Moby
Date: September 26, 2009 Extreme Ways Are Back Again My latest look at Moby in concert didn't immediately hit me as strongly as past encounters had, whether due to the song selection, crowd experience, or my own state of mind. Before it was all said and done, though, the veteran performer reached the heights of past shows, ending on a definite peak. Opening duties on this night went to Kelli Scarr, whose upcoming EP was produced by Moby. She began by using a looping technique to layer her husky vocals, before moving on to a set of guitar-based tunes. Scarr kept her voice restrained but effective, in keeping with the type of music that she was performing, although her later turn as part of Moby's backing band proved that she can really belt it out when she wants to. Moby and his talented players took the stage to the recorded intro of "A Seated Night," from his latest release, Wait For Me,, and stayed with that source for "Shot in the Back of the Head," the title track, and "Mistake." If he was worried that the audience would not be as familiar with the songs from the three-month-old album, a follow-up of the Play B-side "Flower" did not speak to any rush to break out the hits. While I respect that song selection, the fact was that it did leave the audience a little flatter than I had expected, starting the show on a somewhat subdued note. Those last three songs did show off the night's three singers though, with Kelli Scarr, Moby, and the powerful Inyang Bassey having a turn to shine on lead vocals. Moby is never shy about sharing the spotlight, often taking a supporting role on guitar, congas, or keyboards while his fellow singers and a band that included bassist Hagar Ben Ari, drummer Joe Goretti, and violinist Claudia Chopek, led the way. Of course, he still knows how to step up when the time his right, as he demonstrated by introducing "Bodyrock" as a "big, dumb song," before knocking the hell out of it. Pairing that explosion with the classic raver, "Go," made for a breakthrough in the crowd's pent-up energy. From my position on the floor, all the jumping around also shook loose some bodies in what had been an unenjoyably cramped corner of the club, which also improved my outlook for the rest of the night. Moby continued to dramatically juggle styles, from the wistful "Pale Horses" to the soaring "In My Heart," although the choice of album tracks was less varied, with Wait For Me and the breakthrough Play leading the way. It has been nine years since I first saw Moby in Montreal, touring on the strength of Play; but I can say that songs like "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" (another stellar turn for Bassey) and "Porcelain" have lost none of their effectiveness. As always, Moby comes across as an unassuming and amiable frontman, whether he is quietly asking the crowd for its feedback on a new song, "Effected," (which went over quite well) or explaining that he finally added some new guitar pedals to his setup, which he put to work on a funky intro to "Natural Blues." The latter proved to be perhaps the high point for the entire concert--one of those perfect, enveloping moments that I have come to expect from Moby, where I am fully enthralled in the music. "It's Raining Again," the lone inclusion from Hotel, built on that momentum with its insistent percussive propulsion, closing the set with an exclamation point of cymbal crashes. Moby and Scarr gave the crowd a breather by starting the encore with a stripped-down cover of Neil Young's "Helpless." The tempo stayed slow on "In This World" and "When It's Cold I'd Like To Die" but I can't describe either as stripped-down, with Bassey's amazing voice feeling like a musical world all its own. The band instantly hit the boiling point again with "Extreme Ways," the most blazingly heavy song of the affair. This song was proof that as talented as Moby's supporting singers are, there's still something entirely satisfying about hearing him deliver a raw and ragged scream over a swirl of guitars. The centrepiece of the encore was a sprawling take of "Honey," which Moby introduced with the warning that it would get long. In the end, the thirteen-minute rendition saw numerous style changes, a showdown of Moby and Bassey trying to match each other guitar riff for vocal progression, a snippet of "War Pigs," and an opportunity for the whole band to shine. In short, it was a blast. Finally, the night hit its end with one more rave, as "Feeling So Real" gave the crowd a final chance to jump away its remaining energy. Although it took me a little while to lock in to the concert, there was certainly a turning point where the crowd engagement kicked in and the impeccable song sequencing could do no wrong. As always, Moby was a consummate performer, feeling intimate and personally engaging, yet expansive enough to energize the entirety of the Metropolis. Moby setlist Main Set
<--Prev (Nick Cave) | Next (Amy Millan)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |