I don’t blog about gigs very often, usually because I can never remember the set list by the end of the evening, and I’m on a euphoric buzz (no chemicals involved).
This evening wasn’t that much different. There was a euphoric buzz, and I loved the music. But as the tour is celebrating Play’s 25th anniversary, and we’ve had 25 years to put titles to songs.
Moby had what looked a lot like a fifty-something audience (some with their teenage and twenty-something children with them) immediately on their feet. The vibe was as if everyone had shed 20+ years and was clubbing again, with DJ smoothness as songs transitioned into each other.
The slower tracks performed have been spiced up a bit to keep things moving, and tracks like Bodyrock went all out on the rock.
When Moby originally toured Play, he worked pretty hard behind the keyboards and occasionally thrashed at his guitar. This time out, he was willing to lean on a very talented band, two singers, and guest appearances from Lady Blackbird (who initially performed with Moby for tracks like Dark Days). This meant Moby could dash around the stage and play his guitar and take the occasional turn with a keyboard and congas.
Visually, the lighting, etc., hadn’t really moved on in 25 years. While it would be nieve to think he would compete with the likes of Peter Gabriel, the lighting did look dated against the likes of Elbow, who aren’t known for visual spectacle. This didn’t diminish the live energy, though – and chances are he was controlling costs so the charities who got the profits from the shows saw more money.
The set finished on the traditional Moby way, acknowledging his rave roots with Feel So Real and Thousand. For Thousand, the imp of a man would have climbed on top of his keyboards and launched himself off the keyboards at the climax of the song. Today, it is a bit more sedate, with the stage crew rolling on a flight case to climb onto and no spectacular leaping.
Overall, it was great to see him live again, but I suspect we’ll not see him tour again. By his own confession, he loves simply performing in his garden with friends in LA.
An Unkle performance is always going to be a little unusual given 
Phil (aka MP3Monster)'s Blog 
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