Before this Berlin gig I had seen The Dresden Dolls live 3 times over the years, and I've seen Amanda Palmer live countless times (actually it's 10 times, I just checked.) I have also been to Berlin a lot of times, I'm not sure how many, but I had never been to the Huxleys Neue Welt venue. Huxleys turned out to be a pretty cool venue. It has a capacity of about 1600 and the show was sold out. It has a bar on either side of the room and also a few options for sitting further back in the room. The sound is really great in there and it is possible to get a good view of the stage even from the back.
When I got to the venue there was a queue from here to eternity. They managed to let people into the venue fairly quickly though, so it wasn't bad. Support act Joe Black opened quite early, maybe 19:30 or 19:40ish. He played a short set and he was pretty entertaining. He is described as a dark cabaret and vintage vaudeville act and I guess that fits well enough. After a short break, Joe came back on stage and introduced the main act: the fabulous The Dresden Dolls.
"Oh Mrs. O
Will you tell us where the naughty children go
Will you show
How the sky turned white and everybody froze
Heaven knows how they got into the fireplace
But everybody's saying grace
And trying to keep a happy face"
The line-up was just as we've always known the punk cabaret. Amanda Palmer on the left behind her Kurzweil keyboard. Brian Viglione on the right behind his drum kit. I had managed to snap a photo of the setlist from the mixing desk area earlier on and Amanda confirmed what the setlist had shown me. They were in fact going to play the entire "Yes, Virginia..." album in nearly the same order, with a few cover tracks added and a few inevitable tracks that just have to be there.
"Yes, Virginia..." has recently been re-recorded by the band in a "Tailor's Version" as a way to secure the rights to the master tapes. The album was originally released in 2006, so yes that makes it a 20th anniversary. They sold the album at the gig and it includes an insert that has been autographed by the band. If the new versions are actually better than the original versions is a matter of taste, but the new LP surely sounds really great on vinyl and it has some nice artwork too.
"And oh Mrs. O
Will you tell about the time they made you go
All alone to the palace where they took your only clothes
We all know
There's no Hell and no Hiroshima
Chernobyl was a cover up
The World is really all in Love"
Amanda Palmer was very talkative this evening. That is in no way surprising, when it comes to Amanda, but we got anecdotes and stories before almost every song, explaining what it was about and why it was written. Amanda is a very good speaker, so it never got boring. Brian Viglione is a powerhouse behind his drums and he also performed with a guitar during the set and he even got a little break at the front of the stage enjoying some drinks from a minibar while Amanda sang and played "Me & The Minibar" behind her keyboard. Joe Black stepped in to be the second voice in "Delilah". Something that brought back memories to when Bitter Ruin's Georgia Train used to do the same thing with great success way back in 2011-2013.
Amanda and Brian performing "Coin-Operated Boy" is always a sight to see. The Grauzone cover "Eisbär" was fantastic. I guess the 2 older covers "Pirate Jenny" and "Amsterdam" tied together well with the support act. New song "Houdini" didn't impress me much. It felt a bit long and the Titanic analogy didn't help it much. The abortion song "Mandy Goes to Med School" was a total highlight. Some kick-ass drumming by Brian and then it included Wham!'s "Careless Whisper". Excellent entertainment.
"Mrs. O" has always been the central song on the "Yes, Virginia..." album for me. The lyrics are fantastic and the entire song is pure brilliance. It's one of the best songs Amanda has ever written. I have heard it live many times and it never disappoints live. On the new vinyl album there is a spoken word track "Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus" also connected with the lyrics of "Mrs. O".
"Oh Mrs O
Will you leave us hanging now that we are grown
Up and old
Will you kill me if I say I told you so
We all know
There's no Hitler and no Holocaust
No winter and no Santa Claus
And yes Virginia all because
The truth can't save you now
The sky is falling down
Eveything they ever told us
Shakes our faith and breaks their promise
But you can stop the truth from leaking
If you never stop believing"
We got an encore of the old favorites "Half Jack" and "Girl Anachronism" to thunderous applause at the end. After the show there was formed another very long queue. Autographs had been promised. It turns out it would only be Amanda's autograph, since Brian never joined this session. Maybe he is a more private person than Amanda? Anyway, when it finally got my turn, things had been speeded up a lot to make sure this signing session didn't last all night. I managed to get a crazy selfie with Amanda, but no autograph. I already have her autograph on several items including an ukulele, so I can easily live with not getting it again.
The show was filmed. Let's see how that turned out. Maybe I'll get a chance to relive the show later on? I hope so. I'm sure glad I picked Berlin as my option, when I had to decide where to see The Dresden Dolls live this time. We got full value for our money and couldn't have asked for more. A fantastic evening. Long live the Punk Cabaret!
Rating: 
Band: The Dresden Dolls
Venue: Huxleys Neue Welt, Berlin, DE
Concert Date: 2026-09-05
Support Band: Joe Black
Setlist:
- Sex Changes
- Backstabber
- Modern Moonlight
- Shores of California
- My Alcoholic Friends
- Dirty Business *
- Delilah * (duet with Joe Black)
- First Orgasm
- Coin-Operated Boy
- Mrs. O
- Pirate Jenny (Kurt Weill cover)
- Necessary Evil
- Me & The Minibar
- Eisbär (Grauzone cover)
- Houdini (new song)
- Amsterdam (Jacques Brel cover)
- Mandy Goes to Med School
- Sing
"Delilah" got delayed waiting for Joe Black to join, so they played "Dirty Business" first, switching the order on the official stage setlist
Encore:
- Half Jack
- Girl Anachronism
Ticket Price (DKK): 412
Ticket Provider: Eventim.de
Content Type: Concert Review
Language: 
Updated: 2026-09-07 21:15
Created: 2026-05-13 17:21
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