Nearly a year after swearing off big stadium shows Jitka and I went to the Sazka Arena (Ocelarska 2, Prague 9) last night to see Moby. While I admire him as a musician who takes risks while making the music he wants to make (case in point: following up his 1995 techno smash “Everything is Wrong” with the abrasive punk chaos of 1997’s “Animal Rights”) and I dig him as a human being (at least based on what I know of him through his excellent journal), I’ve never been a big fan of his work. In the right place at the right time it can make me move, but it doesn’t really move me.
I suppose the monumental success of “Play” had something to do with this. At the turn of the millennium there was no escaping its singles. All of Prague’s radio stations and clubs simply played the hell out of the disc – so much so that after the release of his follow-up “18” the Czech public gave the first single a little love and went back to grooving on “Play”.
Now, three years after “18”, Moby’s touring to support his latest album “Hotel”. As far as singles go, so far so good – “Lift Me Up”, “Raining Again” and “Beautiful” all have the requisite wonderfully catchy choruses that you don’t mind repeating over and over again, especially live.
Neither Jitka nor I were really in the mood for a big show, mainly because of the crowd. But, the tickets were free and the Sazka Arena is only four metro stops from our place, so we reckoned we might as well. The first thing that struck me about the Sazka Arena was how clean it was. I felt like was walking into a Canadian airport. The security was friendly and everything was so orderly and well organized that one could easily think that they had stepped outside of the Czech Republic, especially if they’ve spent any time at other places where large crowds congregate in Prague, like�?? oh, let’s say Buildings D and B at Olsanska 2.
Once inside we found a pretty decent spot on the floor and watched the end of opening band Krystof’s set. It was entertaining, as could be expected of them. This was followed by a break between acts that lasted close to an hour, giving us lots of time to check out the surroundings. The Sazka Arena has two great things going for it: it’s big yet intimate, and it seems like there’s not a bad seat in the house.
After the ridiculously long wait, Moby and his band finally took the stage and rocked the house with a set that was very heavy on material from “Play”. Having said that, it was not just a matter of running through the tried and true. Ever the experimenter, Moby and his band delivered revamped versions of the hits – the most memorable being vocalist Laura Dawn’s haunting rendition of “Natural Blues”.
Dawn’s incredible voice snatched the spotlight on several occasions, starting with the gorgeous banshee wail that soars through “Find My Baby”, through the siren call of “Go”, to her bluesy snarl during “Honey” (which was underlined by a skillfully embedded rip-off of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”).
Guitarist Daron Murphy not only got to dazzle the crowd with his six-string skills, he also led the band on a kickass cover of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” (other covers were Radiohead’s “Creep” and Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side”). Keyboardist Luci Butler and drummer Scott Frassetto also got a little time to shine on their own.
Moby himself is incredible to watch. He may not have that much of a singing voice, and it is doubtful that he will ever rank as a top guitarist, bassist, drummer, or keyboardist (his guitar solo, for instance, was verging on Neil Young-type noodling, minus that special “Neilness” that could have made it way cooler). But Moby’s talents as an multi-instrumentalists are undeniably incredible. Watching him zip around the stage from percussion to keyboard, strumming a six-string or plucking a bass is practically awe-inspiring.
While it was a great show, the odd thing is that I didn’t really sense that greatness until I was reflecting on it. And that’s not so bad, as I would not hesitate to see Moby again, even paying hard-earned korunas for the privilege.
Pictures taken from idnes.cz
Jun 15, 18:30 (Filed under: Culture, Prague events )
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