Gorillaz is unquestionably the most successful virtual band in the entire world, but they're spending the rest of the year proving to the world that they also happen to be one of the best live acts as well.
Bringing along N.E.R.D. for a very special guest performance, Gorillaz have finally embarked on their first full-blown world tour in support of this year’s fantastic Plastic Beach album. The result is the best pound-for-pound live music show you'll see this year, the culmination of three studio albums and over 10 years together.
Utilizing a barrage of guests and an overload of visual imagery, frontman Damon Albarn and friends rocked the house at the Viejas Arena at San Diego State for nearly two hours as they danced through a celebratory set composed of older hits and a strong sampling of new material. They even trotted out brand-new song “Doncamatic (All Played Out),” as well as featured emerging UK vocalist Daley, whose powerful delivery carried the track.
Prior to Gorillaz' arrival, Pharrell and N.E.R.D. previewed songs from their new album while going all-out to win over the crowd, who were less than enthusiastic. Had the guys stuck with the danceability of Fly Or Die, they may have had a lot more happening for them this far down the line. The new album's good, but it doesn't capture the energy of their early work, and the crowd reacted accordingly.
If you're a fan over over-the-top production at shows, then Gorillaz' 60-member rotating pop-rock orchestra, live-soundtracking IMAX-size, hi-def cartoon animations is your postmodernist musical dream come true. With hip-hop-inflected electro-pop, folksy toe-dips and full psychedelic groove freakouts, the group's catalogue-spanning show was certainly nothing to yawn at.
Animated introduction videos gave way to a hauntingly groovy "Last Living Souls," which brought the crowd roaring to life. Plastic Beach single "Stylo" followed, with soul-soaring appearances from Mr. Bobby Womack and Bootie Brown. The dreamy haze of sonic partners "On Melancholy Hill" and "Rhinestone Eyes" followed, showcasing a psychedelic beauty parallel in impact to the bombastic colorblast chaos of their more energized numbers.
De La Soul made a hugely-welcomed appearance for a run through of bizarre post-pop number "Superfast Jellyfish," while those of us in attendance at the previous night's show in Los Angeles were thanking our lucky stars that Lou Reed didn't make another guest appearance. Reed's complete lack of preparation for his vocal part in "Some Kind of Nature" resulted in badly flubbed lyrics and a general sense of senility from the aging icon, something we were thankful not to have a repeat performance of in San Diego.
Albarn pulled out a bright red melodica for the signature hook in "Tomorrow Comes Today," while Little Dragon's Yukimi Nagano made a warmly-welcomed appearance for an impressive run through of "Empire Ants" as well as "To Binge," her vocal interplay with Albarn a mesmerizing tip toe through dreamland. It was at this point that I made an arm-sharpie reminder to myself to reconsider this record for album of the year, because tracks like this - so far off the beaten path, but so hauntingly fantastic - demand an asterisk recognition beyond a glowing review.
For the larger-than-life encore, UK grime MCs Bashy and Kano appeared for a blistering take on "Clint Eastwood," which judging by the crowd reaction still stands as the favorite Gorillaz track among fans. By the time closer "Demon Days" sent us out on a gospel-tinted elation-pop high, the audience was cheering relatively nonstop. All were on their feet, celebrating the multimedia bonanza we'd just experienced, knowing full well that we were witnessing the evolution of the live musical experience in the most glorious of ways.
For more info on Gorillaz and their tour dates, head to their official site.
photo: Steven Anthony
