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The Dresden Dolls perform "Dirty Business"

When the Dresden Dolls last visited Western New York in October, it was as the ringmasters of their own elaborate circus. The Boston-based duo provided acrobats, magicians and a master of ceremonies to entertain the crowd between sets of the critically-acclaimed “Brechtian punk cabaret.” On their current tour, the Dolls take a less commanding role under the big top, as the supporting act for MTV emo-punk teen idols Panic! at the Disco. It’s an unlikely pairing for the seasoned performers, who had already made their name as one of Boston’s hottest live acts when the members of Panic! were still sophomores in high school. But the young group’s video for their hit single “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” which draws inspiration from Moulin Rouge! and vaudeville imagery, suggests a theatrical (if not musical) kinship between the two acts. Hopefully, teenage fans impatiently waiting to ogle singer Brendon Urie will give Amanda Palmer’s confessional-but-sarcastic tunes a chance, and hopefully pick up the Dolls’ stellar second album Yes, Virginia... on the way to the exit.

Wednesday, July 5 at 8pm; doors open at 7pm. Dome Theater, 1713 Main Street, Niagara Falls (284-5100). SOLD OUT.