Release Athens Festival 2023 - Primal Scream, The Prodigy

 

On what would turn out to be a five day marathon of concerts and trips, I went to my last Release Athens Festival date for 2023. I chose it for just one reason: Primal Scream. The Prodigy were however a welcome addition. 

There were not many acts on that date. I arrived early, just as the doors were opening and the first act was not a live gig, but a DJ set from George Michalopoulos. That was a funny coincidence seeing as my last night out the previous week had also been a DJ set (from Fatboy Slim).

 

 

The first live act came next and this was Lip Forensics, an electronic music band from Greece. I had heard of them, but I had never heard them (or listened to them to be more precise). Their show became much livelier with the addition of female vocals courtesy of Kit Kido.

 

Then it was time for what for me was the main act: Primal Scream. Several people were maybe expecting a set full of dance tracks and loops remembering them in the very early 90's. And indeed that was probably the reason they were chosen to play the festival on this specific night among DJ sets and electronic and dance acts. But let's not forget that before (and after) that phase, Primal Scream were first and foremost an indie band. The set started with a gospel choir giving us the intro to "Movin' On Up". And yes, they played a very special version of "Loaded" but we got so much more, such as "Rocks", "Country Girl" and my personal favourite from their latest era, "2013" with its saxophone solo.

 

Finally, it was party time with The Prodigy. I remembered they had played on the 4th Rockwave Festival, back in 1999, but I had chosen to go on the previous day featuring Garbage and Patti Smith. Now many people would say they wouldn't want to see The Prodigy without Keith Flint, however when I discovered Prodigy back in 1991, Keith Flint, although he was an original member, did not yet sing. And he did not sing until 1996 and "Firestarter". Anyway, it was indeed a party and although it was live, it felt more like a DJ set with each song playing only for three minutes , usually followed without a pause by the next one. That's why it ended quite soon. But we did see a graphic representation of Keith on the screen.

I was out of Water Square and on my way home quite quickly, because on the very next day I was going to attend a concert of a very different kind: Guns N' Roses at the Olympic Stadium...

SETLISTS:
PRIMAL SCREAM
01. Movin' On Up
02. 2013
03. Can't Go Back
04. Big Jet Plane
05. It's Alright, It's OK
06. Suicide Bomb
07. Come Together
08. Jailbird
09. Loaded
10. Country Girl
11. Rocks

THE PRODIGY
01. Breathe
02. Omen
03. Light Up The Sky
04. Climbatize
05. Everybody In The Place
06. Voodoo People
07. Omen (Reprise)
08. Firestarter
09. Roadblox
10. No Good (Start The Dance)
11. Their Law
12. Get Your Fight On
13. Poison
14. Smack My Bitch Up
Encore:
15. Take Me To The Hospital
16. Invaders Must Die
17. We Live Forever
18. Out Of Space

Fatboy Slim live in Athens July 2023

As you probably know by now, I rarely go to see DJ's play live unless they are one of my favourites. So, after Tiesto in 2009 (and let's not forget Little Boots 10 years later - but that was after her live gig) it was now time for Fatboy Slim. (We could also mention here The Chemical Brothers in 2018 which was a dance music "live" gig). I wanted to see one of his sets especially after listening to his "Live On Brighton Beach" albums and watching the "Big Beach Boutique" DVD

He played at The Stavros Niarchor Foundation Cultural Center home of the Summer Nostos Festival. And what's more it was free (as the Summer Nostos Festival usually is). The support DJ set was by Hank K and what made it memorable for me was that he finished it by playing "Fired Up" by the Funky Green Dogs, one of my favourite dance tracks from more than 25 years before.

 

 

As I was getting my beer, Fatboy Slim (aka Norman Cook) was up on stage and he started by playing "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen! What followed was two hours filled with favourite dance tracks from the past (some of which were his own) and more with a spectacular projection and light show.

 

The photos and videos I have posted here will give you just a taste of this amazing experience!

BST Hyde Park 2023 - Bruce Springsteen (again)

Another day, another concert date at Hyde Park. Once again, it was Bruce Springsteen! This was my 15th Bruce concert. The weather was a little bit different this time though. After two days of sunshine and heat it was time for the proverbial English rain. I had already taken my poncho with me but it didn't really start to rain until I had reached Hyde Park. But I wasn't going to go in immediately. First I met a Facebook Bruce friend and we decided to go over to the nearby Pret-A-Manger to have a snack. Apart from Bruce we had a lot in common since our mothers had been born on the exact same date! While we were talking about all of this, the rain had not only started, but it had become really strong. At some point, it relented a bit so I went into the park. With no merchandise to buy this time I headed straight in search of a good spot. This time I did something different. I got a place at the barrier between the golden circle and the general admission area, but I chose one that was close to the sound console. It didn't block my view but I guessed that no one inside the golden circle would want to stand there because it would block their view. I was proven right: Third time lucky! Not only that, but inside I also met another Facebook friend who is not only a Bruce fan but also an Arsenal fan like me!

The first artist to appear was Brittney Spencer. I had not heard of her before but the music she was playing was not country rock. It seemed that the organizers did go for a bit of variety this time. And she did a very nice cover of "Yesterday".

 

Next was someone I was already familiar with. James Bay. Exactly one week before I had seen him at Terra Vibe Park in Greece. Now, he was at Hyde Park in the UK. At Terra Vibe he was supporting Robbie Williams. Here he was of course supporting Bruce Springsteen. I don't know to which artist he's more suited, but his set was enjoyable since I was now familiar with some of his songs from the previous week.

Then it was time for one more familiar act. The Chicks who had already played before Bruce two days before. The set was almost identical, but the songs were now familiar, plus the weather was much cooler now, making the whole experience once again more enjoyable.

 

And finally, Bruce! Again! And this time he showed us that his critics who complain that he doesn't change his set on this tour were simply wrong! Sure he kept the basic structure of the set as I have already described it on my previous post about Thursday night's appearance the same, but he changed several of the songs focusing the set a lot on "Born In The USA". This time he started with "My Love Will Not Let You Down" and went on to play "Death To My Hometown". Its intro broke back memories of his 2012 appearance in Hyde Park. Songs from "Wrecking Ball" are always welcome for me because it is one of my favourite albums and reminds me of 2012 and 2013 when I saw him six times during that two year period. "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" was a pleasant surprise for I had wanted to hear this live for years and never got the chance. "Kitty's Back" and "Mary's Place" were there in their usual slots on this tour (although this time we were not singing "let it rain" so enthusiastically as on Thursday), but there was another surprise as well: "The E Street Shuffle"! After all, his second album (as well as his first) celebrates its 50th anniversary this year! And then came the encore with the usual bits with him opening his shirt and showing us his torso (I'm sure the women in the audience enjoyed this) and his usual chat with Stevie about breaking the curfew although with no explicit language this time.

 

 

When it was finished and we exited Hyde Park, I managed to find the unofficial t-shirt I was after with only the Hyde Park dates, somewhere on Park Lane. I was not surprised to see that even some of the bike taxis outside the park were playing Bruce music. 

Satisfied I continued walking towards my hotel. It was over, but it was not over. There was one more date in Monza, in Italy. And this time I would be with my best friend...

SETLISTS:
JAMES BAY
01. Best Fake Smile
02. Just For Tonight
03. If You Ever Want To Be In Love
04. Wanderlust
05. Goodbye Never Felt So Bad
06. All My Broken Pieces
07. Get Out While You Can
08. Let It Go
09. Endless Summer Nights
10. Hold Back The River

THE CHICKS
01. Sin Wagon
02. Gaslighter
03. Julianna Calm Down
04. Landslide
05. The Long Way Around
06. Wide Open Spaces
07. Cowboy Take Me Away
08. Travelin' Soldier
09. White Trash Wedding
10. Daddy Lessons/Long Time Gone (Medley)
11. March March
12. Not Ready To Make Nice
13. Goodbye Earl

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
01. My Love Will Not Let You Down
02. Death To My Hometown
03. No Surrender
04. Ghosts
05. Prove It All Night
06. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
07. The Promised Land
08. Out In The Street
09. Darlington County
10. Working On The Highway
11. Kitty's Back
12. Nightshift
13. Mary's Place
14. The E Street Shuffle
15. Last Man Standing
16. Backstreets
17. Because The Night
18. She's The One
19. Wrecking Ball
20. The Rising
21. Badlands
Encore:
22. Born To Run
23. Bobby Jean
24. Glory Days
25. Dancing In The Dark
26. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
27. Twist And Shout / La Bamba
Encore 2:
28. I'll See You In My Dreams