Thundercat’s albums are tame compared to the amount of face melting solos that take place in his live show. He played games with the band, bouncing back and forth off his drummer Justin Brown and keyboardist Dennis Haam, two equally talented artists who somehow kept up with his fierce shredding. Thundercat would mesmerize the audience with his warp speed finger work and his tremendous amount of stamina with each solo lasting 5, if not 10, minutes at times.
The entire set confirmed that while Thundercat was out of this world, he remained very down to earth. Throughout the evening, he'd humbly reveal more and more about how he was doing mentally in an effort to open up a conversation and seek solidarity with his audience. He talked about being an alcoholic in the past but being sober for the last 3 years, holding back tears at times as he hinted at starting to feel good again. He talked about losing Mac Miller among a few other friends and how hard the past few years had been. However, the overall message was one of hope and gratitude, as he gave shout outs to special friends and played tributes to those who have helped inspire him on his journey like Louis Cole, Flying Lotus, and Chick Corea, to mention a few. [Aidan Breaux for Bandsintown]
Thundercat is currently on tour with Channel Tres, having hit NYC's Terminal 5 on Friday (11/5) and Saturday (11/6). We caught the former. That's a review of the New Orleans show above, and like at that show, Friday's NYC show found Thundercat really vibing with this three-piece band, going from jazzy to funky to proggy and more. He also shouted out some of his inspirations, including the late Chick Corea, whose "Got A Match?" he's been covering on this tour. Also: Chris Rock was there and Thundercat shouted him out from the stage.