By Sofia Erichetti
The first thing that greeted me when I walked into The Anthem on October 28th to see Thundercat was a massive, inflatable cat with glowing red eyes overlooking the iconic venue. A DJ warmed up the audience with remixes of 80s funk and R&B songs, including Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison.” When the spotlights shone out over the crowd, I spotted an eclectic bunch of people, many sporting funky prints, beanies resembling cat ears, and trendy moustaches. It was a decidedly cool and relaxed environment.
When Thundercat, born Stephen Lee Bruner, came onstage, he was flanked on either side by his drummer, Justin Brown, and keyboardist, Dennis Hamm, on raised platforms. He occupied centerstage with a red, shiny,
animé-decorated bass guitar almost bigger than his body and an oversized black fur hat. The concert opened with his latest release, “Children of the Baked Potato.” In the first half of his set, each song ended with a jamband-style interlude, during which Thundercat demonstrated his otherworldly bass playing and Brown rocked the drumset. The two complemented one another perfectly, and I heard several people in the audience remark on the talent of the drummer. Brown not only kept up with Thundercat’s bass, but he added another dimension of rhythm and energy to the atmosphere. It was a joy to watch the cohesion between Brown and Bruner’s playing, as the former’s arms moved faster than I thought humanly possible and Thundercat swayed and danced across stage in a charming, easy manner.
Thundercat had a natural rapport with the audience from the moment the show began. After playing snippets of unreleased songs, he teased the crowd about the state of his new album–whether or not it would be ready for release soon. At one point, he shouted out Mac Miller and D’Angelo, two prominent musicians and friends who passed away tragically in recent years. The set included a cover of a D’Angelo song, “Lady,” as well as Mac Miller’s “What’s the Use?” Before he played “Tron Song,” an ode to his eponymous cat, Thundercat updated the crowd on his two pet felines, detailing a recent FaceTime call with them.
The second half of the set saw Thundercat place more emphasis on his vocal performance, as opposed to the jamband-style interludes in the first half. In “Lava Lamp,” a somber song reflecting on chasing someone who has passed on, Thundercat’s soulful, expressive falsetto shone. His voice worked in tandem with Hamm’s keyboard playing to evoke a feeling of mourning and quiet longing. Bruner joked with the crowd after that song, wondering aloud what could follow up such a serious performance. The tone quickly shifted when he played the opening chords to “Dragonball Durag,” one of his most popular songs and a crowd favorite. He continued to bring the energy up before “Funny Thing.” The crowd was energized as Thundercat repeatedly asked who was ready to party with him and encouraged people to leave their seats and dance. The song was played at an uptempo pace that coincided with the heightened spirit of the crowd. It was by far the climax of the night, and Bruner and the crowd danced, together, through two play-throughs of “Funny Thing.” During the song, Bruner adjusted the lyrics and sang, “But I just wanna party with D.C.” Afterwards, the encore sent the crowd home on a mellower note, as Thundercat finished up with a subdued, dreamlike performance of “It Is What It Is.”
The show was a perfect cohesion of tempo, emotion, music, and crowd interaction, which reflects the balance that Thundercat strikes in his playing and production. It felt simultaneously genuine and effortful, and I appreciated the skill, energy, and unabashed sincerity that Thundercat brought to the performance.
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