Date: 23rd February 2011
Event: Linkin Park Concert
Venue: Staples Center
City: Los Angeles
Country: USA
Support: none
Tracklist:
1. Breathe
2. Omen
3. Poison
4. Thunder (Dubstep)
5. Firestarter
6. Run With The Wolves
7. Omen (Reprise)
8. Invaders Must Die
9. Take Me To The Hospital
10. Diesel Power Beats
11. Smack My Bitch Up
Extra info:
Review:
Was there @ Staples last night with the wifey.
Great set of songs. Good energy from the band, Great lighting.
Didn’t stay for Linkin Park as we wanted to hear The Prodigy (long time fan from growing up in Ol’ Blighty).
What really sucked for me were two things. (Admitedly the wife and I were seated up in the gods – but I’ve been @ the Staples center many times before – so we’re familiar with the sound – it can be great!).
1) Why oh why did every other word have to be F**k this or F****n that. Really let down the show when that’s all that’s said. Ok, you hear profanity on some of the songs, but really it was WAY too much. If the Prodigy were trying to win over a US audience, this did not help – AT ALL!
2) Someone needed to SERIOUSLY shoot the sound manger/mixing desk staff. Bass is good, but we went to hear (and more to the point enjoy!) the music. If I wanted to just hear bass all night and miss all the subtleties and nuances of GREAT Prodigy music, I could have just given a CD to a “homey” from East LA in his street cruiser and stood outside his Honda listening to the trunk lid rattle.
It really was BBBAAADDDD!!! Could not hear any mid or treble, so all in all it was a bust as far as I was concerned.
Shame really, but if anyone from the Band reads this, you guys set up your foldback levels how you want, but think about how the crowd has heard your albums and what they expect to hear from you. Pumping the bass (does it really go to 11?) and not setting a good tonal mix does not do you any favors at all!
Still looking forward to more great Prodigy tracks in the future, but last night was not their greatest hour (well 45 mins anyway).
I’ll stick to my CD collection.
Review by DJ Sniper Wells:
i haven’t seen the Prodigy since 1997 in Chicago and I’ve been playing them on my radio show since the early 90’s. Sniperwells.com-Podcasts KTUH .org or KTUH 90.3FM “Sounds From the Scene” show.
I left my hotel on Sunset Blvd around 615pm sat in intense traffic for about 45 minutes-come to find out everyone was slowing down to see the stars on the side of the road at the Premiere of “Hall Pass”. I did get to see the gal from
the TV show “The Office” Jenna Fischer and got a quick pic of her on the red carpet at the movie premiere. Any other day i would have really enjoyed this, but it slowed us down getting to the gig. And coming all the way from Hawaii to see the Prodigy, the traffic really stressed me out!
Got there at 7:36. Couldn’t find any Prodigy shirts-only Linkin Park, finally found some, stood in line for about 8 minutes. then at 7:59-i heard the first notes to Breathe-went WTF, why would any band in this whole entire world go on on time and in this case ONE MINUTE early!!! So ran around the Staples Center for the entire song-got to me seat completely 100% out of Breath just at the end of Breathe. What an adrenaline rush prior to the real Adrenaline rush with the first few notes of Omen-sounded great and i was totally stoked! Poison was next and was fun with some Maxim Reality taunting of the crowd and Keith Flint did some pretty killer dance moves. Thunder was pretty throbbing, Firestarter i totally dig, but i thought the crowd would wake up a bit more-thought that was their big American Smash-later on i found out that it turned out to be Smack my Bitch Up. After Firestarter was Run with the Wolves-this hasn’t been one of my top 10 tunes lately, but this song totally Slammed! the bass banged like crazy-thought it was the best song of the night-very loud and throbbing, got my head banging a bit which was nice!
next they did a few sound effects then went into my second favorite song at the moment-Invaders must die- i got this on Video because it was really fun to watch Maxim and Keith really get into character and let us know that any Invaders would Frickin DIE if they ever came near The Prodigy. Next up, was my second favorite tune of the night-Take me to the Hospital, got to sing in the “hospital” words with the band, but i was the only one in my section who even knew the song-a strange feeling since in my world the prodigy are WAY bigger than linkin Park, but seems most people were there for LP. the band ended the night with Smack my Bitch Up. this got the majority of the prodigy fans and a bunch of LP fans singing and dancing along. Then as soon as it started it was over-Pretty awesome half hour, but way, way too short for such a HUGE band.
Great Show-but extremely short-i videod all but two songs and it was only about 18 minutes. And for some unknown reason they had ZERO encore. For such expensive tickets at $175 a piece, plus airfare and hotel. I am glad i went, had a great time, but wish someone had told me that they were like a warm up act, not playing with Linkin Park. Somehow even after seeing the short playlist from Vegas on Last.FM-I thought that in LA they would play a longer set and why did they start on time. the only other time i saw a band start on time, i didn’t see them play at all, it was a KMFDM/Ministry concert and i totally missed KMFDM in Chicago. We have what they call “Hawaiian Time” in Hawaii and i guess i am just so used to it, i forget that mainland gigs do start on time-gigs in Hawaii are always 1-2 – even 3 hours late in getting started-they make a ton of money off of drinks before the bands play in HI.
Linkin Park played next, somehow i knew 80% off their songs. thought they did a good job, but lacked the energy of The Prodigy and me personally, i thought their lyrics were way too meaningful and many times sad. by the end i thought they were a Christian Rock Band-who knows maybe they are. i did like their 1000 Songs encore and the hardcore punk tunes they played during the encore. But just didn’t really dig all their deep thought preaching lyrics. They seem so sad like Life is a beginning or an end and nothing really matters-kind of strange to me. I’m more of a positive thinker. Although after seeing them I am more of a fan than before i went. The lead singer can really belt it out and the DJ has some pretty mean skills especially when he scratched in time to the video of the old man on the big screen saying some philosophy type stuff.
The DJ came on in between the bands her name was Nicole Alvarez the DJ from KROQ and she Said “The Prodigy made her head explode and melted her face” i thought that was pretty funny!
After the show, i got totally lost trying to get back to my hotel. I got a bit scared at one point when my i phone ran out of batteries and i really totally had no idea where i was. I asked a guy at a gas station, he was glassy eyed and stoned and sent me to Pasadena, then the next convenience store clerk said he didn’t know where Hollywood was and when i asked him where we were at that moment he said he didn’t know that either. so i asked him a second time “what city are we in now” he said he didn’t know-Wow! now that is really weird-better tell Keith, Maxim and Liam that i think the Invaders are here and he is one of them that forgot to DIE.
Well, had a fun, scary night. I Finally found Sunset Boulevard and took it from the 1000’s to the 8300 block and made it back to he hotel in one piece. whew! Next time, i am cabbing it like i usually do. Really don’t dig driving in foreign places anyhow. Cheers and Aloha! DJ Sniper Wells
Poster:
Photos from the show:
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