Karen’s Many O Faces

Wandering around backstage, Karen Orzolek seemed like anyone else at the Creators Project production in San Francisco. Face painting aside, you could hardly tell that she was the beer-fueled, battle-tested front woman of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as she hurried by before scurrying behind the curtain that served as a dressing room door. When she emerged an hour later, though, she was Karen O, Orzolek’s destructive banshee of an alter ego. Letting bandmates Nick Zinner and Brian Chase take to the stage before her to kick off “Gold Lion,” she announced her arrival–“CREATORS SAN FRANCISCO” –and sent everyone with two X chromosomes into a screaming frenzy. Their Y-bearing counterparts had their confidence castrated at first sight.

Come at me, bro. (Brian Valdizno/treeswingers)

Pointing to the crowd, Karen O has the distinct ability to single each and everyone out at the same time. Which is probably why some drunk frat bro in green decided to charge the stage and give her a hug near the end of her set. Nice job, Jolly Green Giant.

Sad O. (Brian Valdizno/treeswingers)

Always emotive, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s front woman was dressed as red and came out firing. A matador for the night, she charged the stage before spilling a combination of beer and water down the front of her shirt as she frothed and gurgled the night away.

Bad Thai food. (Ryan Mac/treeswingers)

Karen O, half Korean and half Polish (hence Orzolek and not Park), has more emotions than a drama filmed in the heart of Seoul.

Hungry, why wait? (Brian Valdizno/treeswingers)

This is her Polish side.

Really bad Thai food. (Ryan Mac/treeswingers)

Karen O says to Clay Matthews of the  Green Bay Packers: “Clay, you don’t have shit on me.”

Karen O- Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin cover) (download)