Live Review: Gnarls and the Chili Peppers

TAMPA -- It was the best-dressed band vs. the notoriously naked band.

Two brainy pop weirdos against four too-cool punk-funkers.

Or simply, one of the hottest new groups opening for one of the hottest veteran groups.

The juicy plot lines were myriad at the St. Pete Times Forum on Sunday, as the possibly insane sonic scientists in Gnarls Barkley joined randy rock stars the Red Hot Chili Peppers for a raucous, sloppy but highly inspired double-bill in front of 16,947 rowdies.

If you've never heard of Gnarls Barkley, you certainly know the duo's ubiquitous hit: Crazy was THE song of '06, a pop oddity about misplacing one's marbles that introduced portly soul singer Cee-Lo Green and tall, silent Danger Mouse, the beat-making DJ who first made headlines by blending the Beatles' White Album with Jay-Z's Black Album for a concoction called The Grey Album.

GB's platinum debut, 2006's sublime St. Elsewhere, was a swirling blend of rock, techno, hip-hop and sociopathic tendencies. But wait, it gets weirder: Cee-Lo and Mr. Mouse, fully indulging their split-personality schtick, have taken to performing in theme costumes, including sartorial nods to Star Wars, A Clockwork Orange and Austin Powers.

What would the dudes wear this night? Hitting the stage right at the 7:30 ticket time, and with the crowd still trickling in, Cee-Lo, Danger Mouse and a 10-piece backing band strutted out in boarding-school uniforms and headmaster jackets, Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall cranking. If you couldn't guess the gimmick, allow Cee-Lo to explain: "Unfortunately, Gnarls Barkley couldn't be here tonight, so we're gonna cover some of their tunes. We are, of course, the School of Rock!"

They then kicked into Go-Go Gadget Gospel, a cacophonous, cartoonish but highly entertaining racket, with Danger Mouse working the bleeping keyboard consoles, Cee-Lo howling behind the mike and the rest of the band flipping out. The sound was muddled and too loud, proof that Gnarls is better as a studio act. But hey, you just can't look away from these guys.

The band worked through most of St. Elsewhere, with the less-nuanced, more rock-centered songs playing best. The Boogie Monster was straight out of a creature double-feature, a menacing track with a mind-messing twist. A thumping cover of the Violent Femmes' Gone Daddy Gone was a bona fide rumpshaker, with a nubile string section (called the G Strings, no less) dropping their instruments and flipping their hair.

And finally, as the 40-minute set wore down, there was this: "This song is the reason that I am rich and famous today," Cee-Lo cracked as the band jumped into the spooky groove of Crazy. Cee-Lo uncorked that soul-town howl, and the crowd crooned along. Gnarls need to work on their live sound, but man, those nutters make for good theater.

Closing in on 25 years together, SoCal's Peppers celebrated '06 with double album Stadium Arcadium, proof that the men who once bounced around in nothing but tube socks had matured musically but still maintained that frisky party appeal. The quartet has also conquered a few demons along the way, including drug problems that almost felled a couple of the players.

So what wouldn't they wear tonight? For gnomish bassist Flea, a shirt was out of the question. But the rest of the crew was considerably bundled: drummer Chad Smith in mechanic's garb, guitarist John Frusciante in shirt and pants, and long-haired frontman Anthony Kiedis in black workout wear. But the lack of skin didn't mean the bounding boys had mellowed any.

RHCP opened with Can't Stop, one of their trademark fast-hard hits, blending rappish aggression with a golden-sunset melody. Just as good was followup smash Dani California, a surf-mystic ode to their home, complete with a sing-along chorus that sent the throngs into an early frenzy.

The two-hour set's highlights were Frusciante and a totally awesome light show, the two often working in tandem. During his solo on Scar Tissue, his picking merged beautifully with the IMAX-sized backdrop, four square-dancing video screens and tendrils of light that stretched over the crowd.

The band's songs have a tendency to blend into one another (especially the non-hits), and the setlist's midsection was too heavy with murky jams and related noodling. But give the quartet credit for trying to sell each song as an epic.

The Peppers chugged on, losing some crowd energy along the way but regaining it twofold with a set-closing version of the thunderous By the Way and encores of lovely ballad Under the Bridge and the bombastic rage of Give It Away.

You can say a lot about Gnarls and the Peppers. But you can't say you were bored.

Comments

[Chris M.]

I'd definetly like to see Gnarls again in a more intimate setting and not as an opening show. Maybe an outside venue. They still put on a fun show.
The Chili Peppers were awesome too. I loved the light show setup! I still wanted to hear more from the new album but I guess the setlist was okay.