Concert Review: Buckethead shreds the Granada Theater (Nov 10)

by Mike Bullock

Guitar virtuoso Buckethead played Monday night at the Granada Theater to a sold-out crowd -- part of his cross-country tour to promote his June '08 release, From the Coop.

Standing in line to get in the venue was like waiting for a theme park to open. Fans were dressed in costumes and some wore KFC buckets, which added to the ambiance.

By the time I got inside, opening act That 1 Guy was already on stage. This one-man band had a wide array of musical "instruments" including a saw, an electrified cowboy boot he used as a drum, and what he called his "Magic Pipe" -- a weird L-shaped pipe made out of airline parts that created a variety of percussive sounds. During his set, That 1 Guy put his music on a loop and simultaneously performed card tricks. The set-list pulled songs from his albums The Moon is Disgusting and Songs in the Key of Beotch. For a one-person act, he had a lot going on, like a cross between Les Claypool and Keller Williams (the one-man band best known for opening for The String Cheese Incident).

When Buckethead emerged, the crowd -- which included guitar enthusiasts young and old -- roared. Playing solo, he wore a one-piece black jumpsuit with his signature white bucket hat and mask. He played over two hours of original tunes mixed in with a couple of covers, including a tune by Jimi Hendrix.

But he gave more than just musical entertainment. As he often does, he handed out gifts -- toys, CD's, action figures -- to audience members who were lucky enough to be up close. At one point, he put down his guitar and picked up a pair of nunchucks and began swinging them, just like Bruce Lee. He peppered his show with "robot" moves. At various points throughout the show, guys in costumes would appear out of nowhere and dance in the background. One guy had a top hat, mustache, and vest; another looked like he was dressed in a rat costume. And at one point, Buckethead gave a young aspiring shredder from the audience an opportunity to play his guitar.

Towards the end of the ride, That 1 Guy joined Buckethead on stage for a few songs to close the performance. The roller coaster ride went by so fast that I wanted to run around and get back into line.