Review: Gorillaz at Spectrum Center and Shaky Knees Festival

Gorillaz rarely visit the Southeast United States, and when they do it’s typically limited to Atlanta. So when Damon Albarn announced that his long-running electro-pop/hip-hop project would not only stop at the Georgia capital but also in Charlotte over the course of four days, the Asheville Stages team knew it had to be there for both performances.

Touring in support of its excellent, India-infused 2026 album The Mountain, Gorillaz played up those influences as appropriate, beginning the headlining, closing night set of the Shaky Knees Festival on Sept. 20 in Piedmont Park as well as its North Carolina debut on Sept. 23 at the Spectrum Center with the LP’s hypnotic and soothing title track.

While Jamie Hewlett’s projected animations drew raucous cheers (particularly in the Queen City) as each cartoon Gorillaz member popped up on screen, Ajay Prasanna’s bamboo flute and Ayaan Ali Bangash’s hand drums brought a meditative yet charged feeling to the stage as attendees waited for Albarn to join them. But first, we were treated to narration by and the digital face of the late, great Dennis Hopper — one of numerous deceased Gorillaz collaborators whose previously unused contributions were resurrected for the new record.

With the table-setting complete and the full ensemble assembled, Albarn confidently stepped out to the sounds of The Mountain standout “The Happy Dictator.” Clad in military dictator garb, complete with an omnidirectional megaphone-style mic, the frontman was in total entertainer mode, engaging the crowd in the manner of the song’s titular character as video of featured artists Sparks was beamed on the screen — a nice workaround that also “allowed” Black Thought, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, and others to “be” at the shows.

In addition to the colorful backdrop images, Albarn fed off a tremendous full-band sound of rich electronic instrumentation, powerful backup singers, and guitar, bass, and drums nearly as energetic as the vocalist. And though The Mountain understandably received priority treatment at both performances, the nights ultimately played like greatest hits sets with essentially every song that a Gorillaz fan could reasonably expect.

“Last Living Souls,” “19-2000,” “On Melancholy Hill,” and “Kids With Guns” all received passionate takes, augmented by a surprising amount of crowd interaction from Albarn, who made multiple trips down to the photographer pit, embracing fans, taking selfies, and signing autographs without missing a word of lyrics. The climate-controlled arena in Charlotte also meant he didn’t have to shed his camouflage jacket, as was necessary a few songs into the evening Atlanta heat. But regardless of the temperature, he and his crew were wholly dedicated to delivering the best show possible.

And what a crew it was! Like any Gorillaz album, guest stars were plentiful and welcome at both locations. Each night, Kara Jackson faithfully recreated her golden vocals from The Mountain’s somber yet whistle-friendly “Orange County” and Bootie Brown ably filled in for Mos Def on the “Stylo” rap verses — Albarn wisely left the Bobby Womack vocals (complete with stirring video) in tact — then practically levitated during his ecstatic “Dirty Harry” parts.

At Shaky Knees, Albarn incorporated Atlanta collaborators 6LACK (“The Pink Phantom” aka “The Elton John Track from Song Machine”), D.R.A.M. (“Andromeda”), and EarthGang (“Opium”) to revive their shared tracks to great effect. But the additions proved even more impactful in Charlotte.

Though it was somewhat expected that openers Little Simz (“Garage Palace”) and Deltron 3030’s Del the Funky Homosapien (“Rock the House”; “Clint Eastwood”) would reprise their various guest verses, these contributions all somehow exceeded expectations. Backup singer Michelle Ndegwa also nearly blew out the speakers during “Kids with Guns,” yet topping them all was the surprise appearance of Posdnuos from De La Soul for “Feel Good Inc.,” improbably making his late bandmate Trugoy the Dove’s iconic “ha ha ha ha ha”s even more joyful and celebratory.

Nevertheless, the song that started it all 25 years ago served as both shows’ highlights. All it took was a few famous notes from Albarn’s melodica — which got massive cheers whenever it appeared — to elicit the loudest noises of the set. And when drummer Jaega Mckenna-Gordon pounded out the most memorable four eighth notes of Gorillaz’s catalog on cymbal, followed by Albarn’s five triumphant, simian “oohs,” pure bliss was achieved.

For a song that was definitely overplayed during its initial run, “Clint Eastwood” has somehow never grown old, and on those two September nights, it was as if 2001 had never ended. Albarn’s sing-a-long chorus and Del’s rambunctious two rap verses further hyped up the never-flagging audiences and brought the sets to a well-earned end — both the 20-song, encore-free festival set and the 25-track arena presentation, which afforded the luxury of a brief respite.

A thorough professional, Albarn was clearly moved by the sea of rapt people in Piedmont Park and even bragged to the Charlotte crowd of their participatory prowess during the steel pan conclusion to “On Melancholy Hill.” However, the Spectrum Center crowd stirred something special in the music veteran, prompting him to give thanks by gleefully divulging that, when he started Gorillaz, he “never thought [he’d] connect with people in North Carolina,” whose engagement and energy clearly impressed him.

No mere fan service, the well-earned gratitude was the latest testament to the region’s passion for great live music and further proof that every major artist should include the Carolinas in its tour plans.

(Photos by Ben Bentley)