So yesterday Me, Mark, Rich and Ali went to Newcastle to see The Prodigy. Had been waiting for this day for absolutely ages. Had spent many hours in boring lectures thinking "Only another X amount of days to go until The Prodigy". So I was excited. Very.

 

Rich picked me up at midday, and we picked up Mark, then Ali (who was still in bed!). I had compiled an mp3 CD of all my Prodigy collection for listening purposes in the car, and we stuck it on random. Good shit indeed.

 

Upon getting to Newcastle, we visited Steel Wheels, so Rich could spend an hour and a half buying stuff, then we went to Pizza Hut for tea. Ali and I shared a Cheese Feast with chicken and sweetcorn, with garlic bread. It was nice. Why am I writing this like a spooner? Anyways. Rich had to go back to the car to feed the meter (He had eaten four plates of buffet food and three bowls of ice cream as well, poor stomach!) and we sauntered off to find glowsticks. Glowsticks purchased, we made our way back to the car to set off to the arena. Sadly, a lot of other people were heading out of Newcastle at the same time, and Rich didn't fancy going onto the motorway and being stuck for ages, so we decided to walk to the arena instead. That idea lasted all of 3 minutes when I declared I was fucking freezing (wearing only my baggies and a t-shirt) so we hopped on the Metro and got off 2 stops later, virtually outside the arena. Nice. I've copied my review of the gig from the one I posted on Haxed, but I now feel the need to point out to Mark why you shouldn't take a jacket into the arena if you're not going to fasten it around you in some way. IT'LL GET LOST.

 

-Review Thing here-

 

Gig review – The Prodigy (Newcastle Metroradio Arena, 22^nd November 2005)

 

It’s a freezing cold night, but luckily for us the Aircraft Hanger-like Metroradio Arena is warm. A good job, seeing as how it’s 6:30 and the show isn’t due to end until 11pm. The first half hour sees me struggling with my wristband glowsticks, trying to fasten them around my arms whilst juggling 3 bottles of mineral water (essential for any Prodigy gig.) At roughly 7pm the rather poorly named Backstage Sluts DJ’s come out, and for the next 45 minutes play a hybrid of tunes, ranging from modern hip-hop to reworked versions of Beastie Boys classics. It’s pretty fun, but a bit boring to watch as we stand around and wait for the first band.

 

For reasons unknown, the Audio Bully’s have thankfully pulled out tonight, so instead we get Vatican DC, a punk band with surprisingly little attitude. “We were at Glasgow last night and the crowd were wank!” cries the frontman. How very rock and roll. Sadly it fails to entice the crowd into a frenzy, and they simply respond by chucking glowsticks at them. One hits the bassist, and for a minute he looks like he’s going to walk offstage and sulk. He hurls it back like a baby throwing a rattle out of his pram, and half an hour or so the band have gone, telling us to enjoy The Prodigy. Oh don’t worry, we will. Christ, even the Audio Bully’s would have gone down better than that tonight, and that’s saying something.

 

Back to the Backstage Sluts, as the crowd start to get noticeably restless. We’re right at the front, and people start to push forward in anticipation of The Prodigy coming out. I know where this is going, but hold firm anyway. Around 9:15 the lights go out, the (new) Intro is played, the massive curtain comes down, and Liam creeps onto the stage. Maxim and Keith are nowhere to be seen, however. Suddenly, there’s a massive bang and Keith and Maxim appear on huge blocks either side of the stage. Awesome. The crowd go mental as The Prodigy launch straight into Break and Enter. I’m trying to wave my glowsticks about but am merely being shoved in various directions. I knew it would happen but thought I could maybe stick it out. I can’t, and anyway I want to dance, dammit. I move about a quarter of the way back, and find myself with a nice little circle to dance in. From here, I can properly enjoy the show. By the time I’ve gotten to my spot I’ve missed Wake The Fuck up, and No Good starts up, but luckily it’s just the refrain at this point. Must be waiting to unleash that later. Indeed they are, as they go into Their Law and Hotride, Breathe, and then Jericho. It’s great to hear them mixing up the setlist between songs from AONO, Music for the Jilted Generation, and Experience. I was merely expecting a setlist comprising of Their Law: The Singles.

 

Keith and Maxim’s stage presence is awesome, and they don’t let up for a second. Keith hurling himself from one side of the stage to the other, and Maxim bouncing up and down and screaming at the crowd. Maxim tells us to strap ourselves in, and they do the 2005 edit of Spitfire. Wicked. I’m enjoying this so much. Everyone around me is going completely insane, I’m dripping with sweat and water, and thoroughly loving every minute of it. Next up is Back 2 Skool, followed by the well-known Firestarter. Action Radar and newie track Warning get great receptions, and then it’s the full version of No Good. By this point I’m nearly dying, I’ve got a horrible stitch and sweat keeps going in my eyes, but I don’t care. I used to dance like a mentalist to this song at Trashed and now it’s time to see if I still can. Of course I can, even though I’m out of breath by the end. No time to rest though as Voodoo People follows, and I curse and praise the band at the same time for such an awesome setlist. The lights go down after Voodoo People and the Prodge leave the stage, but everyone knows they’re not finished. After teasing us for a little bit, they come back on and do Climbatize, Poison and Diesel Power, and Smack my Bitch up. What an encore. But they’re still not done. Maxim announces that we’re going to go back in time, and that this next song is for the Rezerection crew. I know exactly what this means. It’s time for….Charly! We’re back in 1991 as the sample of Charly the talking cat from the 1970’s Public Information Films fills the arena. I look around, and everyone is grinning. Again, insane. Surely that’s it? Nope, the guys have one last surprise. A big shiny disco ball is lowered from the ceiling as the opening to Out of Space starts. Unbelievable.

 

After 1 hour and 45 minutes, the gig is over. I stumble, zombie-like and dripping with sweat, out of the arena. My legs feel like jelly, I can’t hear properly, and once again it’s freezing cold outside. But one thing is for certain; The Prodigy proved tonight that they are back with a vengeance.

 

***** (5 Stars out of 5)