Glasgow, Scotland – It’s been 12 years since we’ve had the pleasure of watching Jack Black and Kyle Gass rocking out as Tenacious D, and the sold-out crowd at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow were clearly ready to party hard. Warming up the crowd for the forthcoming festivities was Dave Hill, racing onto the stage on a BMX and launching into a mix of guitar frenzy/comedy whilst wielding nunchucks. He’d clearly done his research on his audience and tailored his act for a Scottish crowd.
When The D finally hit the stage the venue erupted, and they launched into “Kickapoo”, from the soundtrack to their film The Pick of Destiny. This was followed by “Low Hangin’ Fruit”, “Rize of the Fenix” and “Wonderboy”, which had everyone joining in. “Tribute”, though, had the crowd singing to the rafters and it hits you again that Tenacious D are an incredible band, technically and with their stage presence, and that they’re not just a spoof group or a side project for its members.
Blending the classical guitar of KG with Jack’s rock chords and their all encompassing love of metal, the incredible musicianship of the whole band is a wonderful thing to behold. Yes, there are the obvious comedic elements to their lyrics (not for the kids!) but these guys seriously know how to play, and it is clearly done with a truly heartfelt love for the genre.
Jack leaps about the stage with boundless energy and it’s clear he was born to rock mightily, throwing out all the moves you’d expect of a bona fide rockstar. The songs kept flowing, with “Video Games” and “The Metal” (accompanied by a stage dance off with the giant robot Metal) and a “Saxaboom” dual.
It was great to see the roadies getting their due credit with “Roadie” (shout outs to Dana, Chris and Lance for their efforts), and an unexpected band breakup mid set led to an emotional rendition of “Dude (I Totally Miss You)”. It wouldn’t be a Tenacious D show without a battle with the dark side, and a shredding version of “Beezleboss (The Final Showdown)” made sure that the giant inflatable Satan was sent back where he belongs. All the musicians got the opportunity to show us their skills with solos on “Double Team” – John Spiker on bass, John Konesky on electric guitar, Scott Seiver on drums and a lighting solo (different) and the soundboards legendary solo of “one two, one two”. Jack then did his solo with a surprise version of “Turn” by Travis, a much appreciated nod to a great local band.
The encore was a surprise with the first performance on this tour of “Throw Down”, followed by the incredible “Master Exploder”. All through the show the pyro effects had been, for want of a better description, amusingly awful – firing at all the wrong moments much to the bands annoyance. Cue the introduction of Biffy Pyro, the tech, who begged forgiveness as he was just so nervous at performing with his idols. With one final shot at Biffys redemption, the band sang their anthem “Fuck Her Gently”, with lights held around the stadium and couples hugging whilst singing along. As the song drew to an epic close, Biffy finally nailed the pyros and send the band offstage to a display that would make any effects tech proud.
I sang, I danced, and I laughed more than I have in some time lately, and I think that goes for most of the audience too. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait another 12 years to see The D back on our stage again so we can rock our socks off.
Kickapoo
Low Hangin’ Fruit
Rize of the Fenix
Wonderboy
Tribute
Video Games
The Metal
Saxaboom
Roadie
Dude (I Totally Miss You)
Wicked Game
Beezelboss (The Final Showdown)
Double Team
