Jun 26

Jun 26 Show Review: Tenacious D Bring the Powers of Rock and Comedy to San Francisco

Tenacious D
w/ Puddles Pity Party
The Warfield
San Francisco, CA
June 24th, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

A band like Tenacious D is made for days like today, a welcome respite from the bullshit that’s constantly going on in the real world. I struggled for a while to find a way to open this review, as I haven’t really stopped thinking about Friday’s Supreme Court ruling. When I got to San Francisco for Friday evening’s Tenacious D show at The Warfield, there was a palpable feeling of dread in the air along Market Street. Everyone in that line knew that once the show was over, we’d be going back to reading headline after headline about the rights that are being taken away from people all over this country. But for a few hours, we got to party, laugh, and witness one of the most entertaining acts in all of rock take the stage and sweep us away from it all for a bit.

Tenacious D, the comedy rock duo comprised of the incomparable Jack Black and Kyle Gass, were initially set to take the stage at Palo Alto’s Frost Amphitheater. Due to a power outage on Thursday, the show was moved from the Stanford campus to the San Francisco theater, while adding an additional show on Saturday evening at Saratoga’s Mountain Winery. It may have seemed difficult logistically, but as the marquee outside the venue read, “The Show Must Go On!”

The only opening act was Puddles Pity Party, an act I’ve wanted to witness in person for years. Puddles is the brainchild of singer and entertainer Mike Geier, who dresses up as a Pagliacci-esque clown and sings mashups and covers of various popular songs. Puddles has a baritone singing voice, and sounds beautiful. I could have watched an entire performance from Puddles Pity Party and walked away thoroughly satisfied. Styx’s “Come Sail Away”, “Let It Go” from Frozen, Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train”, and Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” were all included in the set list, and I loved every second of it. The latter performance of the Titanic closing number now stands as one of the best things I’ve ever seen at a metal show; the crowd yelled every word back.

The members of Tenacious D took to the stage draped in green lighting as they opened with the “JB JR Rap” from the wildly glorious Post Apocalypto album, followed by “Woman Time”, “Save The World”, and a reprise of the “Post-Apocalypto Theme”. This is a band that knows exactly who they are; an act that strives to make people laugh while also churning out memorable and catchy rock songs. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and it’s part theater performance, part heavy metal show.

The biggest crowd reaction of the night came in the middle of the set, when the opening acoustic notes of “Kickapoo” could be heard, signaling the start of four tracks from the band’s coveted cult-classic film: The Pick of Destiny. “The Metal” got the crowd on the floor moving as a backdrop designed to look like the aforementioned “Pick of Destiny” towered over the audience. “Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)” brought forth one of the loudest sing-along moments of the evening, as Black and Gass fought the devil himself with the power of rock (this time voiced by touring guitarist John Konesky). Kyle Gass “quits” the band on stage, solely so they can perform “Dude (I Totally Miss You) before reuniting and careening into “Friendship”. Songs like “Tribute”, “Kielbasa” and “Double Team” rounded out the set, delivering fans an extremely entertaining performance. The show ended in perfect Tenacious D fashion with a two-song encore comprised of “City Hall” and (yes, really) “Fuck Her Gently”. You can’t help but laugh.

After the way Friday had played out, this was the show that everyone needed. The other day, I wrote a review about the Santana show in Concord, ending it with “Long Live Santana”. Well today, I am henceforth adding a second decree: Long Live The D.

And now, back to reality.

Tenacious D Set List
JB JR RAP
WOMAN TIME
SAVE THE WORLD
POST-APOCALYPTO THEM (REPRISE)
Rize of the Fenix
Low Hangin’ Fruit
Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin cover)
Sax-A-Boom
Roadie
Kickapoo
The Metal
Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)
Dude (I Totally Miss You)
Friendship
Kielbasa
Tribute
Double Team

Encore:
City Hall
Fuck Her Gently