20th March 2003
Entertainment Center, Adelaide, Australia
Massive Attack’s Brisbane appearance on their 1999 Mezzanine tour is one of those shows always recalled in a hushed voice, as if talking about it too loudly will somehow lessen the memory of the experience. I wasn’t lucky enough to make it to that near-legendary performance, so I jumped at the chance to catch them twice on this tour, firstly in Melbourne (the first stop on their 100th Window world tour, and their first show in some 3 years) and also in Brisbane, in the lush surrounds of the Convention Centre. A few words on the venue are warranted, as it was all class, and made the night that little bit more memorable. What more could you ask for than a fully air-conditioned venue, no smoking, the worlds most comfortable chairs in a large venue (perhaps a little too comfortable for a lazy Sunday night!) and a definite amount of atmosphere, far more than the sterile clime of the BEC. With any luck, more acts of the calibre of Massive Attack will take the opportunity to use this venue to its full effect.
But on to the show! Koolism was a well-chosen support act, mixing up a fine selection covering a wide variety of hip hop, and finishing in fine style with Grandmaster Flash’s The Message. Just past 9pm, the lights were dimmed, the smoke machine turned on and the Massive Attack live outfit – drummer, guitarist, bassist and effects, ambled on to stage, followed by the man himself, Robert del Naja, aka 3D. Proceedings started relatively low key, with just 3D and the live musicians belting out 100th Window’s Future Proof. But come the second track, the scale of the Massive Attack show became apparent – huge intelligent lighting rigs came to life, along with a gigantic full-colour flat screen in the background dwarfing those on stage. The visuals on the screen were minimal to begin with – our current latitude and longitude, Australia’s population, the distance between Bristol and Brisbane. Gradually they became more rapid, more varied and topical to the subject of the song – virus strains, the periodic table and the weight and half-life of elements. It became obvious that much of the visuals must have been prepared that day and customised for the show – the day’s news, centred mainly around the imminent war, financial news and stock prices, and the latest Symantec security update. Many of the guest vocalists from Massive Attack’s 4 albums were along for the ride, and all put in unforgettable performances. Horace Andy on Angel, Safe From Harm and Hymn of the Big Wheel, a voice both calming and uplifting at the same time, pure magic. Dot Allison filled in ably for Liz Fraser on Teardrop, while Daddy G made several appearances, most memorably on Risingson. But it was Shara Nelson who stole the show, even though she only got to perform on a couple of tracks – and the second encore grand finale of Unfinished Sympathy proved she could hit the high notes live as well as on any recording.
There was little banter from 3D throughout the show, apart from a well-appreciated denial of his appearance in the news lately – “everything in the papers is bullshit, and everyone here knows its bullshit”. There was no anti-war rhetoric, but there was no need, as the visuals that developed over the night said all that he wanted to say. A military expenditures league table, listed by country – Luxembourg $0.2bln, North Korea & Iraq $1.4bln, Russian $65bln… and USA $399bln. A listing of military items’ individual cost – from sidewinder missiles ($84,000USD) to an F-22 fighter ($204 million USD). And most effectively of all, a huge, rapidly-increasing counter of world statistics since the first day of this year – world population, topsoil erosion, oil and coal consumption. 3D has plenty to say about the state of the planet, and he was getting his point across very effectively. A huge, enveloping sound, a bass player given full reign to turn it up to 11, wild theremin effects, and an awesome combination of live and programmed drumming. Massive Attack’s live show impressed this little part of Australia to a standing ovation, and I’m sure they’ll be receiving plenty more as it’s taken around the world, one more time.
Review by custaro from www.inthemix.com.au/ dated 17th March 2003
At this particular show, which just happened to coincide with the American led invasion of Iraq, Massive Attack held a special moment of silence, at the very beginning of the show. The band lined-up at the front of the stage before their performance, held hands, and conducted the aforementioned minute of silence. Quote - 3D said to the crowd - "As you all know, the war in Iraq started today. We'd like you all to join us in silence to think about the innocent civilians who are suffering as a result of this tragedy".
The support for this show, as well as most of the other Australian shows on this years's tour was provided by Australian DJ Koolism.
The official site for the Entertainment Center is located here.
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