Corndogs and Hip Hop: Gnarls Barkley at the O.C. Fair July 20, 2006

That’s right. Gnarls Barkley. At a fair.

Well, technically this was in Orange County, NOT in LA. And had I known I had to walk through a fair with larger than people sized rabbits, I probably would have gone running scared in the other direction. But I digress.

Gnarls Barkley are known for their catchy tunes and coordinated outfits. Tonight was no different. They all were dressed in matching white tennis outfits with sweatbands and even tennis rackets. I wonder if this was to distract from the “okay” performance. They went through their roster of songs from the album, each beginning with screams from the teenagers behind me yelling for Crazy. But I guess that’s what I get for going to Orange County where most of the crowd was a white wash of 12 year olds in Gucci sunglasses. Cringe. They changed tempos on a couple songs, and even went into some hardcore keyboard solos, but the whole set, which lasted only about 45 minutes, felt as if they were just going through a check list of material and then left. The ONLY real highlight was a cover of “There Is An End” by the Greenhornes. That was a treat. It still kept some of it’s original character, but with a weird hip hop vibe. I’d try to explain it better but it’s just not possible. So, eh. Had to watch the monitors to even see anything, so it was kinda like sitting in a muggy field watching tv.

Oh, and the opening act “Peeping Tom”. Um, white guy in a hair net singing “hip hop” with a chick who’s a mix between Tina Turner and Scary Spice singing backup. ‘Nuff said.