Gorillaz Live

2001–02 concert tour by Gorillaz

Gorillaz Live was the first concert tour by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz, in support of their self-titled debut album.^[1]

Personnel

• Damon Albarn – lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar, piano, acoustic guitar, melodica
• Junior Dan – bass guitar
• Roberto Occhipinti – bass guitar (only during North American tour, replacing Junior Dan)
• Simon Katz – lead guitar
• Cass Browne – drums, percussion, drum machine
• Mike Smith – keyboards
• Darren Galea "DJ D-Zire" – turntables
• Phi Life Cypher – vocals on "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House" (Non-North American tour dates)
• Jamal Gray – vocals on "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House" (only during North American tour)
• D12 – vocals on "911" (New York City only)
• Sweetie Irie – vocals on "Clint Eastwood (Ed Case Refix)"
• Haruka Kuroda – backing vocals, speaking voice of Noodle (miming playing the second guitar to look like Noodle with the helmet; intermissions)
• Remi Kabaka Jr. – speaking voice of Russel (intermissions)
• Phil Cornwell – speaking voice of Murdoc (intermissions)
• Nelson De Freitas – speaking voice of 2-D (intermissions)

Opening acts

Dan Nakamura (select dates)^[2]

Visuals and production

The logistics of an animated band going on tour proved problematic, with Jamie Hewlett saying in a mid-2001 interview: "We've come to realize that we've come up with something that's a bit ahead of its time and the technology doesn't exist to do everything we want to do, so the live show was something we had to really think hard about."^[3] As a compromise between having a live and virtual stage presence, the band's musicians played behind a giant cinema screen, which projected music videos and visuals to the crowd. Lead singer Damon Albarn later expressed discomfort at this setup, confessing that he "was frustrated" behind the screen.^[4] Later still, Albarn called the screens "obtuse",^[5] believing the human element of the band necessitated a change. In a 2010 interview, Albarn voiced distaste at the concept of hiding collaborators behind a screen on the then-upcoming Escape to Plastic Beach Tour: "I couldn't entertain the idea of putting Lou Reed or Bobby Womack behind a screen. I'm not that daft."^[6] Gorillaz Live was ultimately the only tour to have the musicians silhouetted behind a screen.

The voice actors of the virtual band toured alongside the real band, speaking to the crowd and each other in-between songs. However, according to Haruka Kuroda, budgeting issues prevented most of the voice actors from participating in the concert's international legs; Kuroda was the only voice actor to tour with the band beyond Europe.^[7][8]

Set list

The following setlist is obtained from the concert held in London on 22 March 2001. It is not a representation of all shows on the tour.

1. "M1 A1"
2. "Tomorrow Comes Today"
3. "Slow Country"
4. "5/4"
5. "Starshine"
6. "Man Research (Clapper)"
7. "Sound Check (Gravity)"
8. "Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?)"
9. "Re-Hash"
10. "Clint Eastwood" (featuring Phi Life Cypher)
11. "Rock the House" (featuring Phi Life Cypher)
12. "Dracula"
13. "19-2000"
14. "Punk"

Encore

15. "Clint Eastwood" (featuring Sweetie Irie)

Tour dates

Notes

1. The show on 18 August 2001 in Tokyo was part of the Summer Sonic Festival.
2. The show on 25 August 2001 in Liverpool was part of the Creamfields festival.
3. The show on 20 July 2002 in Lisbon was part of the Isle of MTV festival.

References

1. "Gorillaz Mobilizing For U.S. Release, Live Dates". Billboard. 12 June 2001. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
2. "GORILLAZ GET DOWN TO US MONKEY BUSINESS". NME. 27 February 2002. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
3. Redfern, Mark (Summer 2001). "The Gorillaz Rock 'da Art House". Under the Radar.
4. Hubbard, Michael (22 May 2002). "Interview: Damon Albarn". musicOMH. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
5. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (4 June 2010). "Gorillaz creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett on the cartoon band's past, present, and future: The Music Mix Q&A". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
6. Conner, Thomas (13 October 2010). "With star power to draw on, Gorillaz steps in front of the cartoons". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2017 – via Archive.org.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
7. "Gorillaz-Unofficial meets Haruka Kuroda". Gorillaz-Unofficial. 2005. Archived from the original on 16 December 2006. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
8. "LEFT HAND HARUKA METHOD: The Haruka Kuroda Interview". Hallelujah Monkeyz: The Gorillaz Fancast. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
9. "Billboard Bits: McCartney, Gorillaz, Skunk Anansie". Billboard. 20 April 2001. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
10. "ゴリラズが秋に米国ツアーの可能性" (in Japanese). Barks. 6 August 2001. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
11. Sources for shows in North America:
    • US and Canada (except 2nd Los Angeles date): "Gorillaz Plan Animated North American Tour". Billboard. 8 January 2002. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
    • 2nd Los Angeles date: "Gorillaz: This Band Is No Longer Just a Diversion". Los Angeles Times. 7 March 2002. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
    • Mexico: "Gorillaz en México". vlex.com.mx (in Spanish). 2 February 2002. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
12. "Com Gorillaz e Morcheeba: "Isle Of MTV" apresentado em Lisboa". Público (Portugal) (in Portuguese). 11 June 2002. Retrieved 22 April 2020.