A massive inflatable Satan, songs about video games, and some mildly inappropriate merchandise can mean only one thing. Yes, we’re talking Tenacious D. Currently on the road for The Spicy Meatball Tour, the D took the stage at Houston’s White Oak Music Hall on 9/13 for an evening of rock and laughs, with frontmen Jack Black and Kyle Gass trading licks and lyrics.
Being the band’s first sojourn to the bayou city since 2019 (and third overall), the lawn at White Oak was filled to the brim with eager fans, with lines for merch remaining long throughout the show.
Formed in the mid-1990s, Tenacious D was created by Black and Gass during their tenure as members of The Actors’ Gang theater company in Los Angeles. Since then, the band has gained a massive cult following, in part due to the release of 2006’s Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, which details a fictitious history of the band and culminates in the characters fighting the devil. Though the movie was a box office bomb, the subsequent tour sold out arenas across the country.
The show kicked off at 7PM with comedian Dave Hill, who opened his act by riding onto the stage on a tricycle, before running and jumping around wildly during his first song. Hill performed a short, 30-minute set filled with a combination of music and jokes before ceding the stage to the D.
Around 8PM, just after the sun had finally set, the lights dimmed and the highly anticipated headliner took the stage. Playing through a 17-song set that included a mix of new tracks, covers, and songs from each of their albums, Tenacious D kept the crowd entertained throughout the entirety of the 90-minute show.
Aside from the music, the show included a handful of skits and bits, including several allusions to the film and a mix of characters, with a metal demon joining the duo for “The Metal” and the aforementioned inflatable Satan for “Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)”.
Tenacious D wrapped up The Spicy Meatball Tour on September 15th in Austin, TX.
I'm a Houston-based concert and automotive photographer. I've been a music fan my whole life, and previously was the director for Coog Radio, the University of Houston's student radio station. I listen to a bit of everything, from blues to rock to EDM, but predominantly metal. Some favorites include Slayer, Iron Maiden, and Metallica. When I'm not behind the camera, you can catch me skating, going to car events, and buying too many coffee table books.
