The thing about Tenacious D is, you never really know what you’re gonna get, but you always know what to expect.
Jack Black and Kyle Glass literally rocked up to the 3Arena in Dublin on Sunday night for their triumphant Irish return on their Spicy Meatball Tour, and it was everything you’d expect, and a whole lot more…chaos.
As soon as comedian Dave Hill cycled onto the stage on his tiny BMX then jumped off, did a bunch of high kicks and then pulled out a set of nunchuks, all bets were off.
After warming up the crowd with his absolute hilarious nonsense, Wonderboy and Young Nasty Man walked out to the kind of reception you would expect for two kings returning from years at war.
To say the place erupted, would be an understatement.
It’s a testament to the appeal of Jack Black and his self proclaimed ‘greatest band in the world’ when you take a look around one of their gigs and see one of the most diverse crowds you’ll ever see. From kids to parents, metal heads to farmers, it’s clear that everyone loves The D.
One of the most amazing things I’ve ever witnessed at a concert was the entire 3 Arena singing a note perfect rendition of ‘Tribute’, and even more rare is that they knew all the words.
Although that’s probably not surprising given that during the summer of 2001 you couldn’t escape the song, no matter where you were.
It seems to be ingrained in everyone’s DNA at this stage.
The gig itself, was fantastic. From Blacks usual high energy shenanigans, to Glass playing the songs, and the straight man to Blacks jester, they were also backed up by a full band who added so much to the overall sound, especially in ‘Wonderboy’, a personal highlight of the evening.
Add to that you had a running gag about an idiot pyrotechnic engineer ‘Biffy Pyro’ that incorporated a massive arc of flames…as a joke, a giant devil on a throne and then even a big gold robot stomping round the stage.
The band didn’t waste any time with bringing out the big guns, knowing they had the crowd in the palm of their hands, and determined on keeping them there. They even threw in a fantastic cover of Thin Lizzy at the start, just in case.
You forget how many classics The D have under their belts, but Sunday nights show was a reminder of this, and also how much they still know how to ROCK!
An excellent gig, but you probably knew that already, cos by the look of it the whole country was there.
Dave Hill photos:
Tenacious D photos & set-list:
Set-list:
Intro Overture (John King song) (Andrew Gross/John King, The Pick of Destiny’s opening credits)
Kickapoo
Low Hangin’ Fruit
Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy cover) (Kyle takes lead vocals)
Rize of the Fenix
Wonderboy
Tribute
Video Games
The Metal
Sax-a-Boom
Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty song) (Kyle’s ‘Max-a-Boom’ solo)
Roadie
Dude (I Totally Miss You)
Wicked Game (Chris Isaak cover)
Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)
Double Team (with Black performing a snippet of “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” by U2)
Play Video
Encore:
Master Exploder
The Spicy Meatball Song
Fuck Her Gently
Photos & words – David McEeanery