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Gnarls Barkley (Friday, 4:30 p.m. AT&T Stage)
“Hello. We’re John Nash and the Beautiful Minds,” announced Cee-Lo Green as his band, Gnarls Barkley, strutted out in lab coats and bow ties, dressed more like mad professors than musicians.
Gnarls Barkley (Green, along with Danger Mouse), with their psychedelic, positive-vibration soul, was possibly the most highly anticipated performance of the entire festival. They did not disappoint.
Thousands of people made an exodus across the newly matted grass of Zilker Park about 30 minutes before Gnarls even graced the stage. The band’s “Crazy” has become the undisputed anthem of the summer, and everyone was waiting to hear it. But the beautiful thing was that — in the tradition of spontaneous, DJ-fueled hip-hop performances — they even remixed “Crazy” a touch. It surfaced as just one of their many three-minute soul/pop gems.
“We want to try to create positive energy: uplifting, enlightening, oneness,” shouted Cee-Lo during one of his many spirited, in-between-song banter sessions. “I’m putting a spell on you. I want you to love me!”
And love him they did. The audience sang along with him to songs from “St. Elsewhere.” And the players gave a nod to their influences with cover songs, including Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me With Science,” the Greenhornes’ “There’s an End” and a rare Doors song, “Who Scared You?”
By the time the band played “Transformers” near the end of the set, it was clear that Gnarls Barkley will not be a one-hit wonder, nor just another of DJ Danger Mouse’s multiple side projects.
(photo by Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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