Massive Attack this morning. Recorded at Volkshaus, Zurich Switzerland on May 29, 1998 by RTS Radio in Zurich.
I can’t think of a better way to end a week of incredulity and division than to get a much needed dose of Massive Attack to put everything in perspective. One of those bands that came along at just the right time to help usher in a breath of hopeful vibe and to take everything that got started in the 90s to the next level.
Their albums are revelations – their concerts have been gatherings of unity and boundless spirit – their message is one of hope and awareness and above all; love.
If you’ve had the experience of seeing Massive Attack in concert, you can’t help but feel the overpowering sense of community within the audience. All those people – all those different colors and feelings and points of view, coming together in the same spirit. It’s a feeling that lasts long after the show is over.
We’re lucky Massive Attack are here – are with us – are keeping the message going. How they are inspiring other artists – probably because Massive Attack’s creative reservoir is overflowing. I haven’t heard a group of musicians who have taken such a vast array of musical styles and statements and turned them into a rich sonic tapestry as they have. That they have also taken their music as a basis for protest is an acknowledged obligation art has to the human condition – some shy away from it. Massive Attack don’t – if Music can get people to do things and think in different ways, that’s key. If they can raise awareness by inches they have done a service that imbues them not only with admiration but with respect – they’ve embraced the essence of what music is about, what music is and always has been – to give voice and to offer an alternative. We’re lucky Massive Attack are here, especially now.
If you aren’t already familiar with Massive Attack or perhaps have heard mostly of the social issues they are talking about and are quick to condemn without actually ever had heard them, I would urge you to press Play and listen to this concert, without judgement or perception.
We’re living in confusing times – of mixed and distorted messages. We can’t sacrifice our humanity during a time it’s needed the most.
Take an hour to sit with this concert and let it flow over you. It’s Friday after all.
