It’s been more than a decade since rock/comedy duo Tenacious D performed in Charlotte, and more than 20 years since the frontmen spent some time in the Queen City to film Shallow Hal, but more on that in a moment. On Tuesday night, frontmen Kyle Gass and Jack Black brought the music and comedy to PNC Music Pavilion as the band kicked off the latest leg of their Spicy Meatball Tour.
If you’ve seen the duo’s live performances on YouTube, you had a pretty good idea what to expect; Tenacious D rocked hard, but also offered up a handful of skits that rarely deviated from the script. Black and Gass did note that they shot the publicity photos for their first album in Charlotte, and how incredibly hot it was on Tuesday night.
Throughout their 80-minute set, the dynamic duo performed an array of music from their four albums, including fan favorites “Tribute,” “Double Team,” and “Fuck Her Gently.” Black offered up his “Sax-a-Boom” toy saxophone routine while Gass directly competed with his larger “Max-a-Boom.”
Credit must be given to Black and Gass who gave the three members of their backing band each time to solo, brought their roadies out for a bow (twice), and even gave recognition to the sound engineer and lighting guy. I’ve been to hundreds of shows, but this is the first time I’ve seen a “light solo.”
Fun trivia: When Black and Gass were in town filming Shallow Hal in 2001, as Black recalled to WSOC’s Joe Bruno before the show on Wednesday, he enjoyed a regular game of shuffleboard at some unnamed bar. Matt McKenzie, a past Nerve contributor and as credible as they come on Charlotte Twitter, later identified the bar as Jillian’s in South End. Still no word on which “frisbee golf field” (read: disc golf course) Black played on.
Tenacious D setlist
Kickapoo
Low Hangin’ Fruit
Rize of the Fenix
Wonderboy
Tribute
Video Games
The Metal
Sax-a-Boom
Roadie
Dude (I Totally miss You)
Wicked Game
Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)
Double Team
Encore
Master Exploder
The Spicy Meatball Song
Fuck Her Gently
Be sure to check out Queen City Nerve’s Soundwave, Charlotte’s most comprehensive live music listing, so you don’t miss out on any shows or concerts coming up. And hell, if you’re looking for something else to do, you can check out our events page as well, which runs the gamut of things to do in Charlotte. You don’t ever have to be bored again. You can check out more of Jeff’s pics and live reviews here.
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