GRAMMY Award-winning bassist and singer Stephen Bruner, better known as Thundercat played a sold-out show on November 7 for night one of two shows in Boston.
“When the show got canceled that’s when it all started to feel real” and “He was the last artist I had tickets to see before COVID” were common rumblings heard in the sprawling line to enter the House of Blues. An hour after doors the line still stretched the length of Lansdowne, wrapping around Brookline Avenue, clearly indicating the demand Boston has for the 37-year-old artist.
Channel Tres, a rapper, singer, and producer hailing from Compton, California opened the night with a spectacular performance. Never before has there been such high energy from an opener for fear of upstaging the headliner. However, with Thundercat being Thundercat and the vibe of Channel Tres’ techno house being so different from the smooth sounds of Thundercat’s massive 6-string bass there was plenty of room for the both of them.
Along with his vocal ability and precision with the bass, Thundercat proved to be quite the storyteller with wise anecdotes interspersed throughout the set. Most notably the story of how his therapist said “Feelings are like kids. You can’t let them drive, but you can’t put them in the trunk.”
His set went on for nearly two hours with the stage lights up for spectators to get a better view of the intricate fingerwork on his 6-sting bass. Joined by a drummer and guitarist/keyboard player, the sounds of each track blended together perfectly thanks to the talent of the artists and skilled sound engineers.
Thundercat will be back in Boston on September 10 along with St. Vincent as part of the Red Hot Chili Peppers 2022 World Tour.
