Performing in a Parking Lot: Thundercat and Hannibal Buress Live in Los Angeles
By Carter Fife
Last weekend in Pasadena, fans of comedy and music flocked to the suburbs to watch Thundercat and comedian Hannibal Buress play a drive-in show in the Rose Bowl Stadium parking lot. Though this was certainly not the ideal way to see the two performers, attendees were respectful and responsible - following the COVID guidelines and mask requirement. As the LA sun set on the large patch of grass, a stage was illuminated while guests did their best to hide their drinks under their blankets and LA Dodgers afghans.
Taking the stage first was Thundercat, whose performance was lively and upbeat - definitely a much-needed dose of fun for fans during the pandemic. Wielding a massive bass guitar, the LA musician offered fans a heartfelt ‘thanks for coming’ before playing a litany of tracks from his newest record It Is What It Is. To fans’ surprise, Thundercat even brought out Ty Dolla $ign to perform their track ‘Fair Chance’ - a chill moment that was far from a harbinger of what was to come. As quickly as it started, Thundercat ended his set with ‘Funny Thing’, and fans were treated to a brief pre-recorded video of the two discussing topics like video games, Cowboy Bebop, to backstage fights at music festivals. After about 30 minutes, Hannibal graced the stage.
Hannibal’s set was not as straightforward. Though it is unclear whether or not he was unprepared, or under the influence, or both, the Chicago comedian stumbled through a mixture of old bits, awkward banter, and personal songs. It wasn’t all bad - at one point he brought out Open Mike Eagle, and it was fun watching the band members behind him cringe as he tried to play off poorly timed jokes about Chadwick Boseman. While it would have been more enjoyable if his set was better, or if he bombed harder, attendees seemed to be having a good time, if not a little confused as to what was going on. Selena Kuikahi, an attendee at Saturday’s show, noted that Hannibal looked like he “didn’t try”, but the performance was not without its moments. Another highlight was when Hannibal made his way through the parking lot in a UFO, asking fans what their biggest regrets in life were. Though the bit didn’t last long, it was still great to watch a grown man talk about VR porn for an hour.
Though the pandemic has hit the live performance industry hard, and many fans are ravenous to go out and live their lives again, shows like these are a solid way to get out of the house safely, and to forget about present anxieties for a few hours. The audio quality was surprisingly good, especially compared to when I watched Tenet in Sparks Nevada at another drive-in. Unlike that one, the audio did not sound like it was being played through a walkie-talkie, and we did not hear gunshots within 15 minutes of the performance. Parking was easy and it didn’t take long to leave the stadium, so I would highly recommend performances like these as a great way to revitalize both your mental health and a suffering industry right now. Thundercat and Hannibal put on a great show, given the circumstances, and I look forward to eventually seeing the two of them at a show in the future.
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