Flight of the Conchords, the New Zealand comedy duo, performed their first shows in eight years at the Netflix Is a Joke festival in Los Angeles, bringing their signature blend of wit and understated charm to a packed audience at the Greek Theater. The concert, held on Saturday night, was part of a short run of performances in Wellington and California that marked the duo's return to the stage.
Updated Songs Reflect a Changing World
The opening song, 'Robots,' originally released in 2008, has been updated to reflect the rise of artificial intelligence. Jemaine Clement, playing a frustrated robot, explained over a beat that humans gave AI all knowledge but then asked trivial questions like how to cook an egg. The night was filled with reflections on the past and acknowledgments that the world has become more terrifying, but the concert felt like a momentary antidote.
Classic Hits and New Twists
McKenzie and Clement played most of their best-known songs, including 'Business Time,' 'Hurt Feelings,' 'The Most Beautiful Girl (in the Room),' 'Bowie in Space,' and 'Carol Brown.' Several songs had updates: in 'Think About It,' Clement improvised a solo lamenting that things were 'even worse than when we wrote this song.' The duo also played 'Hiphopopotamus vs Rhymenoceros' as a planned encore after pretending to walk off stage.
Guest Appearances and Unscripted Moments
Highlights included appearances by Rhys Darby, Kristen Schaal, and Arj Barker from the HBO series. Darby conducted a raffle for an onstage VIP experience, which Schaal won. The duo were backed by a single cellist, Nigel Collins, dubbed the 'New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.' A large bug that appeared in Clement's hair made several unscheduled appearances, adding to the evening's spontaneity.
The duo's easy banter made the 5,900-capacity outdoor venue feel intimate. Clement's voice was particularly rich on stage, and despite a few lyrical mistakes, the band embraced the moments, drawing cheers from the crowd. McKenzie and Clement expressed gratitude to the American audience, with McKenzie saying, 'We're very grateful that you accepted some people from outside your country.' Clement added, 'We'd probably be deported now.'
The concert offered a sense of brief cohesion and community in a fractured era, providing a little bit of shelter from the storm.
