Tenacious D, the famous duo who featured in their own movie The Pick Of Destiny, are back in action with their Spicy Meatball Tour. A one-night stopover in the UK saw them hit The O2, joined by Steel Beans.
Tenacious D – Steel Beans
The O2 Arena, London – 16 June 2023
Words and Photography: Razorrhead Productions
Tenacious D
Tenacious D are a very well-known band that started in 1994 and feature Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Black rose to fame playing in a number of movies such as Shallow Hal, School Of Rock, and the ever-famous The Pick of Destiny. The band became extremely popular with the release of their Tribute song, which ended up dominating radio stations and music video channels back in 2001.
Tenacious D opens with Kickapoo from The Pick Of Destiny, and Black does an amazing job of playing the young Jack from the movie while Kyle plays the evil dad who hates Heavy Metal. They play the song and act it out as if it was taken right from the film.
As the set continues, Jack pretends to be exhausted and claims he has rocked too much. This brings out the opportunity to bring out the roadie who takes over with the acoustic guitar and attempts to sing Jailbreak. It isn’t long till Jack Black gets his energy back to take control of the vocals again, substituting Jailbreak with ‘Jack Break’ in parts of the chorus.
Fan favourites are played through the show, including Tribute, Wonderboy, Videos Games and ‘Dude (I Totally Miss You).
It’s amazing to see just how much energy Jack Black has on stage. Even though he is now 53 years old, he can give a lot of younger bands a run for their money in terms of bringing enthusiasm and sheer focus with creative energy to an audience.
With all the sweat pouring from his head, there is always a smile on his face, and you can tell he is having the time of his life. Kyle also keeps the show going steadily with his aggressive acoustic guitar strumming and the evil glares he gives to the crowd.
The encore features an inspiring version of Zeppelin’s Good Times Bad Times and some Tenacious D classics such as Master Exploder, and Fuck Her Gently.
All in all, what a show it was. The crowd leaves happily, knowing they witnessed a bunch of men in their 50s completely rock The 02 Arena to the ground. It makes a nice change to see a band with so much wit and happiness compared to the more serious subjects most Heavy Metal bands write about.
Tenacious D really were ready to rock, and there is nothing stopping them anytime soon. Well, apart from the queue at the airport as they head to Hellfest for today’s show.
Steel Beans
Opening the evening was the support act under the name of Steel Beans. A one-man band that features Jeremy Debardi on drums, guitar, and vocals all at the same time.
Originally from Everett, Washington, Debardi rose to fame with his social media performances. Often compared to The White Stripes, he left the audience in awe effortlessly playing multiple instruments at once. Using his strumming hand to play his guitar and hit the drums simultaneously was definitely unique.
