I can't tell you how long I've waited to write the words "Faithless played (insert venue) in New York last night." It seems torturous that bands like Massive Attack and Faithless avoid America like we have the plague. The last time Faithless played New York, Calvin Coolidge was president for pete's sake.
All for not, Faithless blew the roof off the joint in their triumphant return to our fair country. It was a rapturous 90-minute set of some of the biggest and best dance anthems of the past decade.
Your setlist:
- Sweep
- Insomnia
- In the End
- Emergency
- All Races
- God is a DJ
- Bring My Family Back
- Mass Destruction
- Everything Will Be Alright Tomorrow
- What About Love
- Bombs
- Drifting Away
- Music Matters
- Dirty Old Man
- I Want More
- We Come 1
- Encore: Postcards
- Muhammad Ali
- Salva Me
They really arranged an excellent set list making sure they covered lost ground -- a healthy portion from Outrospective, No Roots and their new album To All New Arrivals was played. Muhammad Ali is my favorite song from them because it bridges the gap between late 60s funk and soul to old school 80s rap. Of course, all their big time dance hits were played like God is a Day, Mass Destruction and We Become 1, which was played with such intensity that felt like the floor was going to give way.
I know all you kids like your LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip when it comes to dance music, but Faithless has got the goods people. If the Klaxons are New Rave, then Faithless is Old Rave. They create such sweeping spectrums of sounds, beats and programming that it seems no club or stadium in Europe can hold their sound. They have a tried and true formula -- start softly, built up momentum while Maxi Jazz raps about his spiritual beliefs, then you think you're going to get to the big dance part, but oh no, the bottom drops out. Next you hear the simple synth sounds that just puts everyone in a trance. Once you are under the spell, the music builds back up again until you can't take the anticipation anymore than BLAMMO!, you just loose all bodily control to the beat.
Their other type of songs are the trip-hop style smoothed out jams where you loose your head inside the harmonies. Mainly, people wanted to let out some steam and tonight, and they did in droves. The show wasn't sold out, but the mostly European crowd were just enamored with Faithless. I think we all said, "Finally!" when the show was announced. Maxi didn't need to encourage the crowd at all, because everyone just owned Webster Hall. It was like that rave scene in Matrix Reloaded, expect without the $35 ticket price and indecipherable third act. There was plenty of jumping, hand clapping, body moving and even some pretty girls on people's shoulders.
I'm sure you know that they are big time players in Europe, selling out stadiums and charting albums on a regular basis. Here, not much of a dent. Simple reason, marketing. Their form of dance music is very European sounding -- and sometimes that doesn't translate to the States. Their claim to fame is that Dido played an early roll in the band and guests on all the albums, being that her brother Rollo is a founding member.
Their live act has more of an mmediate feel with the live instruments, I especially noted the wicked percussion. It feels more like a performance, rather than some dudes behind some keyboards and computers. It makes it easier to be whipped into a frenzy when you have musicians giving their all to put the groove in you.
So, yeah, WOW! It was every bit the show I wanted it to be. I hope I don't have to wait another 9 years for another gig.
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