8th October 2006 - The Metropolis, Montreal, Canada
After postponing their show for nearly a month, Massive Attack finally brought its onslaught of trip hop beats to the sold out Metropolis crowd. True to their historical past, the line-up included the two official members in Robert “3D” del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall alongside a tight five-piece band that included two drummers. The Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser, Horace Andy and Debra Miller also shared the singing responsibilities to a haunting effect. This was a true delight for all Massive Attack fans.
We rarely saw the band members’ faces as they preferred staying in darkness to let their impressive light show take over and dazzle the crowd. Imagine over 20 beams looking like huge stereo equalizers bright up the stage and taking on different images such a flags, lifelines, and provocative words. Amazing. A ticker was also stretched across the stage and gave various political statistics throughout the show and interesting statistics on Montreal prior to the band’s appearance onstage. Who says a concert cannot be informative? It was definitely one of the most visually stunning shows I have ever seen!
Massive Attack presented their signature style of music consisting of slow build-up to a sudden quiet pull back only to end in a big climax. This was especially true for showstopper Angel that had every bit of its intensity as on record (we’ll forgive Horace Andy for starting the song at the wrong time twice!). Sheer brilliance. “Safe from Harm” shined with its politically charged intensity by bashing the Iraqi war with thought-provoking statistics. Lastly, show closer “Gang Four” offered a rapid crescendo that is only fitting for the last song.
The only downside to the show is that having multiple singers kills the rapport a singer normally has with a crowd. Singers came on and off the stage but the crowd dynamic wasn’t there. Then again, this was a crowd that came to listen - not mosh and stage dive - and listen they did.
Review by Ronny Pangia from www.hour.ca dated 9th October 2006
This was the second last show of the entire 2006 tour. This show along with the other Canadian dates were originally meant ot be played in September but were postponed due to visa problems Massive Attack had at the time. The original date for this show was the 11th September 2006.
The official site for The Metropolis is located here.
These photos were taken from the site Red Lines. Click on the thumbnails below to view a larger image.
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