Released
MONDAY, OCTOBER 14TH [event date]
- UNDERWORLD LIVE
RIVIERA THEATER
CHICAGO, IL - USA
Having never seen Underworld yet, and being on my list of 'things to do before I die", there was a fury of anticipation for this show. While discussing previous shows with comrades in a pre-concert gathering, I was told to expect excellent visuals from Tomato (their visuals partners in crime responsible for amazing Underworld videos), and a lot of energy from Mr. Karl Hyde, who many equate to the Energizer bunny (if he were cool, mind you). With reports from the front of lines stretching 2 blocks long to get in, we knew the masses were ready to soak it all in.
The stage setup was simplistic and stimulating, with a large mixing board setup for Rick Smith and Karl Hyde to perform their live mix show upon, along with two MacIntosh laptops running most of the gear. The entire back wall of the stage was set for a visuals screen, and it was covered in what can best be described as large see-through air pillows from floor to ceiling. As a friend informed me, Tomato was not doing the visuals for this leg of the tour, and they would be using some reels that were featured on the Tomato web site. It was still a very impressive display. The lighting was awash with what looked like an array of ten to twelve Martic Mac 2000 profiles. With rotating gobos and crystalline gels, the lighting show was filled with plenty of stimulating fare.
And then there's the music. But what can you say that cannot be said for Underworld's music? The night started off with a nice rendition of Mo Move from the new album, and went right into Cowgirl. It took only those two tracks to get the crowd into a frenzy. That went right into Rez with would be the first of several technical glitches for the evening. As Karl would la ter say, 'Slave to the world of MacIntosh'. While the glitches temporarily slowed the the performers, the crowd stayed with them all the way. We heard Two Months Off and Twist from the new album, as well as the essential versions of Born Slippy Nuxx and Rez.
There was a huge roar from the crowd when Rick Smith was tweaking his Nord Lead to the limit in a monstrously huge version of Rowla. Then there was the craziness as the whole room turned green with the huge argon laser that kicked in right when King of Snake was dropped. And the killer deep red numbers floating by on the visuals screen with the initiation of Pearl's Girl, just wicked. The night ran for 2 hours straight, but wouldn't be complete without an encore from the twosome from the UK. It was Moaner, harder and faster than ever before, and ended with a huge
finish that capped the night off in the proper fashion. Everyone left satisfied that night, and Karl and Rick seemed pleased that the crowd stayed with them, despite the technical difficulties. Coming from a live performer myself, I understand their pain. This being their first stop on the U.S. leg of their
tour, I'm sure the show will tighten up.
All in all, a great performance.