Flight of the Conchords Return to the Stage After Eight Years, Rough Edges and All

At their first full show since 2016, Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie brought their deadpan musical comedy back to Los Angeles, flubs and all.

Flight of the Conchords played their first concert in eight years on May 10, headlining the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles as part of the Netflix Is a Joke Fest. The New Zealand duo, Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, picked up instruments again for a set that drew from their catalog of dryly absurdist folk-pop songs.

By Clement’s own admission, the show could have used another week of rehearsal. Lyrics slipped away mid-song. Once, Clement had to remind McKenzie which instrument to grab next. These moments didn’t derail the night but gave it a looseness that suited the pair’s offhand charm.

The material itself, narrative-driven and musically precise beneath the humor, did most of the work. Songs like “The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)” and “Business Time” still land because the craft is real, not just the jokes. The audience at the Greek, filling the amphitheater on a