Double-headliners Tenacious D and The Strokes delivered powerful sets to a sold-out RIMAC Arena on Tuesday night.
Guardian
Jack Black, lead vocalist for Tenacious D, proclaimed that “”no night has ever been more monumental”” in terms of the musical talents slated for one show. He likened the concert to one in which Bach would open for Mozart.
That said, Black and bandmate Kyle Gass launched into a set that had the crowd screaming disdainful obscenities, dancing to the music and breaking into hysterics at the onstage antics.
“”The D”” exercised their vocal range. The singers’ voices beautifully reached high notes, and aggressively barked lyrics about Burrito Supremes, toilet humor and ways for a man to gently please a woman.
Guardian
Tenacious D took a short hiatus backstage while the crowd watched a 10-minute film that chronicled a Jim Morrison-inspired retreat to the desert for inspiration. Instead of insights, Black had a placebo trip when he mistook a pregnancy test for LSD, and Kyle delivered a “”butt baby.””
The Strokes transformed the night from comedy to pure rock ‘n’ roll. The group treated the crowd to a set list peppered with new songs. The unreleased “”The Way It Is”” began The Strokes’ set and immediately had the crowd on its feet while the pounding bass resounded through the venue.
Two more new songs, “”Meet Me in the Bathroom”” and “”New York City Cops,”” met obvious crowd approval. When the familiar “”Is This It,”” the title track to the band’s debut album, was played after a short greeting from lead vocalist Julian Casablancas, those on the floor yelled in excitement.
The energy level was rising as the band chain-smoked through the 14-song set. Though The Strokes drank beer and acted as if they were in a garage session, their sound and stage presence were more than enough to fill RIMAC.
Guitarist Nick Valensi roamed the stage from drummer Fabrizio Moretti’s platform to a strip of stage in front of the speakers while he crisply plucked at his guitar strings. During a fast-paced electric rendition of “”Someday,”” Casablancas fell back onto the floor.
As soon as The Strokes concluded a commanding “”Take It or Leave It,”” guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. took cue from The Who and began to smash the equipment onstage.
When the band had cleared the stage and Moretti jumped off his platform for a quick crowd surf, the only things remaining untouched were three half-full Coronas. Thirsty for more, concert-goers desperately tried to get these relics from the stage to remember the “”monumental night.””
