Things Got Spicy In Charlotte With Tenacious D

The D Delivers On The Spicy Meatball Tour

The comedic rock geniuses of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, known collectively as Tenacious D, are back on the attack with The Spicy Meatball Tour. Recently, they hit up the PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte for an evening of music and laughter that was truly epic.

The duo formed back in 1994 and has been blowing our minds with their witty banter and kick-ass rock ever since. As the actors got more and more successful in their film and television careers, they kept forging ahead with their music giving us the movie Tenacious D In The Pick of Destiny and its accompanying soundtrack. This full-blown motion picture feature and album skyrocketed the D to cult superstardom. Tenacious D followed up the success of the movie with two more albums Rize of the Fenix and Post-Apocalypto. The last few months have been busy ones for the band with the release of a brand new song “Video Games” as well as a cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” along with hitting the road for The Spicy Meatball Tour. And if that isn’t enough D for you, the duo will also be releasing The Official Tenacious D Coloring Book which is available for pre-order here.

It’s been four years since Tenacious D has toured so fans were more than excited to see the duo live and in concert and what a concert it was. Opening up the show was comedian, actor, writer, and musician Dave Hill. It can sometimes be difficult for comedy to translate to a large venue but Hill hit the stage hard making his appearance wheeling in on a tricycle complete with a safety helmet. His efforts were frantic at first, messing with the fog machines and the lights in a whirlwind of motion and activity. As soon as the dust settled, we were treated to some hilarious stuff and when Hill strapped on his electric guitar it was go time. He definitely is a talented musician and knows how to work that guitar. Swinging his microphone around wildly, Hill had us laughing and longing for more and it was a great kick-off to the evening’s adventures.

After a short break, it was finally the moment we had all been waiting for…Tenacious D! The backing band took their places on stage and then Gass and Black walked out as the crowd roared in appreciation. Both took their places behind their mic stands and the party was on.

Getting started with “Kickapoo,” Black and Gass wasted no time getting the crowd amped up. The two would come together in the center of the stage, jamming on their guitars with Black’s hair wildly flowing as he headbanged along.

The D’s set was everything we wanted it to be and more. The actors have their comedic routine down pat and half of the fun of the evening was listening to the back and forth between the two and Black’s remarks to the audience. Of course, this is a rock duo so what about the music? Well, Gass is quite the accomplished guitarist and Black’s vocals work exceptionally well with their material. Add in a talented backing group of musicians and according to Black, you had the best rock band in the world. I’m sure there are some who would disagree with his comment in theory, but on this night, he was 100 percent correct. The D kicked ass!

We also had a great stage setup complete with lights and fog, and all the bells and whistles you would expect from a major rock show. Some of the highlights of the evening included Kyle pretending to quit the band, my favorite Tenacious D tune “Roadie,” and Black singing a snippet of James Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind.” Black is such a talented guy and his facial expressions and animated movements really pack a punch.

Of course, the piece de resistance came at the end of the night during the final song of the encore as the D does what they do best, rocking us out as we laughed our asses off and sang along, fists in the air to “Fuck Her Gently.” There are a few dates left on this short swing of dates for The Spicy Meatball Tour. Do yourself a favor and go get spicy with the D.

See the Full Gallery of the Evening Here!

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