Manics Preach To The Converted - The Western Mail, 1st January 2000
| Title: | Manics Preach To The Converted |
| Publication: | The Western Mail |
| Date: | Saturday 1st January 2000 |
| Writer: | Darren Waters |
| Photos: | Rob Norman |
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AS ipside Cardlff s Manic Street Preachers' crowning moment as Wales's most important rtxk band was shared by 57 AX) fans. The concert fulfilled its piomise to a Manic Millennium — a cele- trati6n of tre past. tyr vresent ami tir New Year's Day 2000 may just armer day on the calerxfa_r fry the crowds, and. I suspect. for the band also. the Manic Millennium concert was a crystallisation of sorne- thing in Wales tryond the steel gir&rs of staiium. and yond Cardiff. A new-found confidence, a new Wales; whatever ycw want to eau it Wales is at last finding its voice and the Manic Street Prexhers are one of a growing number of artists are writing trr soundtrxk. And it was a uxmdtrxk that threat- errd to shake the very foundations of stalium — no wonder that engi- neers were worried integrity of stands trr concert The red. white and green of the Welsh flag under the closed rtxyf Of Millennium Stadium. protecting tlr throng from Cardiff elements. was visible from all parts of sta- If one combined tir joy of every tirne Wales beats England at rugby — of every Triple Crown and Grand Slam — that would be a close approx- imation of tre atmosptrre enjoyed by the audience who were there to more than just entertained by rock Unlike rugby rnat&s. this tin* crowd was on what was once the pitch. and result was never really in dcm.lt*. But this was not a concert of '*tty nationalism. There were chants Of "Wales Wales" this was ab«lt in. clusion exclusion. axxl playwright Patrick Jones, Nicky Wire. '*formed of his poems together with actors loan Gruffudd. Matthew Rhys and Reiki Ayola. to start tix corre.rt. A concert. and even a rugby stadium. is not the usual venue for vxrtry rexfing but this audience was quickly into the spirit of trr crcasion. And What an occasion. ney may t*en diametrically op- rx»sed musically the Super Furries and the Manics are owned by Wales and as such fans of band have re- spect for fans of the ottrr. Shack and Feeder played small sets and it wasn't until the Surr•r Furries appeared that the crowd seemed to awaken from slumber. But the Manics were what con- cert was all aEx»ut. James. Sean and Nicky — the latter dressed in a fetch. ing pink dress — appeared. and it was time to wave goodbye to 1999. You Stole The Sun From My Heart opened act one. with James in raucous mood and the crowd re- spond-:ng. only disappointment was that sound in the stadium, transfcgmed into a magnificent arena. was survis- ingly quiet. Everything Must GO Was ripped into by the band. as well as tracks Tsunami. and new single Masses Against The Classes. three-piece band seenrd to fill the stadium effortlessly. with lead signer James offering a casual after one mitting him rrrves Of the previous day. The Manics have found as many critics as supporters over years. but inside the Millennium Stadium they seemed a world away from Cardiff University where they played ürir first gigs. As a thank you to those loyal fans. as last song before the new mil- lennium. James [kan Bradfield ckdi. catal Motorcycle Emptiness. Powerful. painful but, trnvortantly. bringing all of the crowd to its feet it brought 199 to an end on a high. And if we have any sense in Wales. we will never come down from that high. |
