Gorillaz bring the Beach to the Garden

October 8, 2010, at Madison Square Garden

By Bonnie Thurston
Published: October 11th, 2010 | 12:00pm

During a Late Night with David Letterman appearance a day earlier, Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn said, “I’ve been waiting for tomorrow night my whole life.” The following evening, he brought the Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour to the infamous Madison Square Garden, where his band played to an enthusiastic crowd for nearly two hours.

N.E.R.D. opened the show but the band’s high energy sadly seemed lost on a largely empty arena. Those who arrived early, though, were treated to a 28-minute set that featured the singles “Hypnotize U” and “Hot-n-Fun” from the forthcoming Nothing (Interscope).

After a short break with a visit from former MTV VJ Matt Pinfield, the headliners emerged, led by the energetic Albarn, more than a dozen musicians, and yes, 2D, Noodle, and the rest of the virtual characters that comprise Gorillaz.

Along with a seemingly endless parade of guest artists, the touring band features De La Soul as well as Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, founding members of the Clash. The two are both featured on the title track to the this year’s Plastic Beach (Virgin), a recording that marked the first time the two have worked together since the Clash’s Combat Rock (CBS/Epic).

A large screen above the stage played videos for some of the band’s best known tracks, including “19-2000” and “Clint Eastwood,” as well as new video by Gorillaz co-creator, Jamie Hewlett, which helped weave the Plastic Beach narrative. The crowd spanned generations—pre-teen animation lovers, alternative rock fans in their 20s and 30s, Clash fans in their 40s, and beyond—and they were on their feet for much of the show. Albarn clearly relished every moment of it, engaging with the audience, playfully showering the front rows with bottled water, and encouraging them to sing along with him. He jumped around the stage and could not mask his delight while flanked by Jones and Simonon during “On Melancholy Hill.”

In the days leading up to the show, it was announced Plastic Beach guest vocalists Mos Def, Bobby Womack, and Lou Reed would join the band on stage. Despite the warm reception from the crowd, Reed, who performed “Some Kind of Nature,” seemed completely miserable. The feedback from his guitar didn’t help the situation and this living legend managed to provide one of the night’s only lowlights. Mos Def was inspired as he performed “Sweepstakes,” looking every bit the part of a carnival barker with his silk-lined cape, and Miho Hatori brought Noodle to life when she joined the band for “19-2000.” While most of the special guests who joined the band were familiar to fans, Albarn was perhaps most excited about a collective of Arab musicians traveling with them across the U.S. Their beautiful performance on “White Flag” was particularly poignant.

In all, fans were treated to more than 20 songs on what hype-man Pinfield promised would be an historic evening. As it turned out, the night that Damon Albarn had waited his whole life for was—curmudgeonly Lou Reed notwithstanding—a rousing success.