Dressed in a steampunk-esque military jacket with a hand-drawn felt fist patch and a wool beret à la guerrilla leader Che Guevara, my nine-year-old daughter proudly marched toward the Kia Forum in Los Angeles as Cyborg Noodle from the Plastic Beach era, on her way to see her absolute favorite band, Gorillaz, for the very first time. She’d been patiently waiting for this day ever since Gorillaz announced their North American tour this past March. Grimy Goods had covered their one-off performace at the Hollywood Palladium earlier this year, and she was bummed I couldn’t take her to that one, but this night at The Forum definitley made up for it.
You could feel the excitement in the air as crowds of fans streamed down the sidewalks in Gorillaz T-shirts, some homemade, others picked up at the band’s recent House of Kong exhibit and pop-up merch experience. And my daughter walked among them with an adorable sense of pride. She had a swagger to her, much like the Gorillaz characters themselves in their recent short film, The Mountain, The Moon Cave and The Sad God. That gorgeous hand-drawn animation had such an effect on her, and I imagine it put some extra pep in her step as she made her way to her own moon cave: the iconic Forum.
As we approached the Sizzler at Prairie Avenue, home to what might be the longest traffic light in the world (thanks to concerts at the Forum and SoFi), our nearly five-minute wait to cross Manchester Boulevard only added to the anticipation. My daughter’s cheeks started to turn pink as kids and adults alike complimented her cosplay. In a sea of fans, many headed to Gorillaz and many others to Jay-Z at SoFi Stadium, she was easily the youngest and shortest in the crowd. But her knowledge of Gorillaz‘s entire discography and lore rivals that of any day-one fan. No joke, this kid has schooled both me and my husband, and we’ve been fans since our college days in the early 2000s.
Once inside the Forum grounds, she had a newfound confidence, surrounded by like-minded humanz who love everything about Gorillaz. I was moved to see how comfortable she felt. Just a year earlier, I’d taken her to the Forum to see Lady Gaga, and she was an entirely different little girl then: shy and stuck to her mama like glue.
But with her Noodle alter ego, she was ready to explore The Mountain.
Inside the Forum Club, she downed a big glass of Pepsi to fuel her for the night ahead and dined on some delicious steak bites and frites. And wow, our shared idol, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, sat just a few tables away with her family and her bandmate and dear friend Nick Zinner. While we checked out the Forum cake (every performing artist gets a custom, very large and, might I add, delicious cake decorated with their album art), my husband was thrilled to spot the Birdman himself, Tony Hawk. It was clear this Gorillaz tour stop was going to be a star-studded evening, from the stage to the seats. Longtime fans now well into their 40s and 50s arrived with their own kids to bond over a shared love of Gorillaz: their art, their humanity, and of course their sound, which sparks infinite joy and, at times, thought-provoking sadness.
Ahead of Gorillaz, we caught a couple of songs from Deltron 3030, including their vibey, soon-to-be-released “Centuries” featuring Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. Up next was my favorite rapper and poet, Little Simz, someone I’ve been a fan of since she was playing small clubs to about 100 people, like when Grimy Goods covered her at The Echo in 2019. My daughter was enamored by Simz‘s skilled lyricism and her words that empower women, like on the song “Woman.” I was hoping to hear “Venom,” as we did when we covered Simz last year at the Hollywood Palladium, but that fierce banger didn’t make her nine-song opening set. Even from our seats, you could feel the love and happiness radiating from Simz. Her rhymes were on fire, and so were her dance moves. I was in awe of how much the crowd loved her. At one point, she received cheers and applause for nearly a minute, if not more.
After another Pepsi for the kid and a bag of gummy candies to go from the Forum Club, my husband and I had high hopes that our child would last the long haul through the Gorillaz‘s entire set. This kid loves her sleep. As much as she loves going to shows and festivals, we usually cut out early because she just can’t hang, and that’s all right. She’s not used to this much sugar, either, but we knew it was her equivalent of coffee. So back to our seats we marched, “The Moon Cave”playing in our heads. Our daughter was thrilled to find another Cyborg Noodle seated right next to us, who welcomed her with open arms.
Gorillaz opened with “The Mountain,” the lead and title track of their new album. The composition alone, with its delicate bansuri (an Indian bamboo flute), is enough to stir so much emotion. The first time I heard it, it brought tears to my eyes. Now, watching it unfold live with bansuri, sitar and other traditional Indian instruments while my child stood next to me, starry-eyed and completely captivated, I let out the waterworks. I couldn’t hold back my tears in this beautiful moment, especially given how many of us have been living through such tumultuous times lately. When I looked over at my husband, who isn’t the soft ball of emotions that I am, he smiled at me as he wiped a few tears from his own eyes.
Thankfully, the next song, “The Happy Dictator,” gave me life in the form of dancing, laughter and pure exhilaration. Not only did it help us wipe away the tears and get us in a party mood, but Sparks came out to perform it with Damon Albarn and a stage full of talented musicians, including guitarist Jeff Wootton and bassist Seye Adelekan. Both are seriously badass, and their poses and stage energy are just infectious!
Throughout the entire concert, Gorillaz shared the stage with a host of talented singers and musicians. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much talent on one stage, and I know it was quite the spectacle for my daughter to witness. As an aspiring musician herself who sings and plays piano and violin, she watched the performances unfold before her eyes like a masterclass in how music can heal.
What blew my mind next was when “Tranz” from Gorillaz‘s 2018 album The Now Now came on. Watching my kid sing along and rock out to this synth-pop, post-punk-tinged anthem made her alt mama proud. Don’t get me wrong, the kid loves her KATSEYE, and I love seeing that love, but when she discovers alternative music all on her own, it really makes my heart sing.
At this point, who needs a Setlist when you have your kid right next to you at a Gorillaz concert? She is a walking encyclopedia, track for track. Whenever I didn’t recognize a song, I would just turn to her and ask, “What song is this?” And like the old soul that she is, she’d let Mama know. The only time she got stumped was on “The Cloud of Unknowing,” which came deep into Gorillaz‘s 28-song set, when she was getting tired and coming down from her sugar high.
With a crush on 2-D and a love for Noodle, my daughter was fixated on Miho Hatori, the original voice of Noodle, who came out for “19-2000,” one of my daughter’s favorite Gorillaz songs from their 2001 self-titled debut. She was definitely getting the cool shoeshine at this point in the concert. Seeing Hatori live and in the flesh was the closest thing to seeing Noodle humanized, and it had the same doting effect as seeing Damon Albarn, her real-life 2-D, on stage. And much to our joy, the next song was “Re-Hash,” which only made the experience all the more real for her. As a dutiful parent, I now have to turn her on to Cibo Matto.
Speaking of Damon Albarn, my heart broke a little when my daughter asked if we could go down to the pit. Damon had come out a couple of times to mingle with fans at the barricade. My daughter grabbed my hand and said, “Mommy, can we go down there?”
“Why do you want to go down there, baby?” I asked.
“Because I want to meet Damon. I want to give him a hug.”
Once again, I had to hold back tears of joy, along with a little heartbreak. I explained the rules of the barricade: how hard it is to get that spot, and how anyone who puts in the work to get there deserves to get their vinyl signed or a high five from Damon. I told her that when she’s older and can handle the hard work of holding the barricade, I’ll take her to the pit. Naturally, she was disappointed, but she understood the assignment.
As a kid, she has so much privilege, especially when it comes to the live music experience. Her father and I didn’t grow up with that. We had to work hard for everything, and “started from the bottom, now we’re here” still rings true for us. But there are limits to the perks of working in this industry. While many favors are, and can be, called in, I also want my child to understand the rules of engagement and to put in the work, just like I did.
But that feeling of wanting something she couldn’t have quickly faded as more of her favorite songs came into play, like “Rhinestone Eyes” and the heartfelt “On Melancholy Hill.” The latter is especially dear to my husband’s and my hearts, since she taught herself to play it on her very own Casio CDP-S350.
Another emotional track followed with “Orange County” featuring Kara Jackson. Our little one grabbed my husband’s phone and turned on the flashlight so she could join the crowd across the arena, phone lights glowing and arms swaying side to side. It was as though she were at a concert in the ’70s, when fans held up their lighters to create a candlelight vigil effect. She loved the feeling of being part of a music community she adores. Despite the song’s themes of grief and loss, she was all smiles.
And when “The Moon Cave” featuring Black Thought came on, she and her father did their best Gorillaz walk, as though they were hiking up The Mountain themselves.
All three of us were mesmerized by Kali Uchis‘s intoxicating strut in 7-inch stilettos and a gold bikini top. The fans went wild to see their reina come through for her guest feature on “She’s My Collar.” The chemistry between her and Damon was playful, funny and sexy all at the same time.
“Pac-Man” with ScHoolboy Q was quite the special treat. And come on, it’s ScHoolboy Q! Watch a clip from the performance.
But right around “Stylo,” reinforced by its hypnotic beat, our little one started to feel sleepy. She was no longer standing, instead melting into her seat and desperately trying to hold on. Her sleepy fate was sealed with “The Sad God”featuring Black Thought, a song that feels like a beautiful lullaby. Considering it was about 10:40 p.m., we were amazed at how far into the performance she’d made it. But after “The Cloud of Unknowing,” she officially became one with her seat. Not even “Rock the House” featuring Del the Funky Homosapien could get her rocking the house. She tried her hardest, busted out a little shimmy and then sat right back down. The poor little thing leaned on my shoulder as she fought off the sleepies.
However, she did pop out of her seat like a broken spring from an old mattress as soon as I told her Jamie Hewlett was on stage. As viusal artist who loves creating her own animations and comics, her jaw nearly dropped when he was introduced to the crowd ahead of “Ghost Train” featuring Del the Funky Homosapien, the first song Gorillaz ever made.
Needless to say, this became Mommy and Daddy’s time, with all the songs from our youth coming into play, and you’d best believe my husband and I busted a groove to “Rock the House,” “Dirty Harry,” “Feel Good Inc.” and, of course, “Clint Eastwood.”
The Gorillaz Los Angeles tour date at the Kia Forum was easily one of the standout shows of The Mountain Tour, packed with tour debuts throughout the night. ScHoolboy Q performed “Pac-Man” for the first time on the tour, Jamie Hewlett took the stage ahead of the tour debut of “Ghost Train,” and “California and the Slipping of the Sun” made its tour debut, too. This Gorillaz tour stop surely made every other city jealous. And might I add, the visuals for “California and the Slipping of the Sun” couldn’t have been more fitting, given the rising tides and disappearing beaches all along the Southern California coast.
At the end of the blissful show, our daughter finally got her second wind, and thankfully so, because we still had to embark on the final adventure of our evening. Unlike the delightful hike to the moon cave, our walk back to the car was jammed with humanz and traffic. But the energy was high as we joined our fellow Gorillaz fans taking over the streets around Manchester and Prairie, overhearing conversations as people swapped their favorite highlights from the show.
Every time I take my daughter to a concert or music festival, each outing tops the last. As she grows into her own person, with her own likes and dislikes, and builds confidence in her art and music skills, it’s so beautiful to watch her craft new memories from the shows that mean the most to her. As someone who has seen countless acts over more than three decades of concerts and music festivals, I’m so grateful for this new lens: seeing live music through her eyes.
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