Moby’s Triumphant‍ Return to Antwerp Sports Palace

Moby has a special⁢ connection with Belgium, and Antwerp Sports Palace ⁣was the perfect venue for his first show on mainland Europe since 2011. This was also⁤ the last time he played in our country, which increased the audience’s anticipation. Richard Melville Hall released several albums and music since then, but a real, big ​tour needed a better reason. 25 years of his record success Play from 1999 was the perfect reason why he visited the Sportpaleis this year.

Before Moby took the stage, Lady Blackbird opened the show. The American singer stood alone on a big stage with one musician, but thanks to her great voice, she could easily fill the big ‌hall. ‍The downside⁢ of that minimalist setup was that the songs sometimes turned out to be ‍a little ‌too sparse. However, once she opened her larynx, we were completely wrapped up. ⁢We were particularly amazed when the musician‍ swapped⁣ his ‌guitar⁢ for the piano⁢ for a ‌short time. Along with a striking hairstyle and unique outfit, Lady ⁣Blackbird made an impression.

Moby is not ​only a singer ⁣but also an activist who stands up for animal ​rights and‍ nature. This was evident throughout the set, with organizations dedicated to ⁣animal suffering projected on the screen. We later found out that⁢ all the profits from​ this ‍show would go to organizations like Gaia and Brussels Vegan. It’s clear that Moby does not go on tour ‍for the ‍money; he wants to⁣ make a difference with his music, and that only makes him more ​beautiful as a person.

The enigmatic “My Weakness” opened the set, setting the ‍mood immediately without even seeing a band on stage. They would ‍appear a little later ​and with “In My Heart” that dreamy introduction was replaced by a danceable whole. While ⁤his songs on record were very ambiguous, he⁢ always managed ⁣to put‌ a different spin on them live. As a musician, you want to⁢ keep challenging yourself, and it was clear that Moby did as well.

All those extra layers‍ he was able to give to his music were⁣ also ⁤thanks to an excellent band that surrounded him. There were two additional singers,⁤ someone playing synths, two string players, a guitarist, and finally a drummer. It was ​clear that they were very carefully chosen⁢ musicians, because each one had an undeniable contribution to the whole show. The singers’ voices were particularly impressive. They took every song‍ to⁢ a higher level by ‍playing very strongly and, above all,‌ always sounding soulful.

In terms of production, it was kept fairly simple with a focus on lots of lighting.⁤ As the set progressed, some sparkling lights were projected behind the band, but we shouldn’t expect any real‌ visual additions from the man; he let the music do the talking. With “Almost Home”, after the danceable beginning, he tried to create⁣ a ‍kind of melancholic⁤ moment where silence dominated.

From then on, really only great songs would pass. “Porcelain” broke every⁤ soul in the room while Moby reminisced about his first time playing that ⁤song, at Torhout Werchter in Belgium. His roots as an electronic ​wonder also took the‍ upper hand at times, so with ‍“Machete” we seemed to have reached the Zillion. It was possible to stomp around ‍and then get Lady Blackbird’s fantastic voice on two ⁤songs.

The fact that he had to dedicate ⁢a song to​ veganism was clear as day. The man ⁢released the instrumental ⁤“Everloving” as an anthem for vegans. Before we knew it, Moby had already been playing for an hour and a half, and nobody was really bored, especially when in​ “Extreme Ways” the intro strings ‍were milked ​for a bit longer.

The ⁤strangest part of the set was yet ​to come: Moby would​ cover “Ring of Fire”, most famously Johnny Cash’s version. And the audience had ‍to imitate⁣ the trumpet solo ⁢because he was not present on the stage. ‍It helped⁢ to get the audience fully prepared for‌ the ⁤final salvo, because otherwise that cover mostly fell by ​the wayside.

Moby made an impression at the Sportpaleis, and people‌ standing and sitting went ⁣absolutely crazy ​at‌ the end. The man already has⁢ a lot of kilometers on his odometer, but after a long break from touring, he seems to be back in full force ‍and paid a great tribute to Play. He didn’t do this by playing the songs dry, but gave an extra dimension to everything that‍ kept‍ him in‍ the present.

Setlist:

• My Weakness
• In My Heart
• Go
• Body rock
• Blodyn / Finding My Baby
• Almost Home
• When It’s Cold I’d Like To Die
• In This World
• Porcelain
• We​ are ‍all Made of Stars
• Machete
• Walk With ⁤Me
• Why Does⁤ My Heart Feel So Bad?
• Eternal
• Extreme Roads
• Honey
• Ring of Fire (Merle Kilgore cover)
• Pick Me Up
• Natural Blues
• Feels So Real
• A Thousand