reCAP :: Flight of The Conchords w/ Arj Barker :: 2016.06.09
It was a truly sexy time at the Capitol Theater when the Flight of the Conchords took the stage on Friday, June 9th. Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement prefaced the show by saying they didn't really know their new songs yet and couldn't really remember their old ones. But despite the fact that it was the first night of the tour and their first performance in several years, one never would've guessed they'd taken a day off in the interim.
The comedy duo delivered laughs from top to bottom. Their hour and a half set comprised largely of new material that will hopefully be released unto the masses in the not too distant future. They were accompanied by Nigel, an upright bass player who comprised the entire New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (according to Bret and Jemaine, that is). A personal highlight for yours truly was a little ditty called "The Summer of 1353," which culminated in each of the three musicians soloing on recorder before uniting for one epic recorder finale. In between songs (and even during), McKenzie and Clement peppered the audience with rapid fire barbs and one liners that felt perfectly placed with their well-timed deadpan. This served as perfect filler whenever they forgot the lyrics to songs both old and new.
As far as the classics went, Bret and Jemaine busted out "Foux de Fafa," "Mutha'Uckas," and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room." They closed their set by promising they'd come back on for an encore to play "Business Time." When a number of troubled audience members began to catcall for them to play the song right then and there, Bret asked rhetorically, "you've been to a concert before, haven't you?" The band then fittingly played "Bowie," and then as promised, came back out to finish with "Business Time," sending us home with our faces sore, our bellies aching, and our spirits lifted.