Moby/Buck 65
Date: April 17, 2005 Hold On to This Although my previous three Moby concert experiences spanned three years, comprising two festivals and one club show, each followed a similar template. With the carry-over in band members and overlap in setlists, the 18 tour was very much an extension of the Play tour. After a wait of almost three years, my latest look at Moby saw him continue his focus on recent songs but with a new band configuration that presented the music in a different package. As always, though, the concert hinged on Moby's boundless energy and affable personality, which were as strong as ever. This night represented a dream line-up for me, as one of my favourite artists, Buck 65, was handling warm-up duties. This was my ninth Buck concert but the first in which I saw him as an opener. He definitely adjusted his approach, displaying a more aggressive lyrical delivery and tighter pacing. Even without the laid-back storytelling or other diversions, Buck was still a charmer, relying on smaller gestures and casual banter. Touring with Moby was sure to expose Buck to a fresh audience; and his song selection was suitable for a new crowd, aligning with his compilation disc, This Right Here is Buck 65. After opening with "Bandits," older songs "Bachelor of Science" and "The Centaur" were given the same sonic treatment as on that album, with the addition of a concluding scratching segment, a technique that was employed throughout the night. Even with a too-brief half-hour stage time, Buck worked in a new number that went over well, alongside uptempo hits "Wicked & Weird" and "463." To be sure, I would have appreciated a longer showcase; but Buck 65 was still in great form. After a lengthy pause, Moby demonstrated that he still knows how to make a dramatic entrance, allowing an intro of "My Weakness" to build tension in the packed house before exploding into 18's most frantic track, "Extreme Ways." Moby provided electric guitar work on top of a supporting unit covering guitars, drums, keyboards, and backing vocals, a configuration that formed the cornerstone of the concert. To be sure, the live approach added a lot of punch to the rock numbers. "Raining Again" was much heavier and more engaging than on album, with the drums pushing the song along and the guitars crashing in to great effect. "Find My Baby" maintaining the pace, while highlighting the vocal talents of Laura Dawn, who did a fantastic job all night. Hotel, the album that spawned this tour, has been critically panned. Although I do not agree with all of the criticism, I felt that insubstantial feel of several of its songs was reflected live, with "Spiders," "Where You End," and "Temptation" contributing to a slight lull in the early portion of the night. Even while missing the mark, though, Moby has enough energy and stage presence to keep a concert rolling; and after the classic "Go," it was a pair of new songs that connected perfectly: a guitar-centric "Beautiful" and a vibrant, dancy take of "Very." "Go" had not earned quite the reaction that I was expecting; but the crowd was definitely loosened up enough to jump along to the follow-up rave number, "Next is the E." That song seemed to mark a turning point as the audience was very energetic for the remainder of the affair and the mood of the concert remained at a high. "Porcelain" was very touching, "South Side," "We Are All Made of Stars," and "Honey" bounced along, and "Slipping Away" came across as the best song of the new album. Throughout the affair, Moby was his usual manic self, hopping about the stage, sometimes trading his guitar for bongos and congas or electric bass. His self-professed geek demeanour was always evident in his stage banter; and even the dueling metal guitar solos that accompanied "Bodyrock" felt like a kid from the A/V club getting his chance on the big stage. A tremendously fun set came to an end with "Lift Me Up," another new song that proved its merit live. After diverting into snippets of Guns N' Roses and Radiohead covers, the encore offered a decent take of "Walk On the Wild Side" and the fantastic roar of "Feeling So Real," which was the single most forceful moment of the concert. After three previous shows, my expectations for a Moby concert were extremely high; but the changes arising from a new album and a new band did not lessen the overall effect of my latest Moby experience. With Buck 65 holding up his end of the bargain and Moby dropping a lengthy, lively set, the result was another exhilarating night. Moby setlist Main Set
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