The tulle rock heavyweights return to Norway for a fun evening of cheering, singing, rock and metal
Photo: Anne-Marie Forker
This year marks 30 years since Jack Black and Kyle Gass first put their butts together and formed Tenacious D. The rock duo known for their theatrical songs about legendary rock bands and their own attempts to become one of them, have eventually joked themselves to legendary status in own mind and made a mark as one of the most well-known comedy bands of all time. On the Spicy Meatball Tour, they take Oslo for the first time in 5 years, with the promise of a hard live show with pyrotechnics, powerful riffs and wild humour. This is exactly what the fans were served at Spektrum on Tuesday night.
For those of us who saw the concert in Spektrum in 2019, this was a joyful reunion with a band that was really back on form. Where in 2019, close to an hour of concert time was dedicated to playing their then-current and half-funny Post-Apocalypto series on the big screen, yesterday was rather a rock-solid hit parade with songs primarily from the first three records, plus the occasional gold nugget from newer releases. The band does not delve particularly deep into its catalog for the evening’s set list, but from the songs that are served, the audience has enough to enjoy.
From the moment the opening number “Kickapoo” kicks in, there is a very good atmosphere in the hall. There will be resounding sing-alongs throughout Spektrum, and the fans sing along at the top of their lungs to the many parts of the electric song. The first part of the concert offers one fan favorite after another, from energetic numbers like “Low Hangin’ Fruit” and “Rise of the Phoenix” to the magical and enchanting “Wonderboy”.
Photo: Anne-Marie Forker
The band’s history is reminisced both in the lyrics and in elements between the songs, with the great charmer Jack Black in the lead who leads the show with cheerfulness and infectious energy. For many, it is almost as great to see the Hollywood star in person as it is to see the band play a concert, and he knows how to create a good life on stage. When they burst into the band’s biggest hit “Tribute” and a devil statue comes to life in the background of the stage, there is a passionate performance from everyone in the hall. Even after hearing this song a hundred times, it’s just as great to experience it live, and a clear highlight of the evening.
For the most part, we are served songs from the band’s first three records throughout the evening. The band has been fairly sporadic in releasing new music in recent years, and has primarily released respectable cover songs of their various rock idols plus the occasional original track now and then. Of the self-written songs, the roughly 70-second long “Video Games” is among the most liked, and one that is also well received in Oslo Spektrum. We also get to hear an emotional rendition of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”, a song that has eventually become one of the duo’s most popular on various streaming services. The audience sings along as if it were one of the band’s own songs, with romantic images of JB and KG running along the beach.
The bromance comes into further focus towards the end of “Roadie”, where the band once again plays out the fateful moment when Kyle leaves the band. Half-choked and teary-eyed, Jack Black embarks on “Dude (I Totally Miss You)”, one of the lesser-known gems in the set list but also among the biggest highlights of the evening. With charming features both before and during the songs, the entertainment value remains high throughout the show.
Photo: Anne-Marie Forker
The evening’s heaviest feature comes in the form of “The Metal”, a rock-hard love letter to the metal genre and a riff safari like no other. Here it becomes clear that in addition to fooling around and fooling around, the rock duo really know how to write good riffs, and it becomes impossible to keep one’s head still when the Slayer-inspired closing riff takes us down into the flames of hell.
Throughout the concert, we are also treated to a number of impressive musical asides, from a two-minute “Norwegian jazz” improvisation to extended solos from the entire backing band. Jack Black’s iconic Sax-A-Boom also finds its way onto the stage, and dueling against Kyle’s own Max-A-Boom is one of the funniest moments this evening.
The heavy “Beezlebub” will be another fun and dramatic number, where our heroes challenge the devil himself to a rock duel in their metal-infused version of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. The song is among the band’s best liked and tour guitarist John Konesky does his best as a stand-in for Dave Grohl, but the song unfortunately gets a little less punch from the somewhat less enthusiastic vocals.
Photo: Anne-Marie Forker
The concert is rounded off with a solid Encore with two of the band’s most popular songs. “Master Exploder” becomes a terrific affair with flames and falsettos, where bassist John Spiker contributes the very highest notes. The band then finishes in familiar style with the informative “Fuck Her Gently”, which for decades has taught insecure teenage boys how to do it in bed. A fan favorite and a solid end to the evening, although it’s not necessarily this humor that has held up the best over the years.
Tenacious D delivers an energetic concert that highlights how fun rock music is to experience on the big stage. The guys, who have now been at it for 30 years, still manage to keep things going throughout the evening, and serve up a bigger and more bombastic show than they have ever done on the Norwegian stage. Long-time fans of the band probably missed the occasional song from their catalog when they played a somewhat shorter set than on previous visits to Norway, but what we got to see last night very much lived up to expectations.