[ATTENDED: March 22, 2020] Thundercat [moved from March 22, 2020]
Thundercat is an amazing bass player (He plays a six string bass). He also writes some really catchy songs.
His style veers a little too much into R&B for me at times, but there’s something about his overall vibes that surpasses anything.
I really wanted to experience his playing live. I was bummed that I wound up as far away from the stage as I was because I wanted to see those fingers dominate the bass.
I wasn’t prepared for how amazing his band would be. They were a trio, with Thundercat in the center of the stage with his giant bass. On his right was keyboardist Dennis Haam and on his left was drummer Justin Brown. It wasn’t always clear what Haam was playing and what Thundercat was playing–which just proved how impressive they both were. But it was totally clear what Brown was playing–dominating the drum kit and most of the stage.
Sometimes I feel that Thundercat’s albums are too poppy for me. But boy howdy was this concert anything but. It was like a jazzy, jamming night of excess. And it was wonderful.
Half the time I didn’t know he was playing songs from the album. The first two songs he played total about 4 minutes on the record, but nearly every track had a wide open jam that lasted longer than those songs combined. It was incredible watching him play so easily.
The crowd seemed really into it except for the woman standing next to me who kept complaining that she wanted to hear the hits. She was very excited when he played the songs she knew but she was not happy most of the time. That made me happy because I did not like her.
Between virtuosic moments, Thundercat was super friendly and personable, chatting between songs and just talking about all kinds of things. He talked about losing people (like Chick Corea, whose “Got a Match?” the played). He talked about how he quite drinking three years ago and even that he lost 100 pounds over the last year.
He told us a story about Louis Cole. He had a friend who told him that he had to meet Louis Cole. And apparently had told Louis Cole the same thing. But when the friend got them to meet it was by having Thundercat play bass with him at a show. They hit off very well (hence the song “I Love Louis Cole”) and then the band covered a song by Cole’s bad KNOWER (who I don’t know).
He played most of It Is What It Is (leaving out the amazing “Black Qualls” for some reason).
On the record, “Dragonball Durag” is the ninth track and it comes about twenty minutes into the record. For the set, it was seventh and it came about an hour into the setlist–that’s how jammy the songs were. But wow did Durag sound amazing live–that bass line!
At one pint he asked us if anyone had been in love. There was a mild reaction. He followed it with, has anyone every played Playstation? Which received a much bigger reaction, one that he heartily approved of.
He also asked if anyone like anime. A great setup to his playing the Flying Lotus song “Black Gold“, since he and Flying Lotus worked play the song on the soundtrack for Yasuke about a black samurai.
He only played two songs from “Drunk,” the album that I like best by him, but that’s okay because with these jams, the original song didn’t really matter all that much.
Even though Thundercat talked about the struggles he’s had this year and the last few years, he never stopped smiling through the set. He even signed an album for someone. The audience member waves the vinyl and Thundercat said, no man, then he changed his mind and said You got a pen? Thundercat signed it and tossed it back. It was a cool moment.
One of many at this terrific show.
- Lost in Space / Great Scott / 22-26 ⊕
- Innerstellar Love ⊕
- I Love Louis Cole ⊕
- Overtime (KNOWER cover)
- How Sway ⊕
- Overseas ⊕
- Dragonball Durag ⊕
- Black Gold (Flying Lotus cover)
- A Message for Austin ∇
- Got a Match? (Chick Corea Band cover)
- Jethro §
- Existential Dread ⊕
- Them Changes §
- Funny Thing ⊕
⊕ It Is What It Is
§ “Drunk”
∇ Apocalypse
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