The Good, The Bad and The Queen

The excitement in the crowd was contagious last night at Webster Hall for sold out performance by the unnamed supergroup. I was mesmerized from the first notes of “The Good, The Bad and The Queen,” their stellar album which they performed start to finish. Paul Simonon’s (The Clash) penetrating bass line, Damon Albarn’s (Blur, Gorillaz) magnificent vocals and virtuosic talent on the piano, the gratifying guitar work of Simon Tong (Verve, Blur, Gorillaz), Tony Allen’s (Fela Kuti’s band Africa 70) prowess on percussion and the soaring string section created a very ethereal atmosphere. Webster Hall was packed but being petite little ladies in a sea of men my friend Joey and I were able to squeeze our way up to the front to watch The Good, The Bad and The Queen up close in all their glory. Albarn donning a top hat looked stunning and sounded angelic. Simonon defined cool in his pork pie hat and proved to be an incredibly engaging performer lurching around the stage with his bass. It was speculated by many in the crowd that the band would perform Simonon’s “Guns Of Brixton” but they ended the night with the epic title and closing track of the album.



After the show we stuck around for the meet and greet. I shared a few words with Simon Tong and received a hug from Tony Allen in response to my enthusiastic praise of the show, the album and of course his dynamite drumming.