Original image of fans at Rockfest by There Stands the Glass.
I probably won’t attempt to navigate the mayhem in an effort to catch Thundercat’s concert at the 2023 NFL Draft this evening. The related sprawl extends the grounds of the Liberty Memorial on which I’ve attended more than a dozen festivals. I (almost) miss hearing bands like Korn at the bygone Rockfest in the shadow of the Kansas City landmark. Two miniature festivals are among May concert recommendations for KCUR.
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.
