Villagers Give Slang Lesson in New York City

As a songwriter, Villagers mastermind Conor O'Brien takes pride in his lyrics, especially when he's written a clever line. But when the Villagers frontman performed 'Twenty Seven Strangers' at New York City's Mercury Lounge on Wednesday night, some of the lyrics didn't garner the same chuckle that he's used to getting when he performs in his native Ireland.

"Do you guys say 'queue' when you go in a line?" O'Brien asked the packed venue after he abruptly stopped midway through the song. "Because I thought that it was a rather clever line, playing with the words 'cue' and 'queue.'"

After discussing the difference between a "queue" and a "line," O'Brien wanted to continue the performance and told the Irish natives in the crowd, "Can you tell the Americans what it means?"

O'Brien, who's currently on his first North American tour with a full band, is known for his mellow acoustic music that would require a quieter crowd to appreciate. However, Wednesday's show proved the opposite, as he had to ask how many people in the crowd were from Ireland. "This explains why it's so loud in here," he said after seeing half the room with their hands in the air.

While O'Brien did play most of the set with the full band, he did take time out to do a few solo cuts, such as 'Cecelia.' And as the Villagers were near the end of their show and about to perform 'On a Sunlit Stage,' O'Brien grew tired of the side conversations in the crowd and simply told them to "shut up."

"I'm sorry if I'm rude sometimes," he said. "I don't know I'm having problems with my emotions recently."

Check out exclusive pictures from the show below.