I still remember the first dance/rave gig I ever went to - Digital in 2000 at the Entertainment Centre in Perth, which I think has since been knocked down. Anyway, the absolute highlight of that gig was the Scratch Perverts dropping Prodigy's "Out of Space". The atmosphere was electric, the roof was low and the crowd was large. Everyone knew the words, everyone sang along and it was a perfect moment in music for me. I might add that this was not some drug fueled moment of chemical happiness - I barely had an idea what that sort of thing was at the time.
It solidified in my mind that this music and these gigs were for me. Not only that, this seething mass of people felt the same way! It was amazing.
The rest of that gig was a real eye opener for me, and positive in every way. A close second to "Out of Space" being played was being acknowledged by Judge Jules, who I was pretty keen on at the time. I can't say my admiration for him and the music he played have stood the test of time the way the Prodigy have. At that stage in my life, I'd been to a couple of Big Days Out and a Regurgitator gig, all of which were scary experiences of drunk surging crowds and mosh pits. I loved the feel and risk of them, but they had nothing on the people and the music at Digital.
But I digress. The point is, I friggin love the Prodigy, and I've been wanting to see them play for around 15 years now. And last Wednesday, I finally saw them..
I approached the gig in a pretty terrible mood - I'd interviewed for the job I was acting in at work, and I felt I'd pretty much blown it. A combination of nerves and an enduring hangover from Melbourne had contributed to what I feel is probably one of the worst interviews I've ever done. I haven't heard back from it yet, but while I went into it a sure favorite to get it, I came out completely unsure of myself. It's in the hands of the interviewers now. In addition to that, Brian and I has driven for 3 hours up from Canberra and I was knackered.
In that mindset, I went to the gig thinking that the Prodigy couldn't possibly be as good as they'd always been. After all, it had been 15 years, they were old dudes, and I totally wasn't in to their last two albums.
It took all of 5 minutes of their set for me to be absolutely blown away.
In a word, the gig was amazing. They have such unbelievable stage presence, the light show was awesome, the bass incredible, and the crowd was going off. I couldn't have hoped for a better set list - heaps of stuff from Fat of the Land, which remains one of my fave albums of all time, as well as all the best shit off every other album they've done. I was so happy that they didn't just come out and play their latest stuff - instead they pretty much just took the best tracks from all of their albums. They only track I could think of that I missed was "Charly", but I am well aware that this is a personal fave rather than an acknowledged anthem.
As you might imagine, an absolute pinnacle of the night for me was hearing "Out of Space". It was even better than it was 10 years ago!
Check out the crowd in the shot above singing along like it was 1994. Freaking excellent!
My camera ran out of battery fairly early on in the gig, so I didn't get as many pictures as I might have liked. I think this might have actually been a blessing in disguise though - I always spend too much of gigs watching them through a camera or a phone trying to record it. It's a bit pointless really, there's usually better footage on youtube the next day, and you don't get to experience it all properly.
Having said that, I DID manage to get a bit of video, and I was pretty stoked with the quality of it! (Hooray for free new camera!) Now that I've got somewhere that I might actually want to share it, I've also tried a first for me, and put it on youtube. Check it out:
As you might be able to tell, that's the Prodigy playing "Breathe", which totally went off.
I'm not actually sure what track is playing in the above clip, but it looks purty.
A most excellent gig. It was the perfect way to get my mind off the shitty job interview. I'm so happy I spent the time and effort going to see them. It's also going to be one of the last times I head up to Sydney to catch a gig with my man Rob for quite a while - he's embarking on a European extravaganza for like a minute yo, and will be sorely missed.
If you ever get the chance - go see the Prodigy. They're awesome.
The rest of that gig was a real eye opener for me, and positive in every way. A close second to "Out of Space" being played was being acknowledged by Judge Jules, who I was pretty keen on at the time. I can't say my admiration for him and the music he played have stood the test of time the way the Prodigy have. At that stage in my life, I'd been to a couple of Big Days Out and a Regurgitator gig, all of which were scary experiences of drunk surging crowds and mosh pits. I loved the feel and risk of them, but they had nothing on the people and the music at Digital.
But I digress. The point is, I friggin love the Prodigy, and I've been wanting to see them play for around 15 years now. And last Wednesday, I finally saw them..
I approached the gig in a pretty terrible mood - I'd interviewed for the job I was acting in at work, and I felt I'd pretty much blown it. A combination of nerves and an enduring hangover from Melbourne had contributed to what I feel is probably one of the worst interviews I've ever done. I haven't heard back from it yet, but while I went into it a sure favorite to get it, I came out completely unsure of myself. It's in the hands of the interviewers now. In addition to that, Brian and I has driven for 3 hours up from Canberra and I was knackered.
In that mindset, I went to the gig thinking that the Prodigy couldn't possibly be as good as they'd always been. After all, it had been 15 years, they were old dudes, and I totally wasn't in to their last two albums.
It took all of 5 minutes of their set for me to be absolutely blown away.
In a word, the gig was amazing. They have such unbelievable stage presence, the light show was awesome, the bass incredible, and the crowd was going off. I couldn't have hoped for a better set list - heaps of stuff from Fat of the Land, which remains one of my fave albums of all time, as well as all the best shit off every other album they've done. I was so happy that they didn't just come out and play their latest stuff - instead they pretty much just took the best tracks from all of their albums. They only track I could think of that I missed was "Charly", but I am well aware that this is a personal fave rather than an acknowledged anthem.
As you might imagine, an absolute pinnacle of the night for me was hearing "Out of Space". It was even better than it was 10 years ago!
Check out the crowd in the shot above singing along like it was 1994. Freaking excellent!
My camera ran out of battery fairly early on in the gig, so I didn't get as many pictures as I might have liked. I think this might have actually been a blessing in disguise though - I always spend too much of gigs watching them through a camera or a phone trying to record it. It's a bit pointless really, there's usually better footage on youtube the next day, and you don't get to experience it all properly.
Having said that, I DID manage to get a bit of video, and I was pretty stoked with the quality of it! (Hooray for free new camera!) Now that I've got somewhere that I might actually want to share it, I've also tried a first for me, and put it on youtube. Check it out:
As you might be able to tell, that's the Prodigy playing "Breathe", which totally went off.
I'm not actually sure what track is playing in the above clip, but it looks purty.
A most excellent gig. It was the perfect way to get my mind off the shitty job interview. I'm so happy I spent the time and effort going to see them. It's also going to be one of the last times I head up to Sydney to catch a gig with my man Rob for quite a while - he's embarking on a European extravaganza for like a minute yo, and will be sorely missed.
If you ever get the chance - go see the Prodigy. They're awesome.
That's "Omen" from the latest disc, "Invaders Must Die". It's worth a listen; there's a bit of filler on there but "Omen Reprise" / "Omen" is a pretty wizard rave throwback.
ReplyDeleteAh dude, all the new stuff sounded fucking awesome live - friggin great!
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