22nd March 2003 - Belvoir Amphitheatre, Perth, Australia
In these here crazy times if there was any one band most appropriate to tour then it would have to be Massive Attack. What other band had to change their name during the first Gulf War (to Massive)? And with Robert Del Naja’s (3D) high profile opposition to War with Iraq it was not a question of whether it would be mentioned, more a question of how. Like a musical preemptive strike it would later seem that this tour could not have been better timed as they prepare to launch their Massive anti-war Attack on the world. With the attack on Iraq having commenced towards the end of their Australian tour one suspected the later dates in Adelaide and Perth would have a significantly different feel to the first ones. Dead on 9pm the huge screen at the back of the stage came to life with a clock appearing in the top right hand corner. The ambient music being played gave little clue as to what was about to happen as a few thousand people stood anxiously waiting and watching a few minutes tick by. Then the whole Massive Attack touring party took to the stage and formed a line at the front, 3D stepping up to the microphone. “Good evening. Due to the intense and devastating bombing of Baghdad City today we’d ask you to join us in a minutes silence in respect to the dead men, women and children, the innocent and helpless people of Iraq.” This request was duly respected by the crowd. In the few times he would speak with the crowd 3D was surprisingly upbeat in his manner. Seemingly relaxed on stage, from here on the banter would be kept to the stunning and extremely effective visual setup. The band then started the show off with Future Proof, the opening track from the new album 100th Window.
The second track Everywhen brought confirmation that once again they were traveling with regular Massive Attack vocalist Horace Andy. The guest vocalists are a big determinant of the success of the show and as to whether the tracks translate live. With Andy having been there since the beginning his appearance was a welcome one. In the same way hearing Isaac Hayes makes you want to drop everything to become a 70’s porn star, hearing Horace Andy has a melting effect on your heart as it turns to butter. It somehow penetrates through the heavy bass and straight into your soul. His appearance to sing the hauntingly beautiful Angel and the uplifting Hymn of the Big Wheel both proving popular, the latter in particular a personal highlight. Of the other vocalists; 3D had great delight in introducing Daddy G to the stage for Risingson, his presence seemingly having just as much effect within the band as to the loyal followers who made him welcome on stage. Shara Nelson (I think!) graced us for Safe From Harm, Big Wheel (with Andy) and for a brilliant second encore performance of Unfinished Sympathy. The real surprise, vocal wise, was Dot Allison who had the unenviable job of filling in for Liz Frazer and Sinead O’Connor. Sometimes with guitar in hand, as with her first appearance for Black Milk, other times without as with her stunning rendition of the now classic Tear Drop. With my biggest criticism of their last tour being the female vocals being drowned out by the ever present bass, Allison proved her self worthy for her own Massive Attack collaboration.
The show stealer for the night proved not to be any individual performer or song but a stunning visual show that accompanied throughout. With the stage being of the same sort used at outdoor festivals such as the Big Day Out it had been immediately obvious this setup would not have fit in the amphitheatre. The lighting rig within the stage was set up to give a precisely choreographed display of mood enhancing lighting. All of this was in support of what was happening on the giant screen behind all the performers. It was used to display everything from listings of periodic elements, stock exchange listings, news headlines, html code and the words “NOT IN OUR NAME” to name just a few. The audience appreciated the local touch when Perth suburbs and trains stations began appearing, GPS coordinates of where we were, demographic stats for Australia, arrival/departure times from the Perth International Airport for that day and local weather forecasts for the coming days were all included. These would all appear in lists or randomly all over the place. They would scroll, distort, manipulate and morph into something completely different. One of the most effective examples of this being during Safe From Harm when the screen was continually scrolling through a list of countries in order of their annual defence and weapons spendings. Starting with countries with expenditures around the $1b mark the song climaxed with screeching distorted guitars and flashing bombs as it reached the US total of $300b, the music and visual both going seemingly out of control to represent the madness of the situation. Check out ITM’s photo’s for a better idea, you really had to be there!
Exactly two hours after the show began it finished, after two encores, with an extended version of the ever building Group Four. I walked away from the concert in awe of the show I’d just seen. Having not yet been completely won over by 100th Window I was now inspired to give it another chance. With the various vocalists and an incredibly tight band (made up of a drummer, bass player, guitarist, violinist, and keyboardist) supported by a mind blowing visual show it set a new benchmark for live performance. For those that did cash in their tickets you missed one of the most mind-blowing shows to these shores in a long time. I’m sure most would agree it was worth every penny.
Review by nojman from www.inthemix.com.au/ dated 25th 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.
These photos were taken by Annabelle Dalby. Click on the thumbnails below to view a larger image.
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