Last night I saw Tenacious D in concert at the UIC Pavilion and I was totally blown away by Jack Black and his partner Kyle Gass’ chubby genius. I have listed the ten commandments of the D here so you can get an idea of the philosophy behind the magic. 10 Commandments of the D
1. Never stop Rocking.
2. Legalize all drugs.
3. Quit your day job.
4. All Religion should be taxed.
5. Cut down on carbohydrates.
6. Fuck her gently.
7. Never believe what people tell you after a show.
8. Always take a spoon full of Metamucil after a heavy day of eating.
9. Get at least 9 hours of sleep a day.
10. Eatin' ain't cheatin'.
The show opened with Jack Black and partner Kyle Glass rolling out of a sofa bed together in a living room setting that evoked the early days when they began playing together in a studio apartment. Then the story begins: After inviting the crowd to their living room by playing a few classic D’s on their acoustics like “Wonderboy”, super fan Lee emerges onto the stage and chills with the band, smoking a bong while sitting on the couch behind the two performers. Soon after Lee leaves, JB (Jack Black) gives KG (Kyle Gass) a gift – a homemade electric guitar with wires dangling from every direction. As JB goes to plug the instrument into a floor outlet, he complains of the spilt beer on the ground left by Lee. Then, just as he inserts the plug – ZAP!!! Lights flicker and mini explosions take place until, all of a sudden - silence. The stage goes dark and blue light fills the crowd while chords associated with death are played. Finally, we see our two rock heroes on a giant movie screen as they discover they are in Hell. So, after the realization sets in. the first thing JB and KG do is form a band with the Anti-Christ on guitar, Col. Sanders on drums and Charlie Chaplin (who is in Hell for being gay) on bass. The next thing we know, the projection screen is dropped and the set explodes into a full rock extravaganza, set in flaming HELL.
The first thing I noticed about the band was how WELL they can all actually play, including Jack and Kyle. I’ve heard them many times and knew they were talented, but actually watching them live left me no doubt whatsoever as to how accomplished the musical ability of Tenacious D really is. Jack and Kyle sang their complicated lyrics and harmonies over their complicated picking and arrangements, while performing at a premium level that included top-notch physical comedy, effortlessly and with high-level precision. JR Reed, who played multiple roles as the devil, a giant mushroom, and his beer-spilling number one fan, Lee, was also very funny and moves and sang very well.
Finally, after rocking out with every Tenacious D favorite in the fiery depths of Hell, JB and KG challenged the devil to a “Rock off” whereas, if the two were to win, they would be granted their lives back on Earth. However, if they were to lose, Kyle would be doomed to a life in “Double Hell” as Satan’s bitch (this was quickly volunteered by JB when the devil asked what he would get if he were to win). Thus the battle of rock began – Tenacious D vs. Satan – a battle that was truly entertaining until its’ triumphant end.
I was expecting more comedy than rock but I was pleasantly surprised to find both in equal measure. As the pot smoke in the audience swirled sweetly around me, I was transported back in time by Jack's wonderful, naive energy to the late seventies when my older brothers pranced around in their underwear, playing air guitar and declaring themselves the greatest band in the world.
Again, Jack Black has an amazing amount of talent, not only playing very complex parts but also delivering comedy left and right while singing in pitch with good vibrato!
After departing from the stage after their climactic finale in Hell, the band returned for an encore starting off with “Fuck Her Gently” and then followed it with the greatest song in the world “Tribute”. Before exiting the stage for the final time Tenacious D treated the fans to a heartfelt medley of The Who’s “Pinball Wizard” and “See Me, Feel Me”. As fans filed for the exits, faces were gleaming and phrases like “awesome”, “holy shit”, “that was unbelievable” were being thrown around as the awareness began to set in that we may have just seen “The greatest rock show in the world”. Can I grade this? A+!!!
There are so many great jokes hidden in their songs it is hard to catch them all unless you know them by heart but here are a few of my faves:
From "Fuck Her Gently":
That's cool with me
Its not my favorite
But I'll do it for you
What’s your favorite dish?
I’m not gonna cook it
But ill order it from Zanzibar
And then I'm gonna love you completely
From "The Government Totally Sucks":
Ben Franklin was a rebel indeed
He liked to get naked while he smoked on the weed
He was a genius but if he was here today
The government would fuck him up his righteous A!
And from "Explosivo":
Climb upon my faithful steed,
Then we gonna ride,
gonna smoke some weed.
Climb upon my big-ass steed,
And ride, ride, ride.
And because I actually DRIVE a Cutlass Supreme I have to quote their song "History":
We rei-eign, supreme, ooooh god!!
Burrito supreme, and a chicken supreme
And a cutlass supreme
Supreeeeeme yeaaaaaah!!!!
After the gut busting fatigue of the Thanksgiving Holiday seeing Tenacious D in concert was the perfect tonic to wake my sleepy ass up. Thank God for Jack Black and Kyle Glass for the inspiration to carry on rocking, smoking and eating! Tenacious D are on tour until January 19th and you can see clips from their hysterical new movie on their website at www.tenaciousd.com. But like JB and KG said last night – “Just go to the movie!”
