Gnarls Barkley

Avalon Ballroom

8/11/06

Yes, everyone loves Gnarls Barkley. Your parents, your little cousins, your annoying co-workers – EVERYONE.  Some people might wonder if the dynamic duo of Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo are headed straight for the pop culture time capsule once Baby New Year 2007 soils its first diaper. Well, based on their live act, I can only hope the boys stay together for a little while longer.

As everyone and their mothers also know by now, the songs off St. Elsewhere are simultaneously catchy and dark.  But thoughts of suicide and alienation have rarely sounded this exciting, this danceable (or the white Bostonite equivalent of danceable).  Avalon was packed to the overpriced bars with people looking to have a good night, and the band, decked out in matching white tennis gear, gave us a better time than the Sox did for the fans across the street (yes, I said it – I’m a Mets fan anyway). 

As my friend pointed out, what was most surprising about the crowd was the fact that most people seemed to know the entirety of the band’s record – people near us were requesting songs like “Transformer” (which the band eventually delivered, slowed down beautifully, at the onset of its encore). It’s also hard to be a popular band with only one record under your belt, but the delivery of the goods, just out of sequence enough and via a surprisingly tight band, left little time to play ‘Guess the Song?’ Well, that AND the steady supply of overpriced cans of Amstel Light. 

“Crazy” was trotted out at around the halfway point – and you know what? It still sounds fantastic after all these months of incessant radio play.  For those keeping score at home, the last song of the night was current single (and my favorite track on the record) “Smiley Faces.”  Surprise cover of the night was The Doors’ “Who Scared You;” a bit of a curve ball, as Cee-Lo set it up by asking the crowd if we liked the band. We do, man, but we’re apparently more casual fans than devotees, as people seemed confused. Or maybe I was just drunk.

Prior to Friday night’s performance, I was a bit of a Doubting Thomas-I was griping about the price of tickets ($35 bucks each!) and the potential for a terrible “I’m here to be seen” crowd.  While I could have wished for more deodorant, overall the night was a resounding success.  I recently read that Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse had discussed doing the tour with a DJ – thank GOD they didn’t go that route.  Mr. Soul Machine commanded his minions with some mighty pipes, and the record translated better than I could have imagined. The only low point of the evening was the look on the bartender’s face when I paid for my last beer in change.  And I think I can live with that.

-- Jim McGrath