The TriBeCa Film Festival hit New York City this past weekend, and with it came a surprise concert by notorious fictitious act Spinal Tap, a trio of comedians who played the titular act for 1984 parody documentary that roasts the arena bands of classic rock titled This Is Spinal Tap.
Largely overlooked upon its release, the film's dead-on digs at bloated rock dinosaurs of the time eventually won over fans and became a cult classic through absurd jokes such as the iconic "This one goes to 11!" line in reference to an amplifier, and a mishap featuring a miniature Stonehenge stage prop.
To celebrate its 35th anniversary, three of the film's stars took NYC's Beacon Theatre by storm when actors Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer participated in a Q&A session with director Rob Reiner after a screening of the movie, followed by a 30-minute acoustic show where they pulled out a few of the soundtrack's most memorable hits.
Near the end of the set, the trio joked that the worst possible act to open for Spinal Tap would be a folk trio. A stagehand can be seen bringing out an extra mic on stage throughout this short speech and soon the comedians introduce crooner Elvis Costello, who joins in for a rousing version of "Gimme Some Money" after telling the crowd, "I got to make my Carnegie Hall debut with Spinal Tap 20 years ago ... What would be better than being here tonight?"
See the full performance above, and look below to see the soundtrack classics hit by the reunited troop below.
Spinal Tap 2019 Reunion Setlist:
Celtic Blues Hell Hole
(Listen To The) Flower People
Rainy Day Sun
Clam Caravan
All The Way Home
Big Bottom
Gimme Some Money (with special guest Elvis Costello)
Sex Farm
