“Is this your first time for the D?” asks one of our Pittsburgh Music Magazine writers. “Yes it is”, and after what I experienced it most definitely will not be the last. From the opening ‘encore’ of Rize of the Fenix they had me. The sold out high capacity crowd literally packed every nook and cranny of Stage AE in Pittsburgh’s Northside to see our heroes, JB and KG, otherwise known worldwide as Jack Black and Kyle Gass. For those uninitiated to the ways of the D, these gentlemen have gone back to their roots of two dudes and their acoustics rockin’ out incredibly catchy tunes with gut splitting lyrics. First hitting the scene with the smash hit “Tribute” on their self titled debut, Tenacious D has gone on to release three albums including the latest Rize of the Fenix and their sophomore LP The Pick of Destiny.
The theatrics of both gents had the crowd not only laughing at and with them, but singing every lyric, of every song, and having the time of their lives. By the third song, “Senorita”, I was supremely mad at myself for having never seen them live before. I too was having an amazing time and not ever wanting it to end. How often does one get to rock out and laugh? It’s a delicate combination that many have tried and failed. The D has made a classic model out of it and the joke does not go stale as with most comedic musical acts. Maybe it’s the peppering of cover songs like led Zeppelin’s “Rock n Roll” or The Beatles “You Never Give Me Your Money” mixed with classic routines familiar to their fans like “Dude I Totally Miss You” and sure to be new classics like “Rock is Dead”. Of course the crowd went ape when “Tribute” was played and the finale “Fuck Her Gently”, but they were still bursting at the seams along with lesser known melodies such as “The Ballad of Hollywood Jack and Rage Cage” and “Low Hangin’ Fruit”. The stripped down acoustic tour is an excellent idea, even though it negates my fave tune of theirs, “The Metal”, and proves that you don’t need a bunch of crazy lights and massive screens or even a wall of amps and electric guitars to totally rock…you just need the D.
All photos property of AWeldingphoto/Pittsburgh Music Magazine and Tenacious D ©2013