The Massive Attack evening in the sold-out docks started with an agonizing wait: you realize that you get older when you wonder if there are no seats at a concert 8 pm was on the menu, 20 to 8 we were there, and when we came in and saw two drums (an acoustic and an electronic set), we thought, ok, hopefully the support band will at least come on time and not play so long (by the way, a big compliment to the bouncers from the docks: I’ve never been treated so friendly at the door!).
When only the roadies were on stage until 9 p.m. and I wondered why they hadn’t finished setting up yet, I started to get nervous. 3/4-hour support band, 3/4-hour reconstruction, then maybe 1 1/2-hour Massive Attack, could be a longer affair. The audience was very mixed, and at 34 years of age I had the impression that I would lower the average age. Blue Lines, the first record by Massive Attack, was also released in 1991.

Shortly after 9 p.m., a few gentlemen entered the stage, a drummer sat behind each drum kit, and shortly afterwards Robert Del Naja entered the stage. The sound was fat, and it became one of the few concerts where the sound was better than on the CD. For the second piece, Risingson, Grant Marshall also came on stage. Messrs. Del Naja and Marshall took a back seat and often left the stage to other singers like Horace Andy. I think one of the singers was Elisabeth Fraser from the Cocteau Twins, unfortunately I didn’t understand the name of the other singer, who also stood out because of her female figure (see the picture below, where she sings with Horace Andy).

Her voice seemed thin at first on Hymn of the Big Wheel, but on Safe from Harm the impression changed enormously. What was impressive about this concert was that apparently nothing came from the hard drive, even the smallest details were played live (which also explains why two drummers were necessary). This is exactly what made the concert an experience.
In between, Del Naja pointed to the support of the HOPING Foundation, which helps Palestinian refugee children – but in Bristol English so brisk that hardly anything could be understood.
Did T-shirts not even cost 30 DM in the past? Today they cost 30 euros. Unbelievable.
The Set List:
- False Flags
- Risingson
- Black Melt
- Karma Coma
- Butterfly Caught
- Hymn of the Big Wheel
- Mezzanine
- Teardrop
- Fishing rod
- Future Proof
- Safe from Harm
Encore:
- Inertia Creeps
- Unfinished Sympathy
- Group Four