Thundercat’s music can turn a good party into a great party, and that’s why we're so excited to co-present his show at Val Air Ballroom on Monday, Oct. 26. To get you excited for the show, here are six live performances you have to watch, all where Thundercat showed up and made it a legendary experience.
Yo Gabba GabbaLand! Tiny Desk
In 2024, NPR's Tiny Desk producer Alanté Serene invited Yo Gabba GabbaLand! to the Tiny Desk because she and her three-year-old niece were big fans of the show and its funky music. Thundercat had already appeared as The Orange Cat, so naturally he showed up to the Tiny Desk in full costume to play bass and sing on “The Orange Cat’s Special Time Outdoors” and “Party In My Tummy.” In our opinion, he was the best part of the performance!
Mac Miller Tiny Desk
Mac Miller’s Tiny Desk concert is one of the most celebrated performances in the series’ history, filmed just 32 days before his tragic death in 2018. Thundercat appears on bass for “What’s The Use?” — providing the perfect amount of funk for this widely-viewed hip-hop performance.
“Them Changes” with Ariana Grande at Adult Swim Festival
Thundercat gained major notoriety when his 2015 track “Them Changes” went viral online. Ariana Grande covered the track during her BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge performance in 2018, so to honor the memory of their shared late close friend, Mac Miller, Thundercat and Grande performed “Them Changes” together at the virtual Adult Swim Festival in 2020. They appeared in front of an Aqua Teen Hunger Force-inspired background in matching leopard-print cat ears!
Ty Dolla $ign “Cinderella” Tiny Desk performance
In another tribute to the late Mac Miller, Thundercat joined in on an impromptu Tiny Desk rendition of Miller’s “Cinderella” performed by Ty Dolla $ign, who appears on the original version of the song on Miller’s 2016 album The Divine Feminine. Ty Dolla $ign’s Tiny Desk had already wrapped up before the “Cinderella” cover took place; after being informed that it was almost a year to the day after Miller’s Tiny Desk was filmed, the band decided to put on a spontaneous performance of the hit track.
“Black Qualls” on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Thundercat, Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, and Flying Lotus teamed up to perform Thundercat’s “Black Qualls” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2020. Lacy, a talented singer and guitarist known for his work with The Internet, represented the modern alt-R&B scene while Arrington, legendary vocalist of Slave, represented Thundercat’s classic funk roots. Thundercat’s longtime collaborator Flying Lotus had co-produced the album Thundercat was promoting at the time, It Is What It Is, and they all came together for a poignant performance inspired by the experiences of young Black Americans. Another “easter egg” Mac Miller tribute came at the end of “Black Qualls” when the musicians broke into a brief instrumental of Miller’s “What’s The Use?”.
Coachella 2017 with Michael McDonald
Thundercat surprised the Coachella audience in 2017 when he brought out legendary yacht-rock vocalist Michael McDonald to perform a couple tracks during his set. They performed a track McDonald appeared in on Thundercat’s Drunk album, “Show You The Way,” as well as “What A Fool Believes,” McDonald’s 1978 hit with The Doobie Brothers. This pairing was unexpected but brilliant for a funky, retro-inspired artist like Thundercat!
We're looking forward to another iconic performance from Thundercat when he plays Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines on Monday, Oct. 26!
