Massive Attack, 3 Arena, 24th Feb 2019

UsedToWait · 24-02-2019 3:37pm

Massive Attack review – no room for nostalgia with the prophets of digital darkness
5 / 5 stars

Guardian review (contains spoilers, if you'd rather go in fresh)..

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/24/massive-attack-review-02-arena-london-robert-del-naja-mezzanine

bodhrandude · 24-02-2019 5:43pm

What was the gig like?

UsedToWait · 24-02-2019 5:49pm

bodhrandude wrote: »

What was the gig like?

Dublin gig not till tonight.

I'm seeing them Friday in Bristol..

bodhrandude · 24-02-2019 6:13pm

UsedToWait wrote: »

Dublin gig not till tonight.

I'm seeing them Friday in Bristol..

What about the time travellers though, some went the Dublin gig yesterday.

:):pac::eek:

vkus6mt3y8zg2q · 24-02-2019 7:41pm

bodhrandude wrote: »

What about the time travellers though, some went the Dublin gig yesterday. :):pac::eek:

Hilarious.

24-02-2019 10:28pm

The sound is pure balls

Birneybau · 24-02-2019 11:34pm

Deleted User wrote: »

The sound is pure balls

The sound of fcuxking idiots chatting around me early during the set. Moved back, was fantastic.

granville · 25-02-2019 12:13am

bodhrandude wrote: »

What was the gig like?

Like a very intense episode of Reeling in the Years.

fillup · 25-02-2019 12:32am

Cracker of a gig

Deep, dark n dirty - apocalyptic blues for the digital age

Plenty of yakkers but their insidious drone fitted the anti-digtal diatribe.

25-02-2019 12:39am

paintitblack wrote: »

Looks like it's standing downstairs.

Sound was better further back but still pretty bad.

Ken Tucky · 25-02-2019 12:47am

Sound was good upstairs. Bass was too low for black milk but on other songs my chest was vibrating. It was great, an attack on the senses.
By the way, Daddy G?? has the easiest job in town. Unless I'm mistaken from where I was I counted two songs he was on stage for. As I say, I'm open for correction on that

SlipperyPeople · 25-02-2019 12:49am

yakkers quite annoyed me but shifted a bit away and found a decent spot where I couldn't hear them....then a bloody fight kicked off just as teardrop started playing.

Inertia creeps was my favourite.

really enjoyed the gig overall

hannable80 · 25-02-2019 1:12am

sweet devine, the crowd were better off in a pub with no music the amount of talking ...... The temptation to roar shut the F up was strong i had to go down the back and sink pints..

Grayditch · 25-02-2019 1:14am

The Irish crowd in the Three Arena are truly insufferable.

Effects · 25-02-2019 2:34am

Ricosruffneck wrote: »

Perhaps, i'm on bog standard 30euro one.

Nah, I get it and I'm on a €5 a month plan.

bodhrandude · 25-02-2019 4:47am

Was Horace Andy there too, how was Liz Fraser could you hear her vocals.

UsedToWait · 25-02-2019 6:26am

hannable80 wrote: »

sweet devine, the crowd were better off in a pub with no music the amount of talking ...... The temptation to roar shut the F up was strong i had to go down the back and sink pints..

I wonder how many freebies they gave away?

Under normal circumstances, at gigs these days, there's too many people who'd be better off in the pub, as they just want to chat to their pals..

Add in a load of people who are just there cos they're on a freebie, at a concert for an album released when many of them possibly weren't even born, and it sounds like a nightmare for genuine fans..

Lotus Flower · 25-02-2019 8:12am

bodhrandude wrote: »

Was Horace Andy there too, how was Liz Fraser could you hear her vocals.

He was! For Man Next Door and Angel. No issue with Liz Fraser's vocals

Lotus Flower · 25-02-2019 8:28am

UsedToWait wrote: »

Add in a load of people who are just there cos they're on a freebie, at a concert for an album released when many of them possibly weren't even born, and it sounds like a nightmare for genuine fans..

Or people who just wanted to hear Teardrop or Angel...

SlipperyPeople · 25-02-2019 9:11am

Lotus Flower wrote: »

Or people who just wanted to hear Teardrop or Angel...

reminded me of a really drunk lad with his girlfriend who was trying to get to the jacks with him in tow.

while holding two pints to anyone who made eye contact he would go
"heeore heeore have youse ever heard angel loive??"

To which his missus would go

" stop it, you're a moron and you're upsetting these people"

to which he would reply with:

"yewwwwwwwwwww rrr me aaaangeeeeellll" .

Was kinda funny but they would not leave people alone, must've heard that conversation three times before they got far enough away until I couldn't hear them any more.

threein99 · 25-02-2019 10:03am

People yapping at gigs is ahead of global warming as the single biggest wrong committed by our generation.

sweetie · 25-02-2019 10:05am

threein99 wrote:

People yapping at gigs is ahead of global warming as the single biggest wrong committed by our generation.

Worse than camera phones?

threein99 · 25-02-2019 10:08am

sweetie wrote: »

Worse than camera phones?

I'd put it ahead of camera phones because phones are not as distracting at gigs as people yapping. Though the two usually go hand in hand, but at least they might stop yapping to record the gig they are missing due to excessive yapping

redman · 25-02-2019 10:13am

Very dissappointing gig, was up near top and vocals were way too low....it lacked something, my second favourite band ever but last night was pretty poor overall....

jim-mcdee · 25-02-2019 10:38am

Not the best last night. Fourth time seeing them live and definitely the weakest performance and production. I don't think I will bother making it a fifth unfortunately.

Sight808 · 25-02-2019 11:09am

thought it was average at best, sound was pretty good where we were though. Sadly we were seating and had a bunch of people talking ****e throughout. Conversation ranged from what drugs they used to take and the grapes of wrath ? They spilled a two drinks on the people in front of them also. Absolute ass hats.

Hercule Poirot · 25-02-2019 11:34am

I was very disappointed overall - was really looking forward to this but it missed the mark.

There were moments were it was excellent and others were it was mediocre - unfortunately the mediocre outweighed the excellent

We were standing near the back and the vocal for Teardrop was not brilliant at all

I'm still just left with a feeling of what could have been

UsedToWait · 25-02-2019 11:58am

If you read the comments on the Guardian review I posted yesterday, they're very much a mixed bag..

Oh please. I’ve had enough of these sycophantic reviews praising utter pretentiousness. The gig was tone deaf, visually void, and painfully impersonal. They totally missed the mark. My romance with Mezzanine will forever be a late-night lounge affair. The album has always been, and will always be, a twisted midnight tryst; it’s for a particular moment and a particular feeling. Neither were etched upon Friday night. Naturally, the crowd were totally unengaged. Which, combined with the OTT lighting, led to a paradoxical nightmarish boredom and eventual chitter chatter.

You're wrong, you know. It really was a stroke of genius. One of the best gigs I've ever been to. For me Massive Attack have always been about taking risks. Each new album, with the possible exception of Protection, gave you something new, something ahead of its time. It would always have been easy to just go with something that kept people happy, more of the same (like just playing the album the way it is on record would have been). Instead, they've always pushed things, and led the way instead of following. They did it again on Friday. The sound was intense, the moments completely immersive

Sorry to hear so many were disappointed, but hoping I'll be in the latter camp after seeing them Friday..

sweetie · 25-02-2019 12:06pm

threein99 wrote: »

I'd put it ahead of camera phones because phones are not as distracting at gigs as people yapping. Though the two usually go hand in hand, but at least they might stop yapping to record the gig they are missing due to excessive yapping

I dunno, usually you can move away from yappers but nearly anywhere you stand, (unless at the very front) there's gob****es with their phone (in portrait mode :rolleyes:) recording half the gig.

fryup · 25-02-2019 12:28pm

can they not make an announcement on the big screen before gigs?? like they do in cinemas

"Patrons please refrain from talking loudly during performance and switch off all mobile phones, thank you"

*and in addition to that close the bar when artists are performing...

...and if people don't like it and act up... chuck them out

Lotus Flower · 25-02-2019 1:35pm

Pity there's a lot of people disappointed. The music for me was brilliant, loved the cover of Bela Lugosi's dead

Birneybau · 25-02-2019 1:53pm

Lotus Flower wrote: »

Pity there's a lot of people disappointed. The music for me was brilliant, loved the cover of Bela Lugosi's dead

Thought it was fantastic myself. And that version of Group 4 at the end, Wow!

UsedToWait · 25-02-2019 2:10pm

fryup wrote: »

can they make an announcement on the big screen before gigs?? like they do in cinemas

"Patrons please refrain from talking loudly during performance and switch off all mobile phones, thank you"

*and in addition to that close the bar when artists are performing...

...and if people don't like it and act up chuck them out

I was at James and the Charlatans before Christmas, and before the show they had an animated short - funny, but to the point..
Can't find it, but this is from a review of the gig (it was funnier than I, or the reviewer, can do it justice)

Even before James take to the stage at Leeds’s First Direct Arena, their scathing British wit is out in full-force, in the form of a short, animated cartoon billed as a “public service film”.

In it, a narrator warns of the perils of fans electing to film whole segments of the show to the detriment of the enjoyment of others, with the consequences escalating from feline-and-canine cohabitation to eventual death. It’s a dry, absurdist skit but it certainly sets the tone for an evening of eclectic, genre-straddling indie gems and politically-barbed pop rock.

fryup · 25-02-2019 2:17pm

^^^^^^^^^^^^

make the announcement serious or comical i don't care as long as they get the message across

its getting beyond a joke now

Ken Tucky · 25-02-2019 2:27pm

Birneybau wrote: »

Thought it was fantastic myself. And that version of Group 4 at the end, Wow!

Yep it was epic. Then they just walked off lol!

Im glad i went but will look forward to the next time they play an 'ordinary' gig.

F*ck it, just decided that it was great.

Birneybau · 25-02-2019 2:49pm

Ken Tucky wrote: »

Yep it was epic. Then they just walked off lol!

Im glad i went but will look forward to the next time they play an 'ordinary' gig.

F*ck it, just decided that it was great.

I'm not directing this to you but...a lot of people didn't seem to realise that it's a structured show. One girl in the beer queue in front of me was showing her friend the video for 'Unfinished Sympathy' (had her friend never heard Massive Attack?)
and I nearly said that they weren't going to play it.

Some aul fella and his dolly bird were asking us if we enjoyed it on the way out (we thoroughly did) and he was complaining about the lack of interaction/encore.

Half jokingly I told him to go see Nathan Carter next time instead. :pac:

Ken Tucky · 25-02-2019 2:58pm

Birneybau wrote: »

I'm not directing this to you but...a lot of people didn't seem to realise that it's a structured show. One girl in the beer queue in front of me was showing her friend the video for 'Unfinished Sympathy' (had her friend never heard Massive Attack?)
and I nearly said that they weren't going to play it.

Some aul fella and his dolly bird were asking us if we enjoyed it on the way out (we thoroughly did) and he was complaining about the lack of interaction/encore.

Half jokingly I told him to go see Nathan Carter next time instead. :pac:

No worries, the only thing that surprised me was the running order they played the album in. Couldn't care less about crowd interaction. I was there for those tunes;)

UsedToWait · 25-02-2019 2:59pm

Massive Attack review: Elizabeth Fraser shines amid the paranoia and late-night alienation

4 star review in the Irish Times..

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/massive-attack-review-elizabeth-fraser-shines-amid-the-paranoia-and-late-night-alienation-1.3804639?

citycentre · 25-02-2019 3:25pm

Didn't enjoy it at all, nothing to do with Massive Attack and guests who were clearly brilliant. It was 3 Arena syndrome. Terrible sound quality with the vocals throughout muddy and muffled, even the gorgeous Liz Frazer's. Constant din of chat from the bars , just the usual crap atmosphere at standard stage configuration standing gigs in this particular venue.

Persiancowboy · 25-02-2019 4:34pm

Spot on. I was sitting right up at the back and the sound was terrible from the start. Almost impossible to hear any of the vocals throughout.

And as for the assholes chatting and climbing in and out all night to stock up on their gargle.....especially the 3 30-something males right in front of me who spent the entire evening talking, laughing and "playing the air-drums" .....why bother spending money on tickets if that's what you're going to do for the duration of the show?

THe concept of the show was great but sadly let down by very poor acoustics and too many liggers who really should have spent their sunday night somewhere else.

Lia_lia · 25-02-2019 4:34pm

I thought it was great. Was sitting in the C section and the crowd were grand. Sound could have been better, was a bit hit and miss.

mgkelly · 25-02-2019 4:38pm

I went to this with my brother. We drove down from Donegal for it. I loved it, but there seemed to be an awful load of a**holes there alright. Between people ferrying drink like it was their last day on earth (and if they drank enough, it might just save them!), thru the 'could hardly stand up' drunk and thru the ubiquitous slabberers as alluded to above, there were a lot of distractions. I did really enjoy the vibes, the visuals (thought provoking) and the ethereal vocals of Liz Fraser. And, to be honest, having driven from Donegal, it's a great venue to get to. Very convenient.

Phat Cat · 25-02-2019 7:00pm

sweetie wrote: »

Worse than camera phones?

The only time I found camera phones distracting was during Teardrop, which was expected, the rest of the time it was pretty much a non-issue.

My biggest gripe with the crowd last night were the people smoking and vaping in the standing section, ignorant p***ks!

sporina · 25-02-2019 9:19pm

just seeing this thread now..

I was at the gig too last night - was soo looking forward to this but overall I left feeling v underwhelmed.. wasn't at all what I was expecting.. the ending was so abrupt - i couldn't believe it was over.. would have preferred a different running order - maybe with Mezzanine at the end.. I dunno - something with a crescendo.. the whole thing felt v disjointed.. didn't gather momentum at all.. for me..

I was standing near the back... vocals were great but overall not loud enough..

I get what they are doing in terms of looking back at what has happened since making the album - but found it v indulgent of them.. it wasn't a gig for the fans.. it was for them.. more avant garde than nostalgia..

I loved the covers - gave a bit of dimension to the album but it didn't feel like a celebration of same.. left feeling v sad actually.. for sure the footage was thought provoking but I don't think it was the time or place for it..

I dunno - I liked elements of the gig (Liz's vocals were unreal) but like I said, left feeling rather sad and underwhelmed..

Beechwoodspark · 25-02-2019 9:26pm

Just curious. Was there loads of freebie tickets doing the rounds ?

hmmm · 25-02-2019 9:42pm

I think having a United Liverpool match earlier in the day may have led to a few groups having too much to drink.

I thought it was a very disappointing gig, very self indulgent. You can do self indulgent if you're playing to uber fans in a small venue, but asking people (like myself) to pay for a show in the Point is taking the p**s - I'm not going to spend weeks researching their backstory, I came to be entertained.

The strobe lights were excessive and tried to make up for the lack of excitement in the music. The vocals were barely audible. The band made a good stab at getting some excitement going.

I haven't a clue what the message was supposed to be in the movie, but I'm sat in the 3Arena after paying a good bit for a ticket, drinking 7 quid beers, and they're flogging t-shirts upstairs. If they'd sold a 50 quid tshirt with "down with capitalism" I wouldn't have been surprised. Some **** about data, I don't know.

I like how the crowd hopped up at the end, just in case someone tried to ask for an encore few of us wanted.

Effects · 25-02-2019 9:51pm

Persiancowboy wrote: »

Spot on. I was sitting right up at the back and the sound was terrible from the start.

I don't even bother buying tickets that far back anymore. Just a waste of money. Learned my lesson at Radiohead.

I've rather go to fewer gigs and pay extra for a premium ticket.

stateofflux · 25-02-2019 9:59pm

i was disappointed.

There was no support and their own set was less than 1hr 30min with no encore
visuals were awful cringeworthy ****e---
i questioned the amount that was actually played live.
Sound was ok but vocals too low in places

i was left emotionally empty from the experience which is strange because its one of my favorite albums ever.

This is a money making tour pure and simple using contrived political statements to appear edgy...which the band don't really give a ****e about anymore.

Beechwoodspark · 25-02-2019 10:03pm

My two cents. They were never the same after mushroom left and 3d took over as the main man.

Lotus Flower · 25-02-2019 10:23pm

hmmm wrote: »

I think having a United Liverpool match earlier in the day may have led to a few groups having too much to drink.

I thought it was a very disappointing gig, very self indulgent. You can do self indulgent if you're playing to uber fans in a small venue, but asking people (like myself) to pay for a show in the Point is taking the p**s - I'm not going to spend weeks researching their backstory, I came to be entertained.

.

But to be fair, It was never billed as a greatest hits show, it was very clearly labelled a Mezzanine 21st anniversary show.

Massive Attack, 3 Arena, 24th Feb 2019

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