Thursday: Spinal Tap Unwig-out

Photo by Elise Thompson for Laist

The notion of the three guys in Spinal Tap embarking on an acoustic tour designed to showcase the group's musical aspects and downplay their history as an over-the top metal band has a certain, how would you say... Spinal Tap quality about it. "This is our chance to do all those things...like that rock opera about Jack The Ripper... acoustically!" But that's what they're doing - a costume and wig-free, unplugged event, a "Michael, Chris and Harry" show at which they will probably perform "Stonehenge" sans actual Stonehenge models, or dancing dwarves to trod on it.

But really, there's no reason for Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest to be taken less seriously than anybody else. They're a fake band that happens to also be a REAL band. That Spinal Tap album, the original movie soundtrack, is still one of the finest pop-metal records of its era. Their songs stand up without their sketch comedy setups, as do the Folksmen songs they penned for A Mighty Wind years later. Both bands have that same quality of authenticity; even if some of the genre elements are exaggerated (cucumbers, history lessons on the Spanish Civil War), they're not faking the folk, and they're not untrue to metal. Plus they sounded like a hoot when we got a sneak peek at the live performance during their press conference to kick off the tour. So, absolutely, count us in for "Hell Hole" acoustic, if only those hollow guitars can withstand the flames .

The Unwigged & Unplugged Tour: An Evening with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer appears at The Grove of Anaheim on Thursday, April 23, 8:00pm and at The Wiltern on Sunday, April 26, 8:00pm.