Flight of the Conchords, Saenger Theater, New Orleans, LA- 7/11

The unlikeliest of rock stars, The Flight of the Conchords pulled zero punches on both themselves and overly vocal audience members during their two hour set in the stately Saenger Theater in downtown New Orleans. Taking the stage just after 8:30 after an opening stand-up act by Irish comedian David O’Doherty (who did a first-rate job warming up the crowd for the main event), Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement took the stage in dapper dress, both dudded-out in suits (Jemaine in pink; Bret in white) and spent the first five or so minutes telling their formation story back in the 90s in Wellington, New Zealand. Bret and Jemaine were double-booked for a gig and, to their luck, their styles at the time didn’t clash since they only knew one chord (combined). The rest, as they say, is history. Fast-forward nearly twenty years, and, despite the deadpan temperament and self-deprecating humor, a Conchords tour (and hopefully film) is in extraordinary demand – the New Orleans show sold out within the first 24 hours.

There was almost no space filled during the show that wasn’t humorous in some form or fashion, with physical, musical and verbal cues often hinging on the rapt attention of the audience to the subtleties of the Conchords being key. The plea to put cameras away was even humorous as Clement explained, “we say the same thing tonight we say to our partners: please don’t film it, but enjoy the experience.” As the story went, they had the unique advantage of being a rare duo act in a nation dominated by a solo artist going by the name of “John” and a limited skill set that was explained as only knowing one chord (combined) as a band when they started. The subject matter of Conchords songs and interluding banter is so banal and everyman, it’s no wonder they have such broad-sweeping appeal. New material was in high supply on Monday, the opening “Chips and Dips” was more or less, a master class in boring house party etiquette cloaked in layers of misunderstanding and social anxiety. Self-jabbing at every break, Jemaine explained that, at this point, having forgotten the words to their old songs and not yet memorizing the lyrics to the new ones that FOTC are more or less “very much like a bad covers version of ourselves.”

Early in the set, the “New Zealand Symphony Orchestra” was invited to join the band on the stage. A roar of laughter greeted the grand symphony when it was announced that the NZSO was just a dude named Nigel in a cowboy hat, checkered jacket and t-shirt who could play a mean upright bass and cello. After the hilarious “Father and Son” (using special FX designed by a guy who saw Lord of the Rings once), the Conchords did “Robots (The Humans Are Dead)” replete with a ‘robo-boogie’ breakdown and psychedelic light show and “Business Time.” Of the new material, perhaps there was none more oddball and attenuated than “Stana,” a “country and eastern” (New Zealand’s nomenclature for country and western – sonically the same I might add) tune about a guy with a name that anagrams with SATAN. The tall tale song went for ten minutes and represented a stylistic cross between Asleep at the Wheel (in vocal and instrumental style) and a Trey Parker / Matt Stone story (lyrical and conceptual absurdity). As the story goes he once ‘tied an American flag his (notably small) stiffy’ and just walked around. The only political reference of the night came during “Stana” when Jemaine mentioned in passing that “a lot of bad guys have small ones (and small hands),” an obvious Trump reference lost on most of the crowd. The nod to surroundings came during “Too Many Mutha’uckas > Hurt Feelings” when Bret, seated at the upright piano, ran through a couple verses of Dr. John’s classic tune “Such A Night”, showing an impressive knack for channeling Mac Rebennack.

“Seagull” was perhaps my favorite new tune of the night, alternating with Bret singing metaphorical verses about flying around like a bird and Jemaine explaining everything in explanatory depth, providing what he thought to be insight about what the words actually meant. The song progressed deeper into absurdity and by the end Jemaine realized that Bret is an actual literal seagull and Bret was just making bird noises and flapping his arms like a bird mashing the keys with zero talent, rhyme or reason. Nigel / The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra was given a break “because they have demanding unions” before the new plugged in “Sex on the Ceiling” and the timeless and gargantuan “Bowie” tribute. The Conchords tune far superior to any of the countless cover tributes to the Starman I’ve witnessed since the legend’s passing six months ago.

For the encore, there was the season one classic “What Is Wrong With the World Today” (including my all-time favorite Conchords line: “Can somebody please remove these cutleries from my knees” before a lesson in “Wooing a Lady”. The new tune is set in the year 1353 and capped off with Bret, Jemaine and Nigel all playing solos on recorders, grandstanding and gyrating at the front of the stage. Without question, the first (and best) full band recorder jam I’ve witnessed to date.

Flight of the Conchords, never change.