Gnarls Barkley’s upcoming To Whom It Still Concerns tour will not feature Danger Mouse onstage, despite an initial announcement that presented the nine-city North American run as a reunion of the producer and singer CeeLo Green.
The clarification arrived one week after the tour was announced as the duo’s first in 18 years. Green will perform the Gnarls Barkley material, while Danger Mouse — born Brian Burton — will be present only “in spirit,” according to a statement shared through the group’s Instagram account on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
“There has been inquiry but ‘DANGER MOUSE IS NOT PERFORMING’ !!!! We want no misunderstandings / disappointments etc.,” the message said.
The post described Danger Mouse as Green’s producer and business partner rather than a performing artist. Green added that he supports the producer’s decision and said that support goes both ways.
“I on the other hand will be performing Songs from these three iconic albums,” the statement continued. “It’s going to be amazing and he will be there in spirit.”
Tour Branding Changed After Announcement
The original artwork may have contributed to expectations that both members would appear. Its cartoon imagery showed Green and Danger Mouse standing together in a desert beneath a giant peach.
The revised announcement now explicitly states, “Danger Mouse will not be appearing on the upcoming To Whom It Still Concerns tour.” Promoter Live Nation also amended its poster to bill the shows as “CeeLo Green Performing Gnarls Barkley.”
The North American itinerary is scheduled to begin Nov. 5 at the Masonic in San Francisco. It will then travel to Los Angeles, Atlanta, Detroit, Boston, Silver Spring, Md., Toronto and New York before concluding Nov. 28 at the House of Blues in Chicago.
Green has also scheduled four Gnarls Barkley performances in the U.K. in December.
The run follows Gnarls Barkley’s return from an 18-year hiatus. In February, Green and Danger Mouse announced the release date for Atlanta, which they described as their third and final album. The record arrived in March.
Atlanta marked the long-awaited follow-up to the pair’s second album, 2008’s The Odd Couple. That project produced “Going On,” which reached No. 88 on the Hot 100.
The duo’s Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum debut, St. Elsewhere, was released in 2006 and included “Crazy.” The single climbed to No. 2 on the Hot 100 in May 2006 and spent nine weeks at the top of the U.K. charts.
A Different Kind of Gnarls Barkley Show
The absence of Danger Mouse marks a significant change from the duo’s earlier live appearances, when both men performed onstage. Gnarls Barkley toured intermittently in support of its previous albums, appearing at awards shows and festivals in 2006 before playing international dates in 2007. The act also opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers at U.S. shows that year.
More festival dates and occasional performances followed in 2008 in support of The Odd Couple. Those appearances sometimes featured elaborate costumes. At Coachella in 2006, Green and Danger Mouse dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz; other performances featured looks inspired by A Clockwork Orange and Wayne’s World.
What Happens Next?
The To Whom It Still Concerns tour remains set to launch in San Francisco on Nov. 5, but audiences will now attend with a clearer understanding of its format: Green will handle the live performance of Gnarls Barkley’s songs, while Danger Mouse will not appear.
As Green put it in the group’s disclaimer, the tour comes nearly 20 years after the act’s early era and “probably won’t happen again.” Following the nine North American dates, Green’s four scheduled U.K. shows will extend the run into December.