Stephen Bruner, AKA Thundercat, is not one for standing still. Fresh off a high-octane stadium run warming up crowds for The Strokes, the six-string bass wizard, falsetto crooner, and certified anime aficionado has officially mapped out his next move. Thundercat is taking the wheel for a massive North American headlining run this fall, appropriately dubbed the Distracted AF Tour.
Seeing as a Thundercat show is more of an invitation into a brilliantly chaotic creative ecosystem, he is bringing along an incredibly eclectic rotating cast of support acts. Fans caught in the tractor beam of this tour can expect sets from Channel Tres (delivering a special DJ set), TiaCorine, Fera, 54 Ultra, and Kitty Ca$h.
The tour serves as the major live celebration for his fifth studio LP, Distracted, released earlier this spring via Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder label. Marking his first full-length effort in six long years since the GRAMMY-winning It Is What It Is, the new record finds Bruner doing what he does best: wrestling with modern overstimulation, terrible text-thread etiquette, and the crushing weight of the digital scroll—all while delivering some of the tightest, melt-your-face jazz-funk basslines on the planet.
Distracted plays out like a star-studded house party inside Bruner's brain. The album boasts massive, genre-defying contributions from a laundry list of heavyweight friends, including WILLOW, A$AP Rocky, Tame Impala, Lil Yachty, and The Lemon Twigs. It even features a deeply moving, previously unreleased collaboration with his late, great brother-in-groove, Mac Miller.
But whether he’s dueting in his signature soaring falsetto, letting an MC rip over his elastic bass thumps, or casually contemplating a side hustle selling foot pics to cope with a breakup, Bruner's unique brand of vulnerable, laugh-out-loud humor anchors the entire interstellar trip.
If his recent television takeovers—ranging from an elite Saturday Night Live appearance with A$AP Rocky to jamming out on Apple TV+’s Yo Gabba Gabbaland!—are any indication, Thundercat's live chops are operating at an entirely different altitude right now.
On stage, the boundary between jaw-dropping musical genius and stand-up comedy completely dissolves. He effortlessly pivots from complex, hyper-speed jazz fusion solos to deadpan riffs about Star Wars lore, giving the entire night the intimate, hilarious energy of just hanging out with the most talented guy in the room.
The 32-date trek officially kicks off on October 2nd in Miami and winds its way across the continent before wrapping up in mid-December. So set your alarms, clear your tabs, and try not to get too distracted.
More info and tickets here.
