Flight of the Conchords land in Denver

View post-show pictures on our photos page.

Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie are really funny guys and very skilled musicians. Those two talents converged on Thursday night when their band, Flight of the Conchords, played Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver.

Music and comedy are like kissing cousins in entertainment with many comedians forming bands and even a few musicians (I’m looking at you John Mayer) trying their hand at comedy. Still, few can balance humor and genuine musical talent like the Conchords.

Unlike Tenacious D, who bill themselves as “the greatest rock band in the world”, the Conchords take a far more modest approach by labeling themselves “New Zealand’s fourth most popular folk parody duo”. This laid back attitude made for an amazing performance.

McKenzie and Clement proved they were musical chameleons by playing a diverse setlist that featured almost all the hits from their HBO series as well as a couple of new surprises. Through out the show they dabbled in different genres for songs like the the Prince-inspired jam “The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)” and the electronic, post-apocalyptic “Robots”, which takes place in the year 2000 when robots have taken over the earth. They even played a new mellow tune that was about angels in the clouds… doing it.

Song lyrics aside, it’s clear that McKenzie and Clement are outstanding comedians as well. Before their song, “Think About It (Think, Think About It)”, which covers some of the more pressing “issues” of our time, they did a hilarious bit about making the world a better place for our children and our children’s children in which McKenzie revealed that he and his wife chose to have imaginary children when they were unable to conceive. After explaining that process, Clement remarked that McKenzie’s wife was unable to conceive because she too was imaginary.

The guys were even able to skilfully deflect the section of loud stoners in the top balcony who kept shouting what I’m sure they believed to be lines from the show, but what were actually jumbled misquotes from the series. When one shouted, “Where’s Murray?” in reference to Rhys Darby, who played the band’s manager in the tv series, Clement remarked, “He’s fictional.” causing an eruption of laughter from the crowd.

Humorous lyric aside, songs like “Leggy Blonde” and “Business Time” are genuinely catchy. Their style is distinct in using instruments like a “1987 DG20 Casio Electric Guitar, set to mandolin” for the song “Boom” that give things a unique spin. Their voices are also distinct with Clement’s deep baritone and McKenzie’s smooth harmonies. They are like parody music auteurs in that there is a huge difference between songs like “Albi the Racist Dragon” and “Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros” yet, all the songs are distinctly Conchords.

After the show, Clement and McKenzie greeted fans outside the stage door, singing autographs and posing for pictures. In a move that further solidifies how cool these guys are, they took time to have actual conversations with fans and even wrote personal messages on autographs.

Judging by the packed house and devoted fans who stayed to meet the guys, clearly Flight of the Conchord have expanded their fan base beyond Mel (played by Kristin Schaal) their solitary fan in their HBO series.

View post-show pics on our photos page.