|
Story and photos by Matt Schwenke
With the indelible Stevie Wonder officially kicking off Summerfest's 10-day
stretch of headliners on the main stage just hours before, Gnarls Barkley, with
full band in support, ended the first night of talent on the free stages in high
fashion with a set full of variations from their studio offerings.
Donning sparkly suits and dark glasses, the dynamic duo of Cee-Lo Green and
Danger Mouse came out with measured intensity for "Surprise" from their
sophomore release The Odd Couple, raised the intensity another notch for their
take on the Violent Femmes' "Gone Daddy Gone" and reached their most furious
pace in the new hit "Run [I'm A Natural Disaster]." Settling into a summer
stroll for the carefree "Blind Mary," Gnarls Barkley made full use of the band
in "Just A Thought," from their 2006 debut St. Elsewhere, with Cee-Lo screaming
above the powerful rumblings of instruments. Danger Mouse was especially
powerful in the breakdown of the new tune "I'm Going On," while Cee-Lo created a
near-angelic refrain.
With the crowd worked into a frenzy, Gnarls Barkley delivered a number of
drastically different takes on new and old studio work-- "Neighbors" from the
new album was slowed down half-time with Cee-Lo's voice taking the song into
more exotic grounds, the otherwise hard-driving thump of "Transformer" was
slowed to a plodding mix of sound with Cee-Lo's striking vocal range on full
display, and even the already-eerie "Boogie Monster" was delivered with an extra
dose of strange.
|
