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ACL aftershow: Gnarls Barkely at Stubb’s
The stage wardrobe was more conventional than the “Star Wars”- and “Clockwork Orange”-inspired garb they’ve sported before — just tan sport coats for the bandleaders and waiter-like outfits for their colleagues — which put Gnarls Barkley in line with the packed crowd, many of whom (women especially) were primped enough that they couldn’t have been spillover from the day’s ACL shows.
Performing in advance of their Sunday showcase, the band tore energetically through songs from their two albums, making even their Violent Femmes cover “Gone Daddy Gone” sound uncontrived. While their supporting musicians flailed and jumped around, Danger Mouse (a.k.a. Brian Burton) hid behind shades and worked quietly at his vintage organ. Vocalist Cee-Lo Green made up for DM’s calmness, milking drama even out of the act of wiping sweat from his bald scalp.
The show began with “The Odd Couple” opener “Charity Case,” and was highlighted by “Run (I’m a Natural Disaster),” where lyrics were fused into long polysyllabic strings, and “Suicide,” whose emotionally intense delivery had Green’s body spasming along with the guitar and drums. Claiming “my throat’s not so good tonight” (a complaint belied by his robust performance), Green let the crowd do much of the singing on their hit song “Crazy,” which came near the end of the set, but he was back in full voice for an encore including “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” and “Smiley Faces.”
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