Last Tuesday, it was my sincere pleasure to witness Massive Attack play a fine set at The Warfield in San Francisco. Long-time Massive Attack collaborator Martina Topley-Bird opened with a solo set, which was impressive. I made a note to check out some of her solo albums:
Martina Topley-Bird opened with a solo set
While this was not my first time seeing Massive Attack live, this was probably the most intimate venue that I've seen them play in. They played for well over 90 minutes, sounded as great as ever, and included a great mix of new songs from their latest album ("Heligoland"), as well as tons of songs from "Mezzanine". I managed to sneak in my camera, and grab some better photos than usual. And as always, I scribbled down the setlist:
- United Snakes
- Babel
- Risingson
- Girl I Love You
- Psyche
- Future Proof
- Invade Me (according to setlist.fm)
- Teardrop
- Mezzanine
- Angel
- Safe From Harm
- Inertia Creeps
- Splitting The Atom
- Unfinished Sympathy
- Atlas Air
- Karmacoma
There was one song, "Invade Me", that I hadn't heard before. I thought maybe it was a new track, but as it turns out, according to Wikipedia, this song was recorded for "Heligoland", but as of yet has not been released. So this bodes well for more future releases from Massive Attack.
The band in silhoutte
As always, the entire show was steeped in political messages (I mean, what do you think the song "United Snakes" is about?). Relying mainly on the LED display behind the band, there were well-done tweaks of politicians, the media, corporations, etc. But a particular focus for Massive Attack on this tour was human rights. The band seems to be particularly incensed with the behavior of the United States as a whole — detaining people for an unlimited duration, without a trial, for example. And with Arizona, in particular (at one point, the text behind the band read: "Arizona, what the fuck?", to cheers from the crowd). At times, there was too much information to take in, but combined with the music it all contributed to the sense that the world is messed up, which I think artistically, is what they were trying to convey.
Mr. Horace Andy, singing in front of a political message
All-in-all, it was an amazing show, and well worth my time and money. Massive Attack always impresses, and I have really enjoyed their latest album. So I hope that they keep it up. :)
-Andy.