Artwork from Gorillaz “The Mountain,” depicting Russel, Noodle, 2D and Murdoc (from left to right) with a Hindu deity behind them.
Gorillaz photo
Almost three decades after blurring the line between cartoon lore and Britpop’s effortless cool, Gorillaz are heading back to Miami. Damon Albarn’s animated superband will bring “The Mountain Tour” to the Kaseya Center on Friday, September 18, marking their first extensive North American run since 2022.
Long gone are the days when fans debated who lurked behind the tattooed, sketchbook silhouettes of 2-D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel. Albarn and co-creator Jamie Hewlett’s virtual universe has become a global institution.
Many will remember the band’s last Magic City stop on October 23, 2022, when they closed out their world tour at the then-FTX Arena. Over two hours and a few dozen songs, Gorillaz stitched together hip-hop, world-music rhythms, piano ballads, and surprise guests into a euphoric spectacle that felt tailor-made for a city that thrives on genre collisions. Before that, they performed at Mana Wynwood during the III Points Festival in 2017 — a fitting stage for a project built on cross-cultural, art and tech experimentation.
Collaboration remains central to the Gorillaz ethos. In 2023, they teamed with the one and only Bad Bunny for “Tormenta,” a reggaeton-leaning standout from Cracker Island that combined Latin rhythms with psychedelic pop. They have also co-created with Elton John, De La Soul, Snoop Dogg, Robert Smith, and, for this new record, The Mountain; they rallied Johnny Marr, Anoushka Shankar, and others.
The album, shaped by the loss of their fathers experienced by Albarn and Hewlett, explores themes of grief and the afterlife. Recorded across India, London, and beyond, the Mountain material draws on Indian classical instrumentation alongside the band’s electronic backbone, weaving multiple languages, including English, Arabic, Hindi, Spanish, and Yoruba, into its lyrics.
Expect the live show — hailed by Rolling Stone as an “overwhelming pop spectacle” — to tap into the full catalog, from “Clint Eastwood” to “Feel Good Inc.” and beyond.
Tickets for Gorillaz at Kaseya Center go on sale Monday, March 9, at 10 a.m., with a presale running March 6 through March 8. [PW: MIAGORILLAZ].
Gorillaz. 8 p.m. Friday, September 18, 2026, at Kaseya Center, 601 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132; kaseyacenter.com; (786) 777-1000. Tickets via ticketmaster.com