Date: 8th May 2015
Event: The Prodigy Concert – The Day Is My Enemy Tour
Venue: Cardiff Arena
City: Cardiff
Country: Wales
Support: KillSonik
Tracklist:
1. Breathe
2. Nasty
3. Omen
4. Wild Frontier
5. Firestarter
6. Roadblox
7. Rok-weiler
8. The Day Is My Enemy
9. Beyond The Deathray
10. Voodoo People
11. Get Your Fight On
12. Run With The Wolves
13. Wall Of Death
14. Invaders Must Die
15. Medicine
16. Smack My Bitch Up
Encore:
17. Their Law
18. Take Me To The Hospital
Extra info:
Review by Chris Wathan, walesonline.co.uk:
When it comes to dance acts, most are lucky to be remembered in a few weeks.
It says everything about The Prodigy that they can still start fires on the floor 23 years on.
The trio are in their mid-40s now, but there was little evidence of them mellowing at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena last night.
Certainly their music hasn’t as they rolled out tracks from new album, The Day is My Enemy, that had the ability to sound fresh but also in keeping with the classic chaos-laden back catalogue that makes them the appeal they are.
Indeed, a glance across the sold-out crowd showed that there were plenty from the current generation as there were from the jilted one.
The guy-liner and the glow sticks were out with one punter opting for full Keith Flint Firestarter fancy dress.
It is the mad-haired one that is often best associated with the former Essex ravers but it was fellow frontman Maxim who engaged more with the crowd, clearly revelling the the return to touring six years after their last release and last visit to Wales. From the moment the unmistakable opening of Breathe twanged into life, the pair didn’t stop and neither did the crowd.
Of course, while the new album is the first to include the two as songwriters, it is Liam Howlett who is the genius behind vast majority of the 18 song setlist that required one small breather and no excuse for an encore.
He has often ignored much of the limelight and his immediate move to the decks as he strolled on stage suggested age hasn’t changed him.
While few minded the generous dropping of new tracks, especially the big beats of Nasty, plenty wanted to be whisked back to their youth with some of their classics from their mix of rave and electro-punk.
They have enough of them – enough to roll out Firestarter early in the set – but they used them sparingly.
It didn’t take away any of the enjoyment, the hands in the air from the first drum to the last (the live percussionist seemingly breaking new records for drums hit in one gig) and the venue turned into Wales’ biggest nightclub as the lights strobed away.
Yet there was a touch of frustration that Experience was ignored, as was iconic No Good; given the way Voodoo People exploded with the night’s biggest reception you’d have thought they’d sense the appetite for more of the same.
But everybody in the place still left with ears pounding and legs aching as they would have done 23 years ago.
Review by Jake Beaumont, culturecatz.com:
Last night saw The Prodigy return to Cardiff since they played there last during 2009’s ‘Invaders Must Die’ tour. This time around the electronic pioneers returned to the Motorpoint Arena following the release of their new Number One album ‘The Day Is My Enemy’. The packed arena was full of an eclectic mix of supporters – from the younger fans that queued all day to the hardcore ravers that have followed the band throughout their career.
The crowd roared as the band appeared onto the stage and opened their set with smash hit ‘Breathe’, taken from 1997’s double-platinum selling ‘The Fat Of The Land’. Charismatic frontmen Keith and Maxim looked as bold as ever, playing up to the crowd and warming them up for what was to come. They opted to dress up theatrically, with Keith wearing an early-military themed outfit whilst Maxim was hooded with face-paint. Producer Liam walked on and briefly addressed the fans before heading towards the back of the stage where his equipment was located.
The band then went on to perform the combative ‘Nasty’ off the new album, at this point emerging from their outfits and dancing around on the stage as expected. A lot of the new material off ‘The Day Is My Enemy’ went down well with the audience at the show, including tracks such as: ‘Wild Frontier’, ‘Roadblox’, ‘Rokweiler’, ‘Wall Of Death’ and ‘Medicine’. In fact, one of the best live moments of the night was when the band performed ‘The Day Is My Enemy’ – the thumping battle-styled drums and shrieky synth solos of the studio cut were really emphasized and brought to life in a live environment.
Technically speaking, the band were spot on – the sound quality of the night was excellent and the trio were joined by a live drummer and guitarist that positively contributed to the overall vibe and dynamics of the music. Tracks such as ‘Their Law’ and ‘Take Me To The Hospital’ – which were performed at the encore – were definitely given an extra bit of oomph by the accompaniment of the guitar.
Overall, this was an excellent show by a band that have established their title as one of the most thrilling bands on record and the live circuit. They had a strong catalogue of hits that they performed and the newer material was equally digested positively. The band – who are now in their 40s and have been performing since the early 90s – genuinely seemed to be having fun and thriving off the audience. The highlight of the night was when ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ was performed – there seemed to be a sense of solidarity within the arena and everybody was unified through the power of dance.
Poster:
Tracklist:
Ticket:
Photos from the show:
Backstage photos:
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