Manic Street Preachers, Neumos Seattle, 9-21-09, First U.S. Show in a Decade
By Sung - Wednesday September 23rd 2009 |
Tweet |
It has been ten years since the Manic Street Preachers last performed in the U.S. Usually when a band has taken this long between shows, they’re probably on some sort of a reunion tour. Not in this case. In 1999, the Welsh trio were reaching the peak of their popularity and in the years since have headlined several huge festivals and released four additional albums. Unfortunately their success at home and abroad didn’t result in the band touring here. All those lost years, the aforementioned albums, plus the band’s five previous releases equals many starving American fans. Monday night, the hungry ears of the crowd at Neumos in Seattle were the first to be treated to the return of the Manics.
Review continues and set list below.
The audience lined up early and did their best to fit on the narrow side street filled by two large tour buses. Many wore Manics shirts, some the self-made kind like the band’s early outfits. Once inside the anticipation built up slowly as people, most of whom had never seen the group in person, shared info on the band and how they became fans. People from all over the country, not just the west coast, had traveled to see the show. Of course, much of the talk also surrounded the anticipated setlist. The Manics’ new album Journal for Plague Lovers, has been one of their best critically reviewed albums, but again, a lot of ground needed to be covered.
As the band finally took the stage, every type of reaction was elicited from the crowd: people screaming, bodies jumping up and down, couples hugging each other, fans pushing their way up front, but mostly grins. The band kicked things off unexpectedly with one of their early signature songs, “Motorcycle Emptiness.” It was a fortelling sign that the band would include many of their early hits in the night’s performance. The fans sang along and continued to belt out lyrics throughout the night. “Peeled Apples” was the first song played off the new album and, right before “Jackie Collins Existential Question Time,” lead singer, James Dean Bradfield, remarked, “We won’t pretend to know the meaning of the following lyrics.” A nod to the fact that the latest album was based on lyrics left by late band member Richey Edwards.
The night continued and it was one of those shows where I kept looking at my watch because I didn’t want it to end. I think the feeling was shared by most in the crowd. The band has a new supporting guitarist, pushing James from the left to front and center of the stage. Nicky Wire and his feather boa’d mic stand was stationed far right as usual and Sean Moore sat behind the drums in the shadows. Some of the night’s highlights include not one, but two, solo acoustic songs from James, and a rare performance of “Little Baby Nothing.” The band ended with one of their regular closers, “A Design for Life.” I remembered too late during the song that the Manics never, as a rule, do encores. Somethings you’d rather not remember.
It would have been fitting if they had kickoff’d the tour in Los Angeles. This was the last city that they played: two back-to-back nights at the Troubadour in September of ’99. Fortunately the wait won’t be long. After a short visit to Canada, then San Francisco, the group will perform this friday at Avalon Hollywood. It should make for great stories in 2019.
HEADS UP
hit it spot on w/ this review…..AWEsome photos too. Was there….what a magical night. The manics were probably the most amazing band i’ve seen in 30 years of going to rock shows. thanx for showing the set list too.
Soooo nice to be w/ people who understand this Manics thing….like bretheren at a church or something. Many of us sat around dissecting their numerous levels like in a Lit class or someting.
i came 200 miles from portland to see this….would do SF if my car hadn’t freaked me out w/ a breakdown halfway home the next night.
can’t wait for the show… just recently really went full bore with the Manics, very excited for the show…
hey, was there an opening act? What time did they go on? Just trying to figure out what the LA show might be like.
Thanks for this great review and pics! My b/f and I will be heading to Philly on October 6th, from SC. Like everyone else, we’re overwhelmed with anticipation.
Hopefully, there will be a good turn-out and a crowd as pleasant as yours! We’ve never met any other U.S. Manics fans, which is a big part of the excitement!
<3
@andre: thanks, glad you had a great time. sorry to hear about your clunker.
@dude: yeah, you don’t want to go just halfway with the manics. it wouldn’t be as fun. nico vega will be opening. don’t know if it will be just them.
@megan: really excited for the two of you. please post back on here if you can on how the experience was. the manics have great fans all over the world.
Just saw them @ the Fillmore in SF. Fucking amazing. The astonishing thing is that the venue was half full, something which I hardly ever see. They’re the greatest band that no one has heard of…Pretty much the same setlist as Seattle. Go see it!
Manics!!! It’s been too long for me since I last saw them at the Troubadour both nights and the in-store they did that very same day…Long have I waited to see them again…James, Nicky, Sean and Richey (in spirit) are true gods of rock!!! I fell in love with the Manics back in ’94, when I first heard PCP with James belting out the lyrics with Richey thrashing his guitar and Nicky jumping up and down in his soldiers jacket…Man, I can’t wait for tonight!!!
In case anyone is interested, the set list for Vancouver and SF were identical to Seattle except that Skinheads was replaced with From Despair to Where and the second acoustic song was The Everlasting and Masses Against the Classes respectively. Here’s hoping for more than twenty one songs tonight!
Philly (small crowd!!) and NYC were awesome. Not much variance in the set lists, but still great fun and both crowds were singing along wildly. Was supposed to attend Boston, but ended up quite sick. My bf went at my insistence and I hear it was quite wonderful too, despite James being sick as well. Boston did sell out though!
Re: Philly – Nicky: “Best singing of ‘Faster’ on the fucking tour!”
Cheers!
Still kicking myself for not seeing ‘em – hope it won’t take another 10 years!
Sean said they’d be back in less than two years. They’re already working on the next album.
Leave it to Sean to give you a straight answer. Really looking forward to their next album.