Gorillaz: The Mountain Tour

Gorillaz are playing the Mortgage Matchup Center on Friday, October 23, as part of The Mountain Tour. It's their first extensive North American tour since 2022, so if you've been waiting for them to come back across the States, this is the one. The show is produced by Live Nation.

For those who might still be figuring out how Gorillaz works: it's a virtual act, which means the faces you know from the records are animated characters rather than people standing on stage. But the music is very real. Co-creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett are the ones behind the project, and Albarn is the one you'll actually see up there. He's joined by the Gorillaz live band, so the sound is played by a full group in the room rather than just a laptop.

They aren't coming alone, either. Little Simz and Deltron 3030 are both on the bill as special guests, so the night starts well before the main set. Simz is a British rapper and songwriter who's been on a run of critical acclaim over the last few years, and Deltron 3030 is the sci-fi hip-hop project from Dan the Automator and Del the Funky Homosapien. Both fit right into the Gorillaz wheelhouse—genre-crossing, a bit eccentric, and heavily rooted in hip-hop.

It's a full night of music, with the openers warming up the room before Gorillaz take over. The show starts at 6:30 PM, and doors open 60 minutes before that, so you've got plenty of time to get in and find your spot before the first act hits the stage.