Image courtesy B. Mayer’s Flickr Photostream, licensed under Creative Commons. Taken during “Teardrop” during Massive Attack’s Melbourne, Australia show. It looked pretty much the same in Toronto.
You know, I’d never seen the same band in quick succession during a single tour before this weekend. The list of bands I’d even consider going to two shows in, say, the same weekend is pretty short.
But Massive Attack is at the top of that list, so after attending Friday’s Massive Attack show at Sound Academy with a select few members of the Panic Manual family, I ventured to Sound Academy again on Sunday, alone, to see my favourite band of the past 12 years or so for the second time in three days as a kind of pre-30th birthday present to myself.
Before I give my thoughts, you’d best read Ricky’s review of Friday’s show first. Look at the set list he gives for sure, because it was the same on Sunday. And now, since I’m not very into paragraphs today and can’t really organize my thoughts coherently after two late night shows in three days (I am about to turn 30, after all), here’s some loosely connected observations and opinions of Massive Attack weekend:
- Everything Ricky says about how bad Sound Academy is is true. I’d actually never been to this venue before, and it’s everything Ricky’s frequent bitching about it says it is. The sound system is good, and at least on Sunday the fire alarm didn’t go off repeatedly like it did Friday. But it’s an awful venue.
- I personally think Ricky’s 4-rating of Friday’s show was generous. I felt for whatever reason the band didn’t really hit their stride until “Angel,” which was only two songs from the encore break. Considering my sky-high expectations going in I probably would’ve given it a 3.
- That said, Sunday’s show seemed a lot tighter for two reasons: Martina Topley-Bird was better, and Robert Del Naja (aka 3D) was more engaged early on. Even during tunes he wasn’t singing, 3D was dancing, moving around the stage like the de facto frontman/conductor that he is, and was generally a lot more lively than on Friday. I still found there was a lull in the middle of the set before the band exploded into “Angel,” but it didn’t encompass the whole first half of the show like it did on Friday night.
- I fully believe that Massive Attack playing “Angel” is perhaps the greatest concert experience I have had and will ever have. Horace Andy just kills this song live. The way this dark, brooding tune builds and how loud the guitar riff comes in and hits you full force…it’s magic, it really is. They could play this song at the beginning, middle and end of their set and I would love it every time.
