When Gorillaz first appeared on the music scene back in 2001, no one really knew what to make of it. What exactly was it? Was it a band? Who were the members? Are they real? Luckily, they are, well...sort of. The men behind this extraordinary project, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett created something incredibly new, inventive and simply awe-inspiring. Of course, when people found out this was not really a band made up of people, but was a virtual band, they wondered, how the hell are these guys gonna put on a show? Well, luckily they found a way, and while it may not be the way everyone hopes for, it's still a helluva show and well worth your time, whether you are a Gorillaz fan or just a fan of good, live music.
Gorillaz began as a concept more than a band, and somehow this concept caught on and took over the world. The idea of manufactoring a band and doing it properly was partly the inspiration as well as Albarn's and Hewlett's dissatisfaction with what was happening in the music scene at the time. As Albarn put it, "Being in a band can make you feel like a cartoon." Cartoon or not, I would love to be a part of this band. Initially, they played some shows using advanced hologram technology and had planned a world tour using it in 2006, but it turned out it was too damn expensive and difficult to stage, so they decided to go out with a live band this time around. While this may sound disappointing to some, it's quite the opposite actually. These guys know how to put on a show and a lot of that is because of lead singer Damon Albarn, whose energy and showmanship captures you from the very first note he sings. Originally, the frontman of the english alt-rock band Blur, Albarn has been around for sometime and his ability to win over an audience shows immensely. Gorillaz has arguably become bigger than Blur and deservedly so.
I, along with my equally enthusiastic girlfriend, were very lucky to catch these guys at Agganis Arena in Boston, MA during their October 6th performance and boy was it worth it! I was not sure of what to expect, but I had heard plenty of good things, so I was definitely excited about the show! Indeed, 2-D, Noodle, Murdoc Niccals & Russel Hobbs took the stage and for the next two hours had me and her spellbound! These guys have amazing material from all of their stellar albums and they churned out a setlist that should satisfy just about any fan. With the release of their latest album, Plastic Beach, the set leaned heavily on songs from that record, but classics were aplenty throughout the night. From the opening "Orchestral Intro" to the fierce chorus of "Rhinestone Eyes," the band had just about everyone jumping and shouting, "It's electric!" On stage with Albarn were a number of collaborators from the album, most notably De La Soul, Little Dragon and Bobby Womack. The band consisted of half of the legendary Clash, lead guitarist Mick Jones and bassist Paul Simonon and they all put on quite a display of musical wizardry. A few notable highlights for me included "Kids With Guns" with its absolutely killer bassline to its accompanying music video, in fact for a number of the performances, the music videos to each were presented on a huge screen behind the band. Other noteworthy moments included the wonderful sing along catchiness of "Dirty Harry" to the infectiously zany and dancey "DARE" to the thundering "Clint Eastwood." It was also a pleasant surprised to hear the wonderful symphonic and enchanting "Demon Days" end the show (as this was a track I didn't think they would ever play). Overall, I cannot deny the awesomeness of this show and I highly recommend anyone to go out and catch them while they are on their tour in America this month.
P.S. - The opening act was N.E.R.D., and they were adequate at best. They certainly had their moments, but you could tell they weren't feeling as much love as Gorillaz. A fine opener, but it's not must see stuff (especially since they played a lot of their new stuff, come on Pharell, play the damn hits!)
Check out this live performance of "Feel Good, Inc" by Gorillaz
Taken during 10/6/2010 Agganis Arena, Boston, MA performance
Courtesy of Bijal Patel
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