Dan McCarthy
Journal Contributor

The hip was hopping, and the band was show-stopping.  The roof was raised, and the crowd was amazed.  The fans were getting krunk while the walls oozed with funk.  Boston was rocked with every song, for the Gorillaz were on like Donkey Kong.

On October 6, Boston University’s Agganis Arena was graced with the presence of the Gorillaz on the second stop of their Escape to Plastic Beach tour.  The tour coincides with the release of their March album Plastic Beach (2010, Virgin Records), which was at one point number two on the US Billboard Top 200 Albums.  It’s the band’s third album since their formation in 1998, and the latest since Demon Days (2005, Parlophone).

The Gorillaz are an anomaly in the music business; they are a band without a defining genre, who consists only of two full-time members.  Created by Blur front man Damon Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett, the band is a musical “project” which combines hip-hop/alternative jams with a fictional universe of cartoon characters who perform the songs as a virtual band.

With Albarn as the only permanent musical member, the group relies on contributions from esteemed members of the music community.  Snoop Dogg, Mos Def and Clash members Mick Jones and Paul Simonon are just a few of the many musicians who have been featured on Gorillaz albums;  and despite their limited alliance with the group, many of these artists found their way on stage to perform with Albarn on Wednesday night.

N.E.R.D., a group that provides a musical potpourri of rock, metal, and hip-hop, opened for the Gorillaz in front of a relatively empty and unenthused crowd.  Performing hits like “Party People,” and “Lapdance,” N.E.R.D. stunned those in the stands with some fantastic percussion work by their two drummers — unfortunately many fans were left unimpressed and anxious for the main act to start.

“They didn’t suck or anything, in fact they were a lot better than I expected.  I just want to see [the Gorillaz] already!” exclaimed Betty Mikan, a graduate student from Northeastern University.

Fortunately, at 9p.m., Betty and all of the Gorillaz fans got exactly what they were asking for.   Donned in pirate attire to match the theme of the tour, the Gorillaz marched onto a stage which flashed their namesake boldly and brightly to the roar of a packed Boston crowd.  The performance began with the album’s introductory track, “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach,” with Snoop Dogg performing on a large projection screen that hung above the band.  This screen was used throughout the concert to tell the story of Hewlett’s cartoon characters, showing their exploits in music videos during Albarn and company’s one-hundred-minute performance.  There is a story behind each video and song, with a storyline that connects all three of the Gorillaz albums. However, it is safe to say that it was over the heads of most of the crowd in the stadium that night.

“I have no idea, dude,” confessed BU student Mark Samuelsson on the reasoning behind the music videos.  “I’m sure there’s a pretty cool story worth following, but I’d rather just listen to these guys do their thing.”

That’s exactly what the Gorillaz did.  The set list jumped back and forth between their latest album (“Stylo,” “Rhinestone Eyes,” “Superfast Jellyfish,” and “On Melancholy Hill” to name a few) and hits from their past records (“DARE,” “Dirty Harry,” and “19-2000” were just a few of the headliners).  Albarn was electric, running the show with his wide-ranging vocals and brilliant assistance on the keyboard.  Joined by the likes of R&B legend Bobby Womack, De La Soul, and Little Dragon at various points of the concert, the Gorillaz were clicking on all cylinders for Bostonians young and old on that October night.

Following the performance of the album’s namesake, the Gorillaz exited the stage to the roar of the elated fans before returning for an electric encore performance.  The 5-track set included classics like “Feel Good Inc.” and “Clint Eastwood,” and left fans more than satisfied with the exemplary performance.

“Fantastic.  Simply fantastic,” remarked long-time Gorillaz fan Rob Tramers while walking out of Agganis Arena.  “I can’t wait to see them again.”

Following their Boston performance, the Gorillaz have 17 more stops in North America before they set sail for Europe.  Judging from the response of those who were fortunate enough to attend, it just may be worth your while to take a mini vacation to the Plastic Beach.