There’s a rumor that guitarist Nels Cline, a tremendous jazz talent who adds textures and rippling lead lines to the band Wilco, goes so hard playing the song “Impossible Germany” that he has to ice his hands after shows. True or not, inflammation is one price one can pay for virtuosity.
Thundercat may have a similar post-show regimen. The bass player and R&B/jazz performer — whose style is too porous to unpack in a sentence — has hypnotic hands. His weapon of choice is famously a gleaming Ibanez six-string low end machine that he uses like a ninja warrior training gym for his fingers.
Center stage at Kodak Hall on June 26, Thundercat, his bass and his 10 digits ran through a dizzying and vibey set of space funk, jazz fusion and subterranean soul with the dazzle and charm of an enlightened extraterrestrial who knows more than you but won’t let on.
Or to hear him tell it as he began the show: “Sometimes I feel like SpongeBob, but sometimes I feel like Patrick.”
It’s a funny thing for a superstar to say, and Thundercat is indeed one. The artist, born Stephen Bruner, has won two Grammy Awards; worked with Childish Gambino, Tame Impala and Mac Miller; and even helped steer Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 jazz-rap opus “To Pimp a Butterfly.”
But onstage, flanked by keyboardist Dennis Hamm and drummer Justin Brown, Thundercat preferred to let his playing speak for itself. His recorded tunes are short, so the trio improvised chaotic and wonderful runs, with their leader occasionally flashing a wry smile from under the dark shadow of his ball cap. It was the final headlining show of the 2025 Rochester International Jazz Festival, after all.
When he did speak, it was to vacillate between some big wins (his sobriety, new music) and the general state of the world, which is, in a phrase, not great. “What are we, at war? And I’m like, ‘meow meow meow,’” he said between tunes. “At least we have SpongeBob.”
Early on, during a masterful fusion interlude, Hamm unleashed a synthesizer solo that would’ve sounded at home on Chick Corea’s “My Spanish Heart.” Brown kept pace and seemed to create an aural field of fog with his deft, complex rhythms. (His solo later in the set was a show stopper.)
Whenever he was freed from having to sing, Thundercat disappeared into pure glee to work the entire length of his massive guitar neck. This became a leitmotif throughout the set.
After landing some laughs with additional SpongeBob banter, one quip about Patrick’s house fell short of a crowd pop. So, Thundercat retreated back to his safe harbor.
“Time to play a cat song,” he said before launching into “A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song Suite II).” It was a showcase for his brand, complete with his bass running through an effects pedal to make it sound like a mewing kitten.
There were ballads. He began the tender “Overseas” in a lower vocal register than his usual falsetto, and for a moment, he conjured 1973 Stevie Wonder on “Innervisions,” a key album for his framework. Midway through, he commanded his band to switch up both the tempo and the vibe with a question: “Anybody here play ‘Sonic the Hedgehog?’” And then his right hand went into hummingbird mode.
Then, with some freaky shit out of his system, it was time for what might be his second-ever masterpiece “Dragonball Durag,” a song powered by both sheer earnestness and being horny. It also contrasted nicely with the electronic-tinged space-funk blitzkrieg that colored the early part of the show, revealing the duality of Thundercat’s musical ambitions. His mind moves even faster than his obscenely talented fingers. But he still needs you, baby.
It’s been five years since Thundercat’s last album, “It Is What It Is,” and he maintained the new material is almost ready. For proof, he played a new song infused with a pop melody he said will be sung by playful powerhouse Remi Wolf on the new record. He saved his biggest and best song, “Them Changes,” for last. By that time, he’d beckoned the crowd onto its feet, injecting a much-needed shot of energy into the stately concert hall.
But the most revealing moment of the night came after the music stopped. As the crowd gave a final cheer, a young fan held up an anime-inspired painting, presumably one they’d made. It caught Thundercat’s eye. He took it, held it up proudly and called the artist on stage for an extended hug.
It was one more attribute to add to the Thundercat brand. Not just an outré fashion icon and mad genius of a conspicuous instrument. Also a nice guy.
And probably in need of two cold bowls of ice.
Patrick Hosken is CITY’s arts reporter. He can be reached at patrick@rochester-citynews.com.
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2024.
