Epic Showmanship: Tenacious D Rocks Brighton with Robots, Demons, and Hits

May 25, 2024 rocknews

Walking past the Brighton Centre two hours before doors and seeing a growing queue eagerly awaiting the legendary duo that is Tenacious D was quite an experience. The Brighton crowd were in for a night of rock, comedy and what can only be described as a bit of a fever dream!

Formed in 1994 by Jack Black and Kyle Gass, Tenacious D have what some people might call a cult following but looking around the packed out Brighton Centre on Monday we saw a brilliantly mixed crowd. Metal heads, rockers, punks, and a good few Hawaiian shirts all under one roof for the love of this brilliant duo.

As the lights went down and the overture from their 2006 film Pick Of Destiny played, the volume of the crowd went through the roof and Jack Black and Kyle Gass took to the stage with their acoustic guitars. The atmosphere in the centre was electric and we were off! Opening the night with their 2006 hit Kickapoo, the crowd was immediatly singing every single word and screaming for the rock duo. We all knew in an instant that we were in for one special night.

The two and a half hour set saw us through the span of Tenacious D’s career along with a brilliant rendition of Thin Lizzy’s ‘Jailbreak’ with Gass on lead vocals. By song five the crowd went quiet, Black and Gass stood in a stand off centre stage and as the first note rang out of their guitars the room filled with suspense for the first song Tenacious D ever played live: it was, of course, ’Tribute’. Every person in the room sang every word and as the song got into full swing a giant demon (much like the one Dave Grohl played in the iconic music video) inflated behind the drum stand.

The evening was part gig, part theatre. A real production that was filled with purposely mis-timed pyro, and small comedic skits between Gass, Black and the rest of their team. With the inflatable demon at the back dancing in its own way to each song. After Video Games, a sound of thunder swam through the crowd and Jack Black and Kyle Gass cowered at the side of stage “something wicked this way comes” exclaimed Black as a huge robot stormed the stage “I think I know what this is….THE METALLLLL”. The song had the duo running around the robot as it danced and stamped and squashed the genres in the song. With an – as expected – well timed comic dig at a rap conflict; “He’s off to better rap” – the robot exited the stage.

It was then time for a “pallet cleanser” and the saxaboom moment was upon us. Of course the crowd erupted as the tiny plastic instrument was presented to Black but what wasn’t expected was for Gass to one up his friend…”wait a minute….maxaboom please”. A rather large plastic saxophone was brought to Gass and we were treated to a rendition of Gerry Rafferty’s ‘Baker Street’.

Jack Black ended up on the floor a good few times through the set in between his high kicks and high energy dancing with Kyle Gass explaining “he rocked too hard”. The energy between the duo is simply an undeniable friendship. Their comic timing is brilliant and their musical talent unmeasured. We enjoyed every little skit especially Gass storming off stage apparently ‘quitting’ which introduced ‘Dude (I Totally Miss you)’ quickly followed by their cover of Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Game’ accompanied by their ‘beach video’ on the screens either side of the stage.

During the last song of the main set which was ‘Double Team’ we were introduced to the band and the production team, treated to a solo from each of them; including the lighting and sound engineer and of course ‘Biffy Pyro’ the pypro tech. Then solos from Gass Black with to everyone’s surprise consisted of ‘Champagne Supernova’ by Oasis. They also had all of the ‘roadies’ come on stage for a bow of their own. A true team effort and a true show of appreciation for all of the work that went into the Spicy Meatball tour.

The Brighton crowd chanted as the band left the stage. We wanted more, and more we got! Our encore started of with a newer release; Britney Spears cover, ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’, followed by ‘The Spicy Meatball Song’ (it wouldn’t be the Spicy Meatball Tour without it!) and our close for the evening was 2001’s ‘Fuck Her Gently’ and what a close it was!

A night full of theatre, comedy, pyro mishaps, inflatable demons, fighting robots and epic songs. Behind all of this was genuine musical talent. Tenacious D absolutely know how to put on a show and we enjoyed every single moment. A night we will not forget in a hurry.

Consider this review a ‘tribute’.