Thundercat caught my attention with his 2015 release, Lone Wolf/Where the Giants Roam and continues to keep me intrigued today. Whether he was collabing with the late Mac Miller or releasing a chopped and screwed version of Drunk, he continues to showcase his broad musical tastes and deliver unmatched energy. The new single, Dragonball Durag, is a perfect example.
Before tonight, I’d only caught Thundercat for his set at Camp Flog Gnaw last year. Michael McDonald joined the stage to perform “Show me the Way” and treated the crowd to McDonald’s own “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near).” In my opinion, one of the top moments of the festival! Sadly, it was overshadowed by Millenials booing Drake off stage. Needless to say, I was psyched for this show and ready to see Thundercat deliver to the Fox Theatre in Oakland.
I was only familiar with the opener, Guapdad 4000, from his appearance at the Grammys earlier this year. His outfit included a grey suit accompanied by a Metallic durag with a train long enough to grace the red carpet. Combining hood culture and elegance to be showcased on a mainstream platform and I love to see it.
As attendees are pouring into The Fox Theatre, the lights get set for Guapdad 4000 to take the stage. He came dressed to impress yet again, with a 90’s Columbia ski suit and a black durag. From the beginning, this Bay Area native delivered his tracks with nothing but energy. Growing up around the way in West Oakland, he took some time to drop knowledge to the crowd and explain how his accomplishments are accomplishments for the city. This very prideful intro leads into the DJ dropping “Costa Rica” off of Revenge of the Dreamers III and the crowd goes crazy.
At this point in his set, it was time to show off his new haircut by unwrapping the durag for a wave check! He also challenged the crowd with a moshpit to win an ongoing bet between him and Thundercat. This was gladly accepted by a good chunk of fans who managed to get the job done. “Gucci Pajamas” off his latest album was the second to last track before closing out with an acapella freestyle. The song features some heavy hitters; Charlie Wilson and Chance The Rapper. If you haven’t checked out his 2019 album, Dior Deposits, you’re in for a real treat.
As the crowd waits, a crew member comes onstage to bring out Thundercat’s infamous pink bass and we all cheer with excitement. A few moments later Thundercat strolls out with pigtails and platform converse ready to deliver for the night. After performing a few new tracks, he tells a story about how the late Austin Peralta cleverly tricked himself and Louis Cole into playing a show together in LA. Luckily, from that point, the bromance grew so much Thundercat put it into a song titled “I Love Louis Cole.” The energy delivered during this set was astounding and hard not to notice. As we all stand in amazement while watching him play bass, it’s clear that music is deeply rooted within. A feeling that can’t be denied when watching Thundercat live.
The highly anticipated “Dragonball Durag” was next on the setlist and boy were we in for a treat with this one. In the middle of the song, Guapdad 4000 came onto the stage to demonstrate to the audience how to properly tie a durag, with Dragonballs on it of course. It was such a cool take on the performance and left Guapdad kneeling on stage just admiring Thundercat play. As we all were, it was truly amazing.
Now that the audience is completely drawn in it was time to dive into some of what got us all here in the first place. He played “A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song Suite II)” and towards the end of the song jokingly mixed in E-40’s “B*tch.” This was so fitting for the Bay Area stop. 30 seconds of hyphyness never hurt anyone and Thundercat was here to remind us of it. At this time, he took it back even further to play the “Tron Song” off his Apocalypse album. This song, in my opinion, he shreds and then ends so gracefully, almost ballad-like.
The next song, “Friend Zone,” is dedicated to the late Mac Miller anytime it’s played and it truly melts my heart. I always appreciated how much Thundercat honors Mac and can’t help but to get in my feelings watching him. He always credits him for changing his life after his passing and there are definite emotions while watching him vibe out to this track.
I can’t tell you exactly why, but there was a point towards the end of the show where Thundercat and a group of us close to the stage were suddenly doing the ChaCha slide. It seemed like something he thought was going to fly by until he realized members of the crowd were more than ready to ChaCha one time. He then proceeded to close out the show with Mac Miller’s “What’s The Use.” Everyone is on cloud 9 until we realize the crazy trip we were on is ending. Nevertheless, Thundercat wasn’t leaving without delivering an encore. He and his band took to the stage one more time to close out to the track “Oh Sheit, it’s X.” An especially funky closing that left us all two stepping out of the Fox Theatre
Mark your calendars! Thundercat’s new album, It Is What It Is, is set to release April 3rd. As if we needed any convincing, the new tracks have me eager to listen to the album all the way through. 2020 has been crazy so far and as an avid concert-goer, my inbox has been hit up with too many cancellation/postponement emails. I’m so happy to have been able to catch this one before we’re quarantined until further notice. Nonetheless, everyone stay safe out there and remember to wash your hands!
