The walls of The Egg in Albany pulsed with a sense of warm nostalgia, humor, and electric reverence on Wednesday, May 7, as influential Philadelphia-based rockers Clap Your Hands Say Yeah celebrated the 20th anniversary of their self-titled debut.
Performing in the intimate Swyer Theatre, a 200-seat room more often home to classical recitals and lectures than indie rock anthems, the band delivered a blistering performance of their entire landmark album, a record that helped define a moment in DIY indie history and still pulses with anxious euphoria.
With its fixed seating and acoustically pristine, almost meditative environment, the space felt at odds with the danceable, twitchy energy that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is known for. Frontman Alec Ounsworth, the band’s only consistent member and driving creative force, was quick to acknowledge the oddity. Talking to the intimate crowd, he mentioned how they usually play in bars and clubs, but this anniversary tour has them hitting some interesting new places. The previous night they played at a venue simply known as The Concert Hall, and now here they are at The Egg.
Sleeping on the bus ride all the way from Toronto, Ounsworth was surprised to find out when he awoke in Albany the building actually looks like an egg! While its distinct red and blue seats inside posed an unusual dynamic for a rock show, a few brave fans could be seen dancing in the aisles despite most others remaining respectfully seated. Creating a tension between the music’s propulsive energy and the room’s restrained format, the intimacy had its rewards. Every lyric landed with clarity, and every off-mic murmur felt like a secret shared between old friend.
Beginning the night with the title track from 2007’s Some Loud Thunder, CYHSY quickly transitioned to the heart of the celebration with the opening track from their seminal debut…and away we go. With its layered, lo-fi production, elliptical lyrics, and urgent vocal stylings, the 2005 release landed like a lightning bolt among music fans seeking authenticity outside the major-label system. That it was self-released and found its audience through early music blogs and word-of-mouth only added to its mythology. Songs like “Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away,” Details of the War,” and “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth” remain anthems of earnest anxiety and headlong joy. There’s a peculiar urgency to the album, a feeling that something important is just out of reach. Themes of alienation, identity, and modern disconnection run deep, making the record oddly prescient and just as vital at The Egg in 2025 as it was two decades ago.
I heard it from a friend
The Revolution never happened
Sigh
A little die
No more a child
GoodbyeTime has gotten by on alibis and wine
Lyrics from “Over and Over Again (Lost and Found)”
Success is so forbidding
But it makes me think I’m winning
Ounsworth’s performance was charged, often closing his eyes and gripping the mic like a lifeline. His warbling, idiosyncratic vocals lending each track a raw intimacy. Early on he paused to talk with the audience. Saying how years ago he desperately shied away from doing any kind of stage banter, but now at this point in his life, he simply doesn’t “give a fuck.” As fans encouraged him further by shouting “you’re doing great,” Ounsworth’s laughed off the sentiment unsure how to respond. Strange then, for a man known for lyrical introspection that veers into the poetic and abstract, Ounsworth’s songwriting has always walked the line between surrealism and confessionalism.
During breaks between songs, he joked playfully about being upstaged by comedian Stavros Halkias, who was simultaneously performing to a packed house next door in The Egg’s Hart Theatre. Commenting on the strange dynamic between comedians and musicians, he recalled the time Demetri Martin opened for them, doing a set of stand-up that apparently just didn’t work. Similarly, when the roles were reversed and CYHSY performed an acoustic version of “Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood” ahead of legendary comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, Bobcat exclaimed, “How the hell am I supposed to follow that?” Offering up some free advice, Ounsworth’s claims Bobcat can sadly no longer do his trademark voice and that despite musicians and comics traveling in similar circles, the two artforms have simply not found a way to co-exist yet.
Continuing on, the band powered through the remainder of their debut album with reverence and spontaneity, even adding a few surprises. Most notably was a stripped-down cover of the iconic Johnny Thunders classic “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory.” CYHSY would further show they are more than just a one-album-wonder with excellent, thought-provoking renditions of 2017’s “Fireproof” and a song allegedly about college called “Ketamine and Ecstasy.”
Now that I’m so sad and not quite right
I could dance all nightShout just let it on out
-Lyrics from “In This Home On Ice”
Confusion becomes philosophy
Down we’re reaching the town where we don’t have to stand around and look over our shoulders
Hell I never knew was what we made it
Lets just take it slow in this home on ice
Pondering out loud if he should sing with his eyes open more often, he confessed to the crowd that he can’t see a damn thing in this room, but wishes he could see everyone’s face. “If you thought we were making eye contact and sharing a special moment, I’m sorry, but I was just trying to find some inspiration in the row of lights going up the aisle.” Clap Your Hands Say Yeah would wrap up their performance with “Where They Perform Miracles,” and “Better Off.” They did not return for an encore.
After two full decades, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah remains a landmark in indie rock. Not just for what it was, but for what it made possible. A beacon for the weird, the earnest, and the restless. And in Albany on a cool spring night, Alec Ounsworth and company didn’t just remind us why it mattered, they proved that it still does. Despite the show’s celebratory tone, the venue proved a bit of a mismatch. As The Egg prepares for a slate of renovations later this year, including updates to its lighting rig, sound system, and accessibility features, this show may be remembered as one of the last truly intimate concerts in its current form.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah | May 7, 2025 | The Egg | Albany, NY
Setlist: Some Loud Thunder, Clap Your Hands!, Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away, Over and Over Again (Lost and Found), Details of the War, The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth, Is This Love?, Heavy Metal, In This Home On Ice, Gimme Some Salt, Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood, You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory*, Fireproof, Ketamine and Ecstasy, Where They Perform Miracles, Better Off
*Johnny Thunders
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