Gnarls Barkley offers old-school musical escapism

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "I want you to leave your inhibitions at the door when you come to a Gnarls Barkley show," jubilant frontman Cee-Lo Green said, reminding the crowd that his band is "about good times and good vibrations."

A detractor might sneer that those quotes present an excuse merely to offer a dance party rather than a total concert experience. Wrong on two fronts: Sunday's first of two sold-out shows at the Avalon was a charming, freeing hour that seamlessly melded musical styles and eras while keeping bodies in motion. And, anyone who couldn't use a little musical escapism just hasn't been following the news lately.

Gnarls Barkley's fluid collisions of rock, old soul, techno, rap, psychedelia and glorious p-funk create a singular pop sound that takes music lovers back while moving them forward. But one question loomed: Would its debut album's trippy, tricky head music for the '00s survive the transfer to the live stage?

In a word, yes -- but not in the way one might expect. What began as a two-man collaboration between Green and Los Angeles-based producer Danger Mouse has blossomed into a full-blown Rock Show with a 13-piece onstage ensemble, including a string quartet. Costumed this night in scrubs and nurses outfits -- with Green and Danger Mouse in white lab coats -- the band eschewed studio nuance for a thick, pounding sound, opening with a truncated dose of Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood."

From there, it was a sonic free-for-all. Featuring all but one of the tracks on the group's Downtown/Atlantic album "St. Elsewhere" -- which clocks in at a decidedly old-school 37 minutes -- the show zigzagged across musical borders. Sometimes recalling the mad-scientist genre surgery of Sly and the Family Stone, several songs were a patchwork of abrupt shifts set among hip-shaking beats, all anchored by a beaming Green's rangy, soulful voice. The only real flaw was a sloppy mix that often kept his vocals from shining.

The short songs featured a flood of familiar-sounding musical and lyrical snippets. The three-chord backing of "The Boogie Monster" played like a reanimation of the hook from "Hang on Sloopy." "Storm Coming" deployed the menacing "Here I come I come I come" line from Stone Temple Pilots' "Sex Type Thing." The band also dusted off the nonalbum Doors track "Who Scared You." It takes some work to make a one-riff-wonder Doors throwaway sound contemporary. Green called them "one of my favorite bands."

The spoken-word "Necromancer" put a screaming keyboard behind a chantlike chorus, while "The Last Time" combined swirling rhythms, sweet soul singing and a closing keyboard run of Steppenwolf vintage. The latter song was a lyrical call to arms for one of the more diverse crowds you'll ever see in terms of age, ethnicity and musical affiliation. "There's a rhythm deep inside of you, and you must get reacquainted," Green sang. "When was the last time you danced?"

For the audience whose looks ranged from sleeve tattoos to sleeveless gowns, it was Sunday night.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

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