Original image by There Stands the Glass.
Let’s get the most embarrassing bit out of the way at the top: this grown man paid $50 to attend a concert by a cartoon band on Wednesday, September 14. But Gorillaz isn’t necessarily for the children. In fact, the fabricated project is one of the best pop acts of the new millennium.
Having never witnessed a Gorillaz performance, I’d long been curious about the presentation. Live footage of 12 flesh-and-blood musicians were projected on a pair of monitors on either side of a giant screen showing Gorillaz-themed animation at the Moda Center.
The amiable Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn interacted with his band and with virtual appearances by artists including Little Dragon, Slowthai and Thundercat. Unfortunately, the in-person guest artists including Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde and opening band EarthGang relied on tired clichés.
Enormously entertained but emotionally unmoved, I felt as if I were watching psychedelic variations of Tom and Jerry cartoons from a gargantuan couch with room for 14,000 people. Members of the vast throng didn’t share my lackluster reaction.
Dressed as if a Hot Topic delivery truck had exploded inside the home court of the Portland Trail Blazers, fans with green hair wearing baggy pants and an inexplicable number of Korn t-shirts experienced a profound form of musical engagement that eluded me.