Garrett Nutgrass

Chicks and dudes, who you think is really kicking tunes? TL;DR: I left my 4th Gorillaz show last night thinking this may be the most complete version of the project I’ve ever seen.

It was a most epic production that took the visual arts, lighting, and musicians to a synchronization we haven’t seen before…and potentially wasn’t even possible 2 tours ago. Live performers blended on top of the video animations, and visual overlay effects vibrated over the musicians as they strung notes.

There’s always a song on a new Gorillaz LP I’m just not vibing with until I see it in its concert setting, and that’s what happened with ‘Delirium’. For the first breakdown, Damon pushed the onscreen Mountain-shaped frame outward as the full band and visuals went haywire. Talk about feeling high while being completely sober. Things moved so fast I was able to (barely) hold it together during Orange County. I can really feel the loss of a family member whenever I hear it.

In the church of Gorillaz, we are not want for guests. Chicago was given some particularly special tributes and surprises throughout the night. The setlist featured a rare pop-out of the legendary Jamie Principle, the full Deetron 3030 crew on their original Gorillaz debut album tracks, and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble for 2 Plastic Beach tracks. Lastly, we were lucky to have an emotional Peven Everett for Strobelite and Stylo after recently surpassing a lung-cancer treatment milestone, and who we haven’t seen on any stops since the 2022 tour.

At the end, as somewhere between 20 to 30 musicians all took their bow, Damon said, “Until next time, Chicago”. Here’s to hoping it’s not another 4 years.