I’m not one to frequent shows at large stadiums, half of the time most bands I do end up seeing never go larger than a theater so it was refreshing for me to go back to those days of living through the eyes of a plethora of fans that ranged from all age groups. The last time I had gone to such a large show was Alicia Keys’ Freedom Tour, but that was “mild” compared to last night.
I had almost forgotten the etiquette of being in a place so huge, tons of rules, tons of energy, disconnected staff members-I almost wasn’t allowed in because I had a backpack with me that had nothing more than a hairbrush, lotion and a journal. I’m assuming from what happened before I got there was that people who had payed for their tickets, didn’t live in the vicinity of the area and had nowhere to go had to not go in if they had a ‘large bag’ which most women do and people like me who need their stuff to get them through the day. Luckily I was able to get in simply by going in through a different entrance where I wasn’t even checked or frisked, like they do now at so many venues.
Time rolled on by with the beer guys, who I highly respect for carrying around beer and ice in boxes around their necks and then the lights turned off and N.E.R.D came on. For the most part they were playing new material from their upcoming album which sounds a lot more rock compared to previous material but it was lackluster for the most part. The sound of the drums sounded too much like pots banging while Pharell competed to get his voice heard and then two dancers on the sides of the stage dimly lit, dancing faster than the actual music was. It seemed like a hot mess until somehow, despite all the noise issues, played the new track produced by Daft Punk “Hypnotize You” and everything after that was very charismatic. There were even simon says like parts where Pharell would shout jump and the venue jumped and then he said sat and they sat, but I wonder if this was because these people were more enthralled with his star power as opposed to his musical abilities. Overall it was a great lubricant and had the crowd really loosened up, while many opening bands can hardly get half an applause.
The Gorillaz came on and we had Snoop Dogg in a sailor outfit welcoming the entire crowd to an evening of debauchery. It was a great opener complete with the virtual band members that started it all back ten years ago. The venue, or at least all the people around me where standing the entire show watching Damon Albarn really get into it. As a performer he was mesmerizing and didn’t stop bouncing, singing, performing and even throwing water onto the crowd-more than once-until the lights came on in the end. The concert, much like the Gorillaz showcased the collaboration of people such as Bobby Womack who sang an emotional solo of “Cloud of Unknowing” towards the end of the night and De La Soul bouncing all around as guest MC’s. There was a great piece where Albarn introduced Kano and the Syrian Orchestra for “White Flag” complete with Albarn handing over a large white flag to a fan and then Albarn shaking it all around in the name of peace. Albarn even stagedove! I think he even got into a fit with a security guy because I saw him throw water at a guy in the pit and the bald dude in black looked like he wanted to punch him in the face while he violently scrubbed off the water on his body. For fans of Gorillaz this night was just a great showcase of a ‘virtual band’ who ended up, for those who were able to see, coming out of the darkness and enjoying their time on stage. The visuals which had 2-D, Noodle, Murdoc, Cyborg served more as wallpaper as the stage had enough vibrancy all on itself.
As a large venue tour, the performance was fit especially for entertaining about 9,000 people and a great reintroduction to large expensive tours. In dire times like this, this performance was fit for just forgetting troubles awaiting us outside the door. Then I remembered what it was that I liked about large venues and that was magic that only super expensive light shows and visuals and a rotating set of performers could pull off. It made me reminiscence also how one band seemed to embody the decade so perfectly; from watching “Clint Eastwood” on TRL to now watching them 10 years later still sounding fresher than ever. The Gorillaz “Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour” is something you definitely want to catch, if you can afford to. You’ll most likely be chatting it up with people at the home in 40 years talking about how much you enjoyed dancing to “Dirty Harry” while Albarn and two members of The Clash stood behind you in sailor hats.
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