Concert Review: Peelander Z @ the Marquee

Japanese band Peelander Z has been tearing up the punk scene for almost a decade, performing at major festivals such as CMJ, Bonnaroo, and SXSW with acts such as Buckethead and the Electric Six. They’ve also appeared on television shows such as Vh1’s Best Week Ever, MXC: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, Kaiju Big Battel, and the Upright Citizens Brigade.

Peelander Z returned to the Marquee in Tulsa on September 9th, proving once again that live shows can be interactive, chaotic, and fun. Adorned in colorful costumes and rock regalia straight out of an over-the-top Anime, they took the Marquee by storm, playing fan favorites such as “So Many Mike,” “Mad Tiger” and “S.T.E.A.K.”

According to Peelander Yellow, singer for the band, the audience should play an important role in a performance, “Tonight…we are not your guest…you are our guest.” From forming a limbo line that stretched across the venue to bringing fans on stage to play their instruments, Peelander Z made sure everyone went home feeling entertained. At one point, Peelanders Red and Yellow (wearing guitar monster and giant bowling pin costumes) used the venue as a bowling alley, storming the stage from the crowd to knock over pins placed on their amps.

After the festivities ended, and the last clash of Peelander Green’s drum faded, Peelander Yellow thanked everyone for their support and left the crowd with these words, “I am not Japanese, and you are not American. We are all human beings.”