I went to see Public Enemy at the ABC last night. They were playing their classic album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back as part of Don’t Look Back, a series of concerts that typifies the modern shift away from recorded music towards live events. It seems that as music becomes more ethereal by dint of digitized forms, music lovers cling to whichever palpable experiences are left.
The crowd was made up of a mix of men in their mid-to-late thirties who were there the first time around and authenticity-seeking hipsters in their early twenties. There was very little irony around, despite the fact that you can apparently now buy big clock necklaces from Urban Outfitters. Scottish audiences are well-known for their ability to abandon themselves and the first 6 rows were a frenzy of sweaty bodies jumping up and down. I haven’t participated in a mosh pit in years and enjoyed myself immensely.
Neither was there much irony from the band. They seemed determined to give the people a good time. Both Flavor Flav and Chuck D, despite being in their forties, tried stagediving, rescued by their blankfaced security dancers (who were much better than the usual officious security people). There is that perfect point between giving the audience what they want and keeping your own artistic integrity as a band; tonight they hit that point exactly.
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