What to expect at Gorillaz's The Mountain Tour: Setlist, start time and more

Welcome to SeatGeek Front Row, where music writers share their tips for attending the biggest concert tours around the country. For this edition, NYC concert expert Annmarie Gajdos breaks down what it’s really like to see Gorillaz's “The Mountain Tour” in person, from the setlist and surprise guests to the larger-than-life visuals and the exact time Gorillaz comes on.

I went into Gorillaz at Madison Square Garden knowing the music much better than I knew the world surrounding it.

I knew Gorillaz was an animated band. What I didn't fully understand was just how deep that universe goes, or how much of it would come alive during the concert.

Over the next two hours, animated characters filled massive screens, a seemingly endless stream of surprise guests walked onstage, brass musicians appeared, the Harlem Gospel Choir joined the band and Damon Albarn repeatedly entered the crowd. Behind all of it were psychedelic, anime-inspired and spiritual visuals that sometimes made me wonder what exactly I was looking at, in the best way possible.

There was so much happening that eventually I stopped trying to capture all of it, which if you know me, is a very rare occurrence.

What a Gorillaz “The Mountain Tour” concert is really like

Here's what you should know before seeing Gorillaz on "The Mountain Tour,” from the setlist to the surreal production and visuals accompanying the music. 

Who opens for Gorillaz?

Deltron 3030 and Little Simz opened at Madison Square Garden. Little Simz will be joining Gorillaz for a portion of the tour, hitting most of the North American dates.

One thing worth knowing is that the posted set times didn't exactly match what happened in the arena.

Deltron 3030 was scheduled earlier but didn't come on until around 8:20 p.m. Little Simz followed at approximately 8:50 p.m. and finished around 9:13 p.m.

Don't treat the opening acts as an empty-arena warm-up. People seemed genuinely excited for both of them, and Little Simz wasn't finished for the night. She later returned during Gorillaz's set to perform "Garage Palace."

What songs does Gorillaz play on “The Mountain Tour?”

Gorillaz played a massive 28-song set at Madison Square Garden, pulling from across the band's catalog while highlighting "The Mountain" in a major way.

Certain songs produced sudden surges in the crowd’s energy. "On Melancholy Hill" was the first moment when I noticed my entire section getting up at once. The stage was washed in blue light as Damon Albarn directed the audience through the melody with his hands, and the crowd sang it back to him.

But the biggest distinguishing feature of the MSG set was the sheer number of people who joined Gorillaz throughout the night.

Miho Hatori appeared for "19-2000." Black Thought and Asha Puthli joined "The Moon Cave," with Puthli making a memorable entrance in a dramatic silver cape. Kara Jackson appeared for "Orange County," while Little Simz returned after her opening set for "Garage Palace."

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble joined the band for "Broken," which made its tour debut at MSG, and later returned for "Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach." Bootie Brown appeared for "Stylo" and "Dirty Harry."

One of the night's biggest surprises came with "Let Me Out," when Pusha T and the Harlem Gospel Choir joined Gorillaz for the song's first live performance since 2017. That was immediately followed by one of my personal favorite vocal moments of the night, when Michelle Ndegwa took over during "Kids With Guns."

And the guests still weren't finished. Black Thought returned for "The Sad God," the Harlem Gospel Choir joined "Demon Days," Del the Funky Homosapien appeared for "Rock the House" and "Clint Eastwood," Posdnuos joined "Feel Good Inc.," and Dan the Automator appeared for the final song.

Gorillaz shows are collaborative by nature, but don't go into another tour stop expecting this exact lineup. MSG received an especially guest-heavy version of the show.

Gorillaz Madison Square Garden setlist

1. The Mountain

2. The Happy Dictator

3. Tranz

4. Last Living Souls

5. Tomorrow Comes Today

6. 19-2000 (with Miho Hatori)

7. Rhinestone Eyes

8. The Moon Cave (with Black Thought and Asha Puthli)

9. On Melancholy Hill

10. Orange County (with Kara Jackson)

11. Casablanca

12. Delirium

13. Andromeda

14. Garage Palace (with Little Simz)

15. She's My Collar

16. Broken (with Hypnotic Brass Ensemble; tour debut)

17. Stylo (with Bootie Brown)

18. Let Me Out (with Pusha T and the Harlem Gospel Choir; first live performance since 2017)

19. Kids With Guns

20. The Sad God (with Black Thought)

21. Don't Get Lost in Heaven

22. Demon Days (with the Harlem Gospel Choir)

Encore

1. Cloud of Unknowing

2. Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach (with Hypnotic Brass Ensemble; tour debut)

3. Rock the House (with Del the Funky Homosapien)

4. Dirty Harry (with Bootie Brown)

5. Feel Good Inc. (with Posdnuos)

6. Clint Eastwood (with Del the Funky Homosapien and Dan the Automator)

Is there an encore at Gorillaz?

Yes, and don't leave just because the show appears to be ending.

"Demon Days," performed with the Harlem Gospel Choir, closed the main portion of the set before the show continued with a substantial six-song encore.

The final run included "Cloud of Unknowing," "Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach," "Rock the House," "Dirty Harry," "Feel Good Inc." and finally "Clint Eastwood."

From my seat, the transition didn't feel like an especially long traditional encore break where the band disappeared for several minutes while everyone screamed for them to return. Because the concert had already been going for so long, I actually found myself wondering multiple times whether we had reached the end.

We hadn't.

The final stretch also included one of the night's most communal moments. De La Soul's Posdnuos joined Gorillaz for “Feel Good Inc,” but first turned the arena into one giant exercise in connection, encouraging people to wave and say hello to fans across MSG before launching into the song.

A few people started making their way toward the exits during the very end of "Clint Eastwood," but most stayed through the finale.

What does the Gorillaz “The Mountain” stage look like?

Understanding a little bit of Gorillaz history explains why this doesn't look like a conventional concert.

Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett created Gorillaz as a virtual band centered around four fictional animated members: 2-D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel. More than 25 years later, that fictional world remains a huge part of the live production.

At MSG, the actual musicians performed in front of massive screens filled with Hewlett's characters and artwork. The imagery moved between manga- and anime-influenced animation, surreal characters, vivid psychedelic sequences and visuals connected to "The Mountain."

The newer imagery incorporates themes of mortality, spirituality and the afterlife, and those ideas appeared throughout the production in multi-armed figures, script and religious imagery.

You don't need to understand all of that beforehand.

I didn't.

Even without knowing exactly what every character or image represented, it was fascinating to watch. At certain points the show felt psychedelic and dreamlike. Other sections became much darker and introspective, examining societal issues and politics in a non-obtrusive way. Animated characters could dominate the screens one minute before another guest or group of musicians suddenly appeared onstage the next.

There was always something happening.

What is the Gorillaz live band like?

If there’s one word to describe it, I’d go with... huge.

Even before accounting for the night's special guests, this didn't feel like watching a few people perform on an otherwise empty stage. Backing vocalists and additional musicians were integrated throughout the show, creating a live counterpart to the enormous animated world unfolding behind them.

Then the collaborators started appearing.

One of my favorite additions was Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, which added an entire brass section to an already crowded stage. The Harlem Gospel Choir brought another completely different sound later in the night.

Despite the number of people constantly moving in and out, it never felt chaotic.

That's what impressed me most about the production. Another performer could appear, the visuals could completely change and the stage could suddenly contain even more musicians, yet everything still felt like it belonged to the same show.

Albarn also kept the show connected to New York City, weaving references to the city and its culture into the night rather than making the performance feel interchangeable with any other tour stop. There was a social consciousness running through parts of the show, too, but it didn’t turn into a lengthy political speech. 

At one point, while introducing a song with a more pessimistic view of the state of the world, Albarn reminded the crowd that if they felt similarly, they could vote in November and change the tide. The moment was brief and understated, but it added another layer to a show that frequently seemed interested in what was happening outside the arena as much as the spectacle happening onstage.

Is there a B-stage at Gorillaz?

No.

Gorillaz performed from the main stage at MSG, although Albarn came down toward the crowd more than once.

The floor itself was divided into two pit sections by a metal barricade running through the middle. Both sections looked mostly full, but there was still some space to move rather than the floor appearing completely packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

If getting close to Albarn matters most to you, the pit has an obvious advantage. But there is another tradeoff with this particular production: the closer you are, the harder it may be to absorb everything happening across the screens and stage simultaneously.

What to know before you go to Gorillaz's “The Mountain Tour”

Besides preparing for a huge production, there are a few practical things worth knowing before you settle in for the night.

What time should I arrive for Gorillaz?

Get there early and prepare for a long night, and don't necessarily count on the posted set times being exact.

Doors opened at 7 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. The schedule circulating before the show had the opening acts and Gorillaz running on an earlier timeline, with Gorillaz expected to finish around 11:30 p.m.

That isn't exactly how my night played out.

Deltron 3030 didn't come on until around 8:20 p.m. Little Simz followed at approximately 8:50 p.m. and finished around 9:13 p.m.

Gorillaz was much closer to the scheduled start time. The lights went down around 9:48 p.m., followed by the show's long animated introduction before the performance began.

The biggest difference came at the end.

Instead of finishing around 11:30 p.m., Gorillaz kept going until approximately 11:50 p.m.

I arrived shortly after doors, and I'm glad I did. Between two openers and a roughly two-hour Gorillaz set, this is one concert where I'd avoid making tight post-show plans.

I'd also eat beforehand if possible. Concession lines didn't look particularly bad and prices seemed typical for MSG, but if you're there from doors through the finale, you're potentially spending close to five hours inside the venue.

What do people wear to a Gorillaz concert?

There wasn't really a Gorillaz dress code.

Most people at MSG dressed casually, and I didn't notice many costumes, coordinated outfits or heavily themed looks. That was somewhat surprising considering how distinctive the Gorillaz visual universe is.

The crowd itself skewed a little older than at some of the other concerts I've attended recently, although there was still a broad mix of ages.

More important than what people wore was how they acted once the music started. Fans were dancing, singing and filming throughout the night. I wouldn't describe the atmosphere as rowdy. It felt more like a room full of people who wanted to vibe with the music and visuals.

What is Gorillaz merch like?

Prepare your wallet for lots of unique options.

Gorillaz had one of the more colorful merch selections I've ever seen. Instead of relying entirely on standard black concert tees, there were character-specific shirts in colors including pink, green, red and yellow, alongside a more traditional tour tee featuring all four Gorillaz characters.

T-shirts were $45. A Gorillaz jersey and tour sweatshirt were $100 each, and I especially liked that the sweatshirt included the tour dates on the back. Tote bags were $30, posters were $20 and a pin set was $25. There were smaller accessories available as well.

Little Simz and Deltron 3030 also had their own merch.

Plenty of people arrived wearing Gorillaz merchandise they already owned, including designs that appeared to come from previous eras or tours.

One thing surprised me: the merch line looked longer after the concert than it did earlier in the night.

If you know you want something, I'd shop early rather than assuming you'll save time by waiting until the end.

Where should you sit for Gorillaz?

I sat in Section 106, Row 19 at Madison Square Garden, and this is one show where I was glad I wasn't sitting as close as possible.

Normally, Row 19 would feel a little farther back than I'd ideally choose. Here, it worked.

There is so much happening across the entire stage that having enough distance to see the screens, animation, musicians and guests together became an advantage. A seat with a full view of the production has real value.

The only issue I encountered was once everyone stood. I occasionally struggled to see over people, particularly when fans were dancing with their hands in the air. That's not something I normally notice at MSG, so I wouldn't necessarily attribute it to Section 106 itself.

If proximity is your priority, choose the pit. Albarn came toward the audience multiple times, and being along the barricade would put you much closer to those moments.

But remember what you're trading.

You're going to be standing for a very long night, and Gorillaz isn't a show where all the action happens directly in front of the lead singer. The screens and full-stage production are a significant part of the experience.

For this tour, I would prioritize a clear view of the entire stage over simply finding the closest possible seat.

What is it like leaving Madison Square Garden after the Gorillaz concert ended?

Getting out was surprisingly easy.

Despite the arena being full, I made it onto the street pretty quickly after the show ended around 11:50 p.m.

But the concert didn't exactly end at the doors.

Despite it being nearly midnight on a Tuesday, people were still outside dancing and hanging around MSG. A street drummer was playing 90s songs nearby, and groups of concertgoers stopped to dance instead of immediately heading home. I was quickly reminded of what makes New York City so special: its magic. And there was no shortage of it on this night. As Damon Albarn noted on stage, “It [was] really nice to find New York in such good health.”

I also noticed fans waiting near the venue's load-out area, seemingly hoping to see one of the performers coming out. There were unofficial concert shirts being sold outside as well.

For a concert that had already lasted nearly five hours from doors to finish, I was surprised by how few people seemed ready for the night to end.

Is Gorillaz's “The Mountain Tour” worth seeing live?

I walked into Madison Square Garden without understanding most of the Gorillaz lore.

It didn't matter.

The vocals sounded great. The live band was enormous. The visuals were bizarre, psychedelic and constantly changing. Special guests seemed to appear endlessly, yet somehow the show never felt disjointed.

There was simply so much happening.

And that's probably the biggest thing I would tell someone before going: don't put too much pressure on yourself to capture all of it.

I had my phone out plenty. But at a certain point, trying to record every guest, every visual change and every unexpected performance became impossible. There was always another moment coming.

Eventually, I just watched.

That's part of what made the concert so much fun. You never quite knew who was going to walk onstage or what was going to appear on the screens next. Some moments carried heavier messages, while others were simply strange, colorful and joyful.

It reminded me that not everything has to be so serious.

Sometimes it's okay to put the phone down, be a spectator and see what happens next.

Annmarie Gajdos is a New York City-based entertainment and travel journalist, on-camera host, and content creator covering music, pop culture, live events, and travel. Her work has appeared in Men’s Journal, Business Insider, Islands, and other outlets. You can follow her on Instagram at @annmariegajdos.