Kyle Gordon brought his signature blend of comedy and music to The Southern Café & Music Hall this past Thursday night. Performing some of his most popular parody and satire songs, Gordon drew a raucous audience equally eager to laugh as they were to sing along.
Throughout his performance, Gordon produced hysterical musical parodies while taking on a wide range of different characters and caricatures. From early-2000s-era millennial folk rock to 1970s funk music, Gordon navigated time and genre with his coat rack of props and costumes beside him.
Gordon has amassed a massive following on social media in recent years, which he has channelled into work as a touring comedic musician. With over one million subscribers on YouTube and nearly four million followers on TikTok, Gordon has found widespread success in creating parody songs that poke fun at stereotypes of certain musical genres and eras, expanding on a musical niche once held by pioneers like “Weird Al” Yankovic.
Second-year Batten student Holden Hill found Gordon through social media but was pleasantly surprised how well Gordon’s content transferred to a live performance.
“I didn't know how much to expect,” Hill said, “But it was definitely fantastic. No words. It was great.”
Gordon’s stop in Charlottesville is part of his largest musical comedy tour to date, traveling across the United States and Canada in promotion of his new album, “Kyle Gordon Is Wonderful.” The album itself is a spoof of VH1 musical ranking shows, and it counts down “The 10 Most Wonderfully Ridiculous Songs of All Time.” The album consists of ten different parody songs interspersed with recorded skits introducing each song in the manner of traditional radio DJs. For his live set, Gordon incorporated songs from this new album as well as his first one, “Kyle Gordon Is Great” — prioritizing his most viral and popular hits.
Before he took to the stage, New Jersey-based rock band Mojohand brought an enthusiastic flare to the intimate space of The Southern. The band played a series of original songs telling the story of the group itself, building a strong connection with the band members, the same musicians who would later back up Gordon’s set. Lead singer Elijah Klein warned the crowd that the performance to follow would be unlike any other concert or comedy show, referring to Gordon’s show as a “party.”
Gordon opened his act by appearing onstage in a fringed vest and long red wig hidden beneath a cowboy hat. Announcing that the presence onstage was not, in fact, Kyle Gordon, but rather Nashville-based country music singer Tanya McCabe, Gordon launched into his first song of the night, “Girls Are the Best.” As the crowd began to sing along with Gordon’s lyrics declaring women to be the vastly superior gender and that all men in attendance should hang their heads in shame, it was clear that Klein’s warning before the show was spot-on.
At one point, Gordon and the members of Mojohand took on the persona of the fictional nu metal band Stool Sample to perform their song “Crawl to Me,” a single off of Gordon’s most recent album. With Gordon initiating a call and response with the audience and the musicians dressed in rubber clown masks, the performers leaned into the inherent silliness and extravagance of the performance in times like these to keep the crowd engaged and ecstatic.
It was the variety of musical style — but consistently upbeat energy — that made the show so engaging for those in the audience. Throughout the show, the crowd banged their head to the tune of Gordon’s emo parody “My Life (Is the Worst Ever)” and pumped their fist in unison as Gordon belted and played a recorder to “The Irish Drinking Song.”
In between tracks, Gordon made a special, almost personal connection with those in attendance in the style of a traditional comedy set. Interspersing his songs with jokes about the University Grounds or the overwhelmingly positive crowd response in Charlottesville, Gordon took time and care to ensure the evening was singularly memorable.
First-year College student Philip Ermanoski appreciated the authenticity of Gordon’s performing style, believing it made the evening more memorable overall.
“In between [the songs], he's able to connect with the people,” Ermanoski said. “He's able to connect with the audience and the city of Charlottesville, and he's really able to just create and foster this connection between himself and the audience. And it was in those moments between the songs that I just was like, wow, this guy is great.”
The encore of the show proved to be the thematic climax of the entire performance. Returning to the stage after a brief hiatus in a parka and bucket hat, Gordon took on his British roadman persona to rap “Selekta” as his character Albie Wobble.
Then, for his final song of the night, Gordon embodied DJ Crazy Times, the singer of his most popular song to date — the europop jam “Planet of the Bass.” Jumping down from the stage to perform surrounded by the ecstatic crowd, Gordon channeled the enthusiasm of the audience into the most energetic song of the night, ending the show on an ecstatic high note. In a comedy show unlike any concert, and a concert unlike any comedy show, Gordon put on full display his talent as a comedian, songwriter, performer and creative.
After the show, Gordon stayed behind with Mojohand to take pictures, talk with fans and engage with the audience members on an individual level. Gordon seemed to genuinely enjoy his time at The Southern almost as much as the crowd did, expressing his appreciation for the audience and the city at large after his triumphant return to Charlottesville.
“Charlottesville is the best!” Gordon said — as himself, not any of his characters — giving additional weight to his words.
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