ORLANDO, Fla. — Gorillaz may be a “virtual band” but there were more than a dozen humans on stage during the group’s Orlando concert, rallying the crowd for hits from across the band’s nearly 30-year career.

Founded in the late ’90s as a critique of the manufactured pop music on MTV at the time, Gorillaz have engaged in satire, social commentary and politics from the start, and the Orlando show was no exception.

While Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn commanded the stage with multiple percussionists, backing singers and keyboardists, the fictional animated band members 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbs sang and danced on the giant screen behind the sprawling ensemble.Throughout the night, the group also showed their versatility by combining elements of alternative rock, hip-hop, electronica, reggae and world music.

At Orlando’s Kia Center, Gorillaz kicked off the U.S. leg of “The Mountain” tour, supporting their latest album that draws inspiration from the sounds of India. The band’s ninth album reflects on life, death and grief in a journey of mourning that was deeply personal for Gorillaz co-creators Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, who lost their fathers within 10 days of each other.

The show began its journey with the sweet, melodic sounds of bansuri, a bamboo flute, sitar and percussion instruments from India in “The Mountain,” the opening track to the band’s latest album. The music quickly turned to politics in the second song, “The Happy Dictator,” which comments on authoritarian leaders projecting positive realities while suppressing bad news and distracting people with consumption.

Like a mountain, the performance had its own peaks and valleys between energetic hits and moments of stripped-down reflection. Tracks like “Last Living Souls,” from the 2005 breakout album “Demon Days,” and 2001 track “Tomorrow Comes Today” both sounded apocalyptic sonically and commented on the hollowness of modern society brought on by the onslaught of technology and media.

Throughout the set, the band’s fictional members showed up in music videos and onscreen animations that delved into the lore and backstory of the group.

During “Orange County,” one of the Gorillaz’ newest tracks, the lyrics told a message of grief juxtaposed against an optimistic whistling melody. “The hardest thing is to say goodbye to someone you love,” sang Albarn with guest singer Kara Jackson.

In between songs, Albarn made clear his support for Palestine as he held up the country’s flag and urged fans to vote in the midterm election.

The band brought up the energy with back-to-back rockers “Sound Check (Gravity)” from their debut album and “Delirium,” another track from “The Mountain.” The energy continued as guest rapper Little Simz, one of the night’s opening acts, joined the group onstage for “Garage Palace” shortly before rapper Bootie Brown came up for “New Gold” and “Stylo.”

The grungy “Kids With Guns,” which riffs on the rising tide of violence and aggression in youth culture, took on an added power with guest singer Michelle Ndegwa belting out soaring vocals as the band rocked out behind her.

The set took a brief detour back to India with “The Shadowy Light” featuring the late singer and actress Asha Bhosle before playing one of the night’s most popular singalongs, “Feel Good Inc.”

Gorillaz made sure to save some of their biggest hits for the end, bringing out Brown for “Dirty Harry,” a 2005 protest against the Iraq War, and rapper Del the Funky Homosapien for 2001 party track “Rock the House.” The band saved “Clint Eastwood” for the very end, giving the audience one more hit to sing along with after opening the song with a back-and-forth exchange between Albarn’s melodica and the bansuri flute.

While the Gorillaz may be rooted in the group’s virtual presence and fictional band members, they proved throughout the night they had very real issues to comment on and statements to make.

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