Thievery Corporation 30th anniversary tour is a replay of the decade

Thievery Corporation is one of the first concerts I’ve ever been to. I vividly remember being on the 4th floor of the Carlu, and as the show started, the floor literally shook, vibrating my internal organs out of place. The immediate heavy bass erupted like a volcano, rearranging everything in its wake. Some years later, I went to another show with a new friend. Just as the show was about to start, he turned to me with a cheeky smile and said: “I hope you’re ready for this bass”.

This heavy bass opening is what they were known for for many years. But somewhere between then and now, things changed. Thievery Corporation are no longer young men, and this room is not filled with young folk, which perhaps is why they no longer challenge human biology with eardrum-crushing bass right out of the gate. But that’s just my hypothesis.

This tour marks the Thievery Corporation’s 30th anniversary. The performance began with a story of how Rob Garza and Eric Hilton met in 1995, and within a year, released their first album, Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi. Their fanbase spans decades with favourite songs from twenty-plus albums and many, many B-sides. Their songs set the mood in cultural staple films like Garden State, Vanilla Sky, and Crazy Stupid Love, to name a few. And yet if you ask a random person within your arm’s reach if they know the band, chances are they will shrug no.

“Lebanese Blonde” from The Mirror Conspiracy is perhaps the song that has earned them the biggest group of new fans (surely because of Garden State). Every record is unique in its own way, and today’s merch table had pieces from across decades. T-shirts, posters, and vinyl with imagery from The Richest Man in Babylon, Babylon Rewind, Saudade – take your pick. The line for the merch table remained in a constant loop until the end of the show.

My introduction to Thievery Corporation was The Cosmic Gate tour. It is that opening performance that had me briefly squat on the floor, gathering my loose brain cells in complete surprise, that turned me into a Thievery fan.

The duo always work with a group of talented musicians. Tonight on stage they were joined by Mr. Lif, Laura Vall, Frank Orrall, and Puma Ptah. A full array of musical instruments was also present, building the layers of sound, including Eric Hilton’s sitar.

The band has always been very public about their left-wing political beliefs, supporting human rights and food programs. Their music is very reflective of their stance, often as a complete album concept – Culture of Fear, Radio Retaliation. Today, Laura Vall made a point to address the immigration inequalities, “we are made to feel like we don’t belong, but the truth is, we all belong. Oh, and by the way – Fuck ICE,” she paused to say.

During this very interactive, nearly two-hour performance, the band played through their favourite songs across decades, interructing with the crowd and one another. For a handful of songs, the entire band set in a circle at the front of the stage, committed to an acoustic performance. The show suddenly got more intimate, more directed to the fans.

Thirty years in the making, it seems Thievery Corporation are not about to stop, and today’s plus-ones are surely going to be adding a song or five to their music library collection. I am sure we will meet again, so – until then.