6th October 2005 Zagreb Dom Sportova, Zagreb, Croatia

Review by Bfore:
Zagreb,06.10.2005 Dom Sportova 20:00 h
Dom Sportova means Home Of Sports which is regulary used for all kinda gigs.

The 1st Prodigy gig in Croatia,also my 1st Prodigy gig.Been into Prodigy since the begining of the Rave scene in the early 90’s.Knowing Prodigy so long and knowing that Croatians are crazy party people,the gig should be the bomb!Still I have some mixed emotions days before the gig.The electronic music scene is pretty strong here,there is not a big DJ name that hasn’t been here @ least once,but I’m still skeptical as the ticket is 280 kuna=38,5 Euros pretty pricey for Croatia.Who’s gonna come?Will anybody come?…LOL…I’m gonna be there for sure! I admit,days before the gig I avoided any risky homework or even running up or down the stairs,just to be sure not to sustain any major damage to my body! LOL

Dom Sportova is only a 10 minute drive from my home,even got lucky with a parking place.It’s about 7 o’clock as I walk towards the entry of the hall,just a few people around and in front of the entries,officials,security some policeman…hm…where are da fucking people

Hey the gates are open,ok @ least the entry hall is buzzing with people.I enter the hall…WTF…just a few people inside one hour before the gig start! So there is no hurry to choose a good viewing place for the gig.Got me some popcorn and started to check out the stage while all the lights in the hall are still on.The stage is packed with loudspeakers,but just a few lighting scanners…hm..is that all?(I worked for years in clubs and gigs,djing,lightprogramming,roadie).There was some technoid music running @ a low level,then the soundvolume increases suddenly and a few people just in front of the stage started shouting and whistling!HAHA…the soundengineer was just checking the sound!!!!…tonight’s gonna be fun,one way or the other…hehe.

I’ll take a seat just a few meters behind and above the mixing desk.The mixing desk is only about 15 meters from the stage and my position less then 20!It’s so close ’cause the gig is in the Small Hall of Dom Sportova,which looks like an ancient Greek amphetheatre (however that is spelled),so everywhere you are near the stage!!!!! So I’m just sitting there,the stage in front of me like a giant TV and waiting that The Prodigy turn it on…hehe…funny feeling.Oh yeah,I’m sitting because my old bones are not compatible with mosh-pitting anymore,ouch & LOL.It’s 7.30 still not many people in the venue,as just one row in front of me 2 people sit down.One a olderly dude over 50 half-bold and grey hair looks like an accountant and,I assume his daughter somewhere between 12 and 14! LOL!

They must have been here on the wrong date!!!!!They even have binoculars with them,the small ones for a theatre visit…hehe.All people around us have a smile on their face

About 8 o’clock,only 200-300 people in the hall,this is embarrasing.Then I spot Liam and Ketih crosing the hall on the way to the backstage venues.Almost no one noticed it,Liam is showing the finger to the crowd,gretting someone or is he just pissed about the empty hall? LOL.The Technoid music which was playing when I got in turned out to be a mixed cd put on by the warm up DJ’s!Almost 8.30,finally some more people start gettin’ in!Then the 2 warm up DJ’s step on the stage,just 2 kids going under the name Twisted Twins,with 2 cd players a mixing desk and a few cd’s on the table.The soundvolume goes up,half of the lights in the venue are turned of,the DJ’s change the music 2 Breakz,which all was welcome by the crowd shouting and cheering!This kids on the stage look like jerks,but the broken beats they spinnig are appropiate for a Prodigy warm-up,overall they were ok and appreciated by the crowd!

Finally more and more people coming in fast,and no fancy dresses just to be seen on the concert people,this crowd is here for just one thing,to party hard with Prodigy!!!and they are here in decent numbers!

About 9.30 the DJ’s finish spinning.The crowd gets noiser and noiser,then 3-4 times alotta cheers for a Liam-look-a-like roadie while checking Liams gear!LOL.Fucking shit I’ve been her for 2 1/2 hours,seems like days,when it’s gonna finally start

Then a good sign,the main sound engineer takes his place behind the mixing desk,he got the setlist in his hands.I can read it from here.No suprises on the setlist,only it says Intro (New).Also the dude for the lights has been programming his desk now for minutes,the start must be near!!!!!!!The ground level is fully packed now with people,twice more brighter then the stage!

Then finally the remaining lights in the hall are turned off.The hole stage is in ultraviolet light now,while the roadies remove the DJ table from the stage the noise from the crowd becames extremly loud,shouting,cheering,screaming,whistling…

The Intro kicks in (forgot what it sounded like),Liam comes to the front of the stage and greets the crowd shortly,the noise is defening now,can’t here myself shouting!!!!First chords of Wake Up Call start,Keith and Maxim storm on the stage and immediatly start animating the crowd.Then we are hit with this wall of sound and light and the crowd go wild as one with Keith,Maxim and Liam!

I just sit there in positive shock,can’t move any part of my body,only this famous words are on my mind THIS IS SO COOL!!!…HUH…HUH!!! I also feel a little see-sick for a second or two as it’s seems I’m floating on a tide wave…HAHA…fucking shit that’s the crowd on the ground level jumping up and down to the beat as one!!!!!!!UNREALL!!!!!!

From this moment on,I just have a randomly memory in which exact order what and when happened!LOL

Wake up call ends,Maxim shouting the usuall ”where da fuck are ya”,”Zagreb where da fuck are ya”,”Croata where da fuck are ya”?
I’m shoutting,still can’t hear myself of the noise,later I shout when nobody did,just to check if everythings allright with my voice…hehe.

Wake the fuck up kicks in,and more sound and lights are thrown @ the crowd,stroboscopes behind Liam are used to full effect,also some bright white lights @ the top of the stage directed to da crowd.The crowd still goes wild,but not so coordinated anymore,looks funny.LOL.The guitar player is all over the place,not to mention the drummer animal,as I look arond the whole crowd is on their feet and totaly into the gig,even the old lookin’ dude in front of me is all over the place!

Their Law kickz In,dudes throw away your cds,they sound like shit compared to the live gig.Why they just don’t make a whole live DVD Insane! and this hotride version,coolest ever.Spitfire and Breathe and more crowd madness.Warning lights go wild again,lightman knows what’s he doing with closed eyes!Firestarter inferno,the crowd needs the breaks between the tracks to get some air in their lounges.Somewhere @ the start Liams plays the vocal samples from No Good and Maxim later tries the P.O.I.S.O.N spelling thing,but the crowd is more into the body language!LOL!Action Radar Link sounds fucking cool,and the crowd got very much into the Climbatize Link,also Maxim succeded in totally quieting down the crowd used in Back to School!And then more mayhem with Voodoo People,I still can’t believe how great this track sounds live!When on stage Keith is interacting with the crowd all the time,he’s all over the stage and playes with the crowd @ will.In the middle off the gig something amazing happened.Dunno between which tracks,Keith stopped in the center of the stage and start pointing @ the crowd and applauding @ us!!!So we got even more noiser…hehe.For the encore,the posion to method beats link speed up works great with the crowd,then Smack My Bitch Up kickz in,even the dummiest around me know the lyrics for that one.LOL.Out Of Space,a sing-a-long and then go wild on the beats finale.@ the end Liam joines Keith and Maxim @ the front of the stage and they are aplauding @ the crowd for minutes,we clap back.Amazing end to an unbelivable gig!YOU JUST HAD TO BE THERE!the crowd just in front of the stage starts shouting,we want more!No way dudes the sound engineer has allready shut everything down,and the crew started removing equipment from the stage,and they still shouting we want more.LOL!and then suddenly from the loudspeakers we can hear the 70’s pop classic ”Loves Is In The Air” which causes major LOLs!!!The main hall lights are on and the crowd is in no hurry to leave and you can see clearly what impression the gig left on them.I deside not to go to an after party,don’t wanna spoil my memories,can’t here much anyway LOL!