By David Farrier
:: Gorillaz
:: Vector Arena, Auckland
:: December 21, 2010
Everyone that packed into Auckland’s Vector Arena knew they were watching something quite special on Tuesday night, but it all hit home when ringleader Damon Albarn told us this would be the last show.
He told us he hoped the “collective” of Gorillaz would rise again, but chances are, it wouldn’t.
“How did we end up here?” he asked. We didn’t really know, but we were glad he (and the 20+ musicians he brought with him) had.
Vector is big, but perhaps not big enough for the Gorillaz set. I recently saw them perform in Perth where they had a giant lighting rig shot up above the hi-def screen in an inverted V, like the top of a church. At Vector, it simply wouldn’t fit.
Alas, no matter, the spectacle still translates: The musicians on stage back lit by a beautiful panel of lights; Above this, the crowd screamed when the name GORILLAZ is spelt in giant fluro letters; And above this, the screen – pumping out the strangely dark images that Gorillaz co-founder Jamie Hewlett has created over the years.
It’s a journey that reminds us how far this band has come:, from simple 2D drawings to rich 3D underwater environments – Hewlett transports Vector arena away into the world of the Plastic Beach.
That was an album that divided fans. It was the most expensive Gorillaz had made with orchestras hired and guest musicians abound. Damon has brought practically everyone with him, bar Snoop Dogg. But even though he didn’t bring him physically, Snoop appears larger than life on the giant screen in a specially-shot segment that kicks the show off. It seemed perhaps a jarring way to start the album, but live, it all feels like a wonderful adventure is about to start.
Gorillaz duck and dive through practically all of the bands third album, tracks like ‘Stylo’ coming to life with a wailing and wonderful Bobby Womack. Little Dragon (the first opening act of the night; shy, charming) floats onto stage and makes ‘Empire Ants’ her own, and Damon demonstrates why ‘Melancholy Hill’ is one of the best songs he’s ever written.
De La Soul become a favourite of the night, their high energy hip-hop busting onto stage and lifting the roof.
At times you wonder what Damon’s nemesis’ of the 90s, Noel and Liam Gallagher, would think of all this. Oasis doesn’t exist anymore, the Gallagher brothers seeming more content to simply shoot their mouths off rather than do anything creative. Albarn has done the opposite: pulled together the most unlikely people and taken them on a world tour.
Damon is emotional during the show. He hugs everyone else on-stage – often more than once – and it’s not just for show. He’s spotted hugging members of the Clash when they take a quick break stage-side for a fag.
He breaks into various little speeches saying how he doesn’t want to “waste time with sentimentality” (this, afterall, sounds like the end of a 10 year touring circus), but he does anyway. He trails off, but his words hit home. He’s happy to be here at the arse-end of the world.
He shows the audience his tattoo (Jamie has it too, as does Mick) – “Das Kunst” – and tells us it means “the art” in German. He says that’s what brought all these great musicians together. For the art.
Damon’s one of modern music’s most charming, talented songwriters and musicians. No doubt he’ll channel his art elsewhere. Blur’s back. Damon’s doing yet another opera with Jamie Hewlett (smaller than Monkey, and weird to boot). And then there’s talk of a new band.
In 2011 I guess we’ll see what that means. In the meantime everyone at Vector knows they witnessed the end of something very special. And they walked away grinning like Murdoch.
3 News
source: newshub archive
