till (heaven forbid I get anyone in trouble here), but let's just say it was an incredibly unique evening/morning in our typically stodgy town.

Frontman Justin Tranter, played it up for the crowd with his wacky dancing, DJ-ing and nipple-exposing gestures. There was also a little leg kicking and bar-top dancing going on. Although totally entertaining and sort of hard to take your eyes off of, I was WAY more interested in hanging out with Dan Crean the Drummer and Shaun Hoffman, one of their tour managers. As it turns out, we were chums back in elementary school and junior high (also known as the penultimate breeding ground for most future rock stars thanks to raging hormones, pre-pubescent isolation, and constant sexual tension with members of the opposite sex), and it was SO FUCKING AWESOME to see them again! They were both sweet as pie then, and are still sweet as pie now. I was happy to find them unaffected by their newfound fabulous lifestyles (their ability to rage like a rock star at a killer afterparty notwithstanding). I also learned that although I was "nice" and "cool" as a kid, apparently I was also a bit if a snob, and Dan revealed that he was jealous of my super slick Z Cavaricci pants I sported with the sort of pride a frequent shopper of Contempo Casuals had back then. And yes, they were always pegged. 

After about 7 cocktails, I started doing that thing I do when I'm tipsy: I hug everyone in sight and tell them repeatedly how much I love them. Yeah, I'm that girl. But truly, who doesn't love a happy drunk? After telling both Shaun and Dan how proud I was to see them both rockin' life, I grabbed my Urban Daddy and split. Watching the room spin is never fun. Even when you're partying with rock stars.

 And while I may not be able to party like a rock star but after finding my bar tab (crushed into a ball at the bottom of my purse) this morning, I certainly can adopt one of the band's mantras: I can't pay my rent but I'm fucking gorgeous. Words to live by. Thanks, guys." - By Erica Corsano

Here are some photos from the SPW Afterparty in Boston!:

2010 Monster Ball Tour Dates:

Sun 07/4 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall

Tue 07/6 New York, NY Madison Square Garden

Wed 07/7 New York, NY Madison Square Garden*

Fri 07/9 New York, NY Madison Square Garden

Sun 07/11 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre*

Mon 07/12 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre*

Wed 07/14 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena

Thu 07/15/ Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse*

Sat 07/17 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center

Tue 07/20 OKC, OK Ford Center

Thu 07/22 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center*

Fri 07/23 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center

Sun 07/25 Houston, TX Toyota Center

Mon 07/26 Houston, TX Toyota Center

Wed 07/28 Denver, CO Pepsi Center

Sat 07/31 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center

Tue 08/3 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center

Wed 08/11 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center

Thu 08/12 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center

Fri 08/13 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena

Mon 08/16 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion *

Tue 08/17 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion *

Thu 08/19 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena*

Sat 08/21 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome

Mon 08/23 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place

Tue 08/24 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place *

Thu 08/26 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place *

Fri 08/27 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place *

Mon 08/30 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center

Tue 08/31 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center

Thu 09/02 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center

Sat 09/04 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace

Sun 09/05 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center

Tue 09/07 Washington, DC Verizon Center

Wed 09/08 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena

Tue 09/14 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Center

Wed 09/15 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Center

Thu 09/16 Hartford, CT XL Center

Sat 09/18 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena

Sun 09/19 Raleigh, NC RBC Center

*Indicates tour date with a special Semi Precious Weapons after-party. Check http://twitter.com/preciousweapons for more details. More after-parties to be announced.

Semi Precious Street Corner Giveaway!

Make sure you & your friends arefollowing Semi Precious on Twitter for all Contest Details so you can not only get the chance to meet SPW but to also get the chance at two FREE Monster Ball Tickets!

Follow them &&&&&& Follow Us!

Semi Precious Weapons In Montreal

Semi Precious Weapons Are Giving Away Monster Ball Tix!

Semi Precious Weapons are once again opening Lady Gaga's Monster Ball tour and to celebrate they are giving away a pair of tickets for each U.S. stop of the trek. SPW's album debut with rock world producer-kingpin Jack Joseph Puig (The Rolling Stones, Beck , Black Eyed Peas) and Executive Producer Lady Gaga, YOU LOVE YOU, will be released on June 29th on Geffen/Perezcious/Streamline/Cherrytree Records just a day after they kick-off the North American leg of the Monster Ball tour. 

The album will be available pre-release, June 26th through 28th, streaming on MySpace. For more information on the ticket give away follow the SPW twitter account: http://twitter.com/preciousweapons 

The band will be hosting Monster Ball after parties in several cities on the tour. 

Look for them at Woodward in Boston, Ghostbar in Atlanta, Voodoo Lounge in San Jose, Refuge in Portland, plus secret locations in cities like NYC, Los Angeles, Chicago and many more! 

Check the band's twitter for up-to-the-minute details and see the full tour routing below. Of the band's recent success frontman Justin Tranter says, ""We spent three years driving ourselves around in a murder van to play bars EVERYWHERE, I mean we even played a sports bar in Waterloo Iowa. Now in the last seven months we have made an incredible record that we are proud of, and are on a tour bus playing arenas all over the world with Ms. Gaga! Hard work and magic." The band have just completed the latest leg of the Monster Ball where they brought their dirty showbiz to sold out audiences all across Europe and the UK. 

Also, be sure to look out for Semi Precious Weapons' intimate performances on The Cherrytree House on out June 29th at cherrytreerecords.com, featuring performances of Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen's legendary "Because The Night" as well as stripped-down versions of their own "Put A Diamond In It" and "Look At Me". 

Watch the trailer HERE

Feist, Sting , Lady Gaga and Robyn, among others, have all performed at The Cherrytree House. Who can forget Lady Gaga's riveting Cherrytree House rendition of Pokerface (reposted by PerezHilton.com and sampled even by Kanye West in Kid Kudi's "I Make Her Say"). Well, get ready for Semi Precious Weapons' intimate appearance on The Cherrytree House - out June 29 on www.cherrytreerecords.com. 

Date City Venue After
Mon 06/28 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
Thu 07/1 Boston, MA TD Garden
Fri 07/2 Boston, MA TD Garden
Sun 07/4 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall
Tue 07/6 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Wed 07/7 New York, NY Madison Square Garden*
Fri 07/9 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Sun 07/11 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre*
Mon 07/12 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre*
Wed 07/14 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
Thu 07/15/ Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse*
Sat 07/17 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
Tue 07/20 OKC, OK Ford Center
Thu 07/22 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center*
Fri 07/23 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
Sun 07/25 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Mon 07/26 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Wed 07/28 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
Sat 07/31 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center
Tue 08/3 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Wed 08/11 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
Thu 08/12 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
Fri 08/13 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
Mon 08/16 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion *
Tue 08/17 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion *
Thu 08/19 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena*
Sat 08/21 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
Mon 08/23 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place
Tue 08/24 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place *
Thu 08/26 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place *
Fri 08/27 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place *
Mon 08/30 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
Tue 08/31 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
Thu 09/02 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
Sat 09/04 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace
Sun 09/05 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
Tue 09/07 Washington, DC Verizon Center
Wed 09/08 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
Tue 09/14 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Center
Wed 09/15 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Center
Thu 09/16 Hartford, CT XL Center
Sat 09/18 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
Sun 09/19 Raleigh, NC RBC Center

*Indicates tour date with a special Semi Precious Weapons after-party. Check http://twitter.com/preciousweapons for more details. More after-parties to be announced.

Source: AntiMusic.com 

Photo Credit: annie*rock & the_gonz

Concert Riff Raff

"Liebes Publikum" - so hatte sich bereits der Sänger der im Vorprogramm spielenden Glam-Rock-Band Semi Precious Weapons, Justin Tranter, an seine Hörer gewandt - "sollten Sie Kinder mitgebracht haben, bitte fühlen Sie sich von unseren offensiven Sexdarstellungen nicht provoziert! Danken Sie uns vielmehr dafür, dass Ihr Nachwuchs schon so früh in Kontakt mit den wahren Wonnen des Rock'n'Roll gelangt." Anschließend benässte Tranter, der im Hauptberuf ein erfolgreicher Juwelenschmuckdesigner ist, die vorderen Reihen mit Champagnerfontänen; es sei ja seine Aufgabe, das Publikum "heiß und feucht" für Lady Gaga zu machen."

Which according to google translates to...

"Dear audience" - that had been the singer of the opening act playing glam rock band Semi Precious Weapons, Justin Tranter, appealed to his listeners - "you should have brought children, please feel of our offensive sex resulting from male unprovoked! thank us rather that your children get up so early in contact with the true delights of rock and roll. " Then benässte Tranter, who is the main occupation, a successful jewelry designer, the front rows with champagne fountains and that it was indeed his task of making the audience to 'hot and humid "for Lady Gaga."

...You get the picture

More Videos after the Jump!

Semi Precious Weapons Continue on Monster Ball Thru 2011

THE MONSTER BALL TOUR

STARRING LADY GAGA

with special guests

Semi Precious Weapons

North American Tour Extension 2011 Itinerary

February 19 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall On sale May 14

February 26 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center On sale May 14

March 3 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre On sale May 17

March 8 Boston, MA TD Garden On sale May 14

March 25 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand On sale May 15

April 8 Houston, TX Toyota Center On sale May 14

April 9 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena On sale May 15

April 12 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center On sale May 17

April 13 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena On sale May 17

April 18 Atlanta, GA Gwinnett Center On sale May 14

Additional cities, venues, and on-sale information to be announced. Itinerary subject to change.

For complete tour and ticket information visit: the EVENTS page and LiveNation.com.

Source: ladygaga.com

Lady GaGa Announces More U.S. Tour Dates

Ladygaga.com released this early this morning:

"INTERNATIONAL POP SUPERSTAR LADY GAGA ANNOUNCES 2010 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

Virgin Mobile Presents

THE MONSTER BALL TOUR

STARRING LADY GAGA

Tickets Go On Sale Beginning March 19^th at LiveNation.com

LOS ANGELES – March 15, 2010 – Lady Gaga, one of the most exciting and innovative new artists in recent history, has announced her highly anticipated return to North America on the heels of her sold-out European tour. The 2010 North American leg of The Monster Ball Tour, presented by Virgin Mobile, will begin on June 28^th at Montreal’s Bell Centre, taking her spectacular show to 31 top arenas and a host of new cities in the U.S. and Canada throughout the summer and fall. 

In keeping with Lady Gaga’s flair for the theatrical, as well as her innovative and creative spirit, the second leg of the tour promises to push the limits of the live concert experience, bringing fans a spectacle even more eye-popping than what they experienced during the thrilling first leg of The Monster Ball. 

"It's still called Monster Ball, but it's more of a musical and less of a concert,” Lady Gaga said in a February interview with KIIS-FM’s Ryan Seacrest. “It has a New York theme, it's a story, and the story is that me and my friends are in New York and we're going to the Monster Ball, and we get lost."

Critics around the world raved about the first leg of The Monster Ball Tour, which Gaga described as “the first-ever pop-electro opera.” The Sun called it “breathtaking stuff” and “the best live show you will see this year,” while London’s Independent wrote: “Gaga’s got it, which is why, right now, the whole pop world wants to take a ride on her disco stick.”  Writing about her show at Radio City Music Hall, the New York Times noted that “her Monster Ball tour always provided something worth a snapshot: a sci-fi tableau, perhaps, or a skimpy, glittery costume. The more her image gets around, the better Lady Gaga does.”

Live Nation Global Touring is the International tour promoter and producer for The Monster Ball under the direction of Arthur Fogel, CEO Global Touring and Chairman – Global Music Live Nation who said: “Lady Gaga has set out to revolutionize pop music and with her new production she continues to do exactly that.  We’re thrilled to take The Monster Ball to fans around the world.”

Lady Gaga is touring in support of The Fame Monster, which was released on November 23rd, 2009, by Streamline/Konlive/Cherrytree/Interscope. The album is the follow-up to 2008’s Grammy Award-winning album The Fame, which spawned the No. 1 singles “Just Dance” and “Poker Face.” Combined, The Fame and The Fame Monster have sold 10 million albums worldwide, while Lady Gaga’s five singles, “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” “Lovegame,” “Paparazzi,” and “Bad Romance,” have sold in excess of 30 million copies total. The video for “Bad Romance” has racked up more than 125 million online views. Lady Gaga recently premiered the video for her new single “Telephone,” featuring Beyoncé, on the E! television network and entertainment website VEVO.

Tickets (general admission floors and reserved seating in the stands) for The Monster Ball go on sale in select markets including New York, Vancouver, Toronto, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Boston beginning March 19th at LiveNation.com. 

Virgin Mobile customers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, March 16^th at 10am local time.  “We are excited to take our partnership with Lady Gaga and The Monster Ball Tour to another level,” said Bob Stohrer, VP of Marketing for Virgin Mobile USA. “We'll also build on our partnership around combating youth homelessness and continue to enhance the tour experience for fans and our customers.”  For details visit www.virginmobileusa.com.

Citi® cardmembers will also have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, March 16^th at 10am local time through Citi's Private Pass® Program. For complete presale details visitwww.citiprivatepass.com.

For complete tour and ticket information, visit: www.ladygaga.com

Virgin Mobile Presents

THE MONSTER BALL TOUR

STARRING LADY GAGA

with special guests

June 28 Montreal, QC Bell Centre On sale TBA 

July 01 Boston, MA TD Garden On sale March 22

July 04 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall On sale TBA

July 06 New York, NY Madison Square Garden On sale March 19

July 11 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre On sale March 19

July 14 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena        On sale TBA

July 15 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse On sale TBA

July 17 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center On sale TBA

July 20 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center On sale TBA

July 22 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center    On sale TBA

July 25 Houston, TX Toyota Center On sale TBA

July 28 Denver, CO Pepsi Center On sale TBA

July 31 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center On sale TBA

August 03      Kansas City, MO Sprint Center On sale TBA                                   

August 11 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center On sale March 20

August 13      Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand On sale TBA

August 16      San Jose, CA HP Pavilion   On sale March 19

August 19      Portland, OR Rose Garden On sale TBA

August 21      Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome On sale TBA

August 23       Vancouver, BC General Motors Place On sale March 19

August 26 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place        On sale TBA

August 30 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center On sale TBA

Sept. 01 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center On sale TBA

Sept. 04 Detroit, MI The Palace Of Auburn Hills On sale TBA

Sept. 05 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center          On sale TBA

Sept. 07 Washington, DC Verizon Center On sale TBA

Sept. 08 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena        On sale TBA

Sept. 14 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center On sale TBA

Sept. 16 Hartford, CT XL Center On sale TBA

Sept. 18 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena  On sale TBA

Sept. 19 Raleigh, NC RBC Center On sale TBA

Additional cities, venues and on-sale information to be announced.  Itinerary subject to change.

 For complete tour and ticket information visit:

LadyGaga.com and LiveNation.com."

No word yet on whether our boys are supporting her...but, we really fuckin hope so.

Simon Goddard Reviews SPW's Monster Ball Performance

Blogger, Simon Goddard of Simongoddardwords.blogspot.com gave a great review of SPW's Monster Ball performance at the O2 Arena. Check it out

"But before the awe of Lady Gaga, a few words on support act Semi Precious Weapons. Imagine if a violently drunk Rufus Wainwright had decided to form his own New York Dolls tribute act but in his pie-eyed madness had accidentally employed three acrobats recently fired from the circus for performing lewd acts on a trapeze. More specifically, singer Justin Tranter reminds me of the bastard son, or possibly daughter, of Wayne County. A filthy tongue, a wonderfully wicked sense of humour and the daftest of songs (“Sticky with champagne! It’s okay! It’s her birth-day!”). All the while his band tumble behind him in a state of bewildered glam dementia. Their bassist is still waiting to be told that there are ways to play his instrument other than stood on his head in an inverted T-shape. The guitarist seems to be practising for the non-existent Olympic sport of cymbal-vaulting. The drummer is merely insane.

Bear in mind that this was a Saturday night at London’s 02 arena where several thousand parents had taken their children to see what they think is going to be a normal pop show. You could almost hear the collective hotdog-gag of disbelief the moment Tranter first opened his mouth to announce “I can’t pay the rent, but I’m fuckin’ gorgeous!” Semi Precious Weapons are well named in that they’re not so much a band as a bomb of cartoon outrage. By the end of their set, most under-twelves had doubtless been dragged out of the main arena by flustered parents incapable of answering “Mummy, what’s a motherfucker?” That they’ve been let loose in public on so large a scale is a stroke of subversive genius for whom we can thank Gaga herself. Tranter and Gaga are old friends who first played together in New York in 2006 in front of twelve people. “So I’d like to thank you,” Tranter told the 02, “for being more than twelve fucking people.”

The fact Her Ladyship insisted on Semi Precious Weapons opening her Monster Ball underlines a fundamental truth: underneath her glittering outer-shell of dance-yourself-silly pop euphoria, the nucleus of Lady Gaga is pure punk rock. The theme of the Monster Ball is a rallying cry to weirdos, freaks and the disaffected to unite as one in celebration. “To be set free.” The real freaks, as Gaga tells us, are outside. “And we’re locking the fucking doors!” Behind the disco glitter and grease, Gagadom is, absolutely, the same as Smithdom: the collective triumph of the outsider....Read More

Also While we're on the topics of concerts check out these awesome videos of our boys fucking DESTROYING the UK.

Here Are Some Vids of Their Performance in Glasgow

 

Our Boys Getting The People at the O2 Arena in Dublin "Wet & Excited"



Semi Precious Weapons being FAB at the West Rocks in London 02/26/2010

Semi Precious Weapons – Sole Opener of Tonight’s Monster Balll

jconline.com posted this morning that Semi Precious Weapons will be back tonight as the sole opener for the sold out Lady Gaga concert in Purdue

 

“The band led by bleach blond vocalist Justin Tranter will start at 7:30 p.m. and play for 30 minutes. Gaga will hit the stage at 8:30 p.m., according to Student Concert Committee officials.

 

R&B singer Jason DeRulo, who was the second act before Gaga’s Jan. 14 cancellation, will not play tonight.”

Spinner.com Reviews SPW at Radio City Music Hall

Spinner.com’s Jessica Robertson wrote an absolutley glaMOURous article about SPW’s Radio City Performance. Read the brilliance below:

 

“We are Semi Precious Weapons from New York motherf—ing City,” campy frontman Justin Tranter began during the band’s opening slot Saturday night on Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball tour at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. “Our job, which we are f—ing honored to do, is to get you bitches wet and excited for Lady Gaga.”

 

Mission: accomplished.

 

It had been 6 months since SPW were home, and, as Tranter recalled, four years since the band first shared a bill with Lady Gaga. “It was 50 blocks south of here and there were 12 people,” he said. “We’re just really f—ing happy you aren’t 12 people.”

 

Tranter, a 6-foot-tall Ziggy Stardust meets Rocky Horror caricature, strutted onstage dressed in only fishnets, stripper boots and a mesh tank, screaming his now infamous cheeky line: “I can’t pay my rent but I’m f—ing gorgeous.” His oversure lyrics and banter were bolstered by a short but no less impactful and raunchy set of riff-heavy glam rock, including songs ‘Magnetic Baby,’ ‘Put a Diamond In It’ and ‘Sticky With Champagne.’ The latter found Tranter popping a bottle onstage, replete with his own picture on the packaging (“because why the f— not,” he asserted). He then called for all those in want of the bubbly to approach the stage.

“We got in trouble a couple of nights ago because I fed champagne to minors,” Tranter said. When an audience member was hesitant to take a swig, Tranter made one demand: “New York, I know there’s a lot of rules here but have some fun. It’s rock ‘n’ roll so get your tits out!” With that, Tranter had at least 10 eager mouths at his feet.

 

A couple of nipple flashes, crotch grabs and curtsies later, Tranter stripped to his skivvies for an onstage costume change (opting for Marilyn Monroe tights, silver glitter boots and a grey tank, natch) which would carry the band — who just released their self-titled EP — through the set. But not without one parting wish: “We are Semi Precious Weapons and tonight, we hope that you get laid.”

Unabashedly inappropriate but wholly rock ‘n’ roll. Just as it should be.”

Concert Riff Raff

We just opened a day or so ago so our fan site is still pretty virginal.  Unfortunately we weren’t up in time to catch all the reviews from when SPW joined the Monster Ball Tour so for the next couple of days we’ll update with an article called concert riff raff! An article full of miscellaneous reviews, vids, and pictures.
Our first update is about the Monster Ball in Chicago taken from autostraddle.com–an article titled:
“How Lady Gaga (and the Monster Ball) Changed My Life: The Concert Review”
By Elizabeth, here’s what she had to say about our weapons:
“Semi Precious Weapons, much to my surprise, were the opening act, there to get us wet and excited for Lady Gaga. I love rockin glam boys, especially the kind who aggressively make uncomfortable straight boys even more uncomfortable like when Justin Tranter yelled, You think you’re horrified now, just wait until Im f*cking your girlfriends later! Or you know, just wait till a few minutes later when unprepared front-row kids got an eyeful of his boyjunk as he changed from a dress into leggings onstage. He taunted security, telling, this is rock n roll. You dance, have sex in public, and bleed. All at the same time! It was delightful chaos, even in suburban Chicago.”
________________________________
We also have video of SPW performing Put a Diamond in It and Sticky with Champagne at Radio City Music Hall, Courtesy of the fabulous Beth R. from facebook!