American artist Moby once lived in fear of going on tour during his personal descent into hell when he was at the peak of success. But all that seems to be definitively behind him, as shown on Tuesday in Seville, at the first concert in Spain of his European tour that started on July 5 in Belgium and continues on Wednesday in Madrid.
Moby (New York, 1965) has enjoyed, thrilled, and made about 8,000 people dance at the Iconic Santalucía Sevilla Fest at Plaza de España, with his carefully crafted techno pop with rave flashes suitable for all audiences and all ages.
He has also conveyed messages in defense of animals, in the words of the renowned Jane Goodall, the British primatologist and ethologist who lived with chimpanzees in the jungle for years and whose image was displayed on the giant screens at the concert. Moby carries animal consciousness tattooed on his body, with phrases like "vegan for life" and "animal right." This was also seen in idyllic images of calves and fawns running through the fields projected at Plaza de España.
Interestingly, there are social media messages complaining about the poor life animals living in Plaza de España and the surrounding Maria Luisa Park endure due to the Iconic concerts. The festival organization has hired a veterinary service to care for ducks, turtles, and all the fauna in the area. Animal welfare seems to be ensured. It is highly likely that an activist like Moby would not have set foot in a venue where this was not the case.
But it wasn't all about animal consciousness. The music played. And how. At times intense and exhilarating, with the audience in a frenzy -"here, what people like is the breakbeat," a man in his forties told his friend-. At times delicate and almost mystical. Again, rave-like. Also with powerful voices that filled everything with impeccable sound.
And emotional, like when in the middle of the concert, Moby's version of Heroes by David Bowie played. The anthem included a bonus track as the artist recounted, in English, how he started working to be able to buy Bowie's records and, over the years, became the "best friend" of the British artist, with whom he was neighbors in New York. There, they both played Heroes on a guitar. "Imagine you are in my New York apartment with me and Bowie". A climax.
The show started strongly with Bodyrock, a song from his fifth album, Play, released in 1999 and perhaps the most influential and successful of his career. From this album, Honey, Porcelain towards the end, and Why does my heart feel so bad? were also heard. They all sounded different from the album. Some slower, others with a greater presence of female voices that supported the artist on stage.
The evocative and powerful Go from Moby's debut album in 1992 also played at the beginning. This song is one of the greatest classics of electronic music and includes a string sample from Laura Palmer's Theme from the soundtrack of the beloved series Twin Peaks by David Lynch. Next, there was fast-paced dancing with Next is the e from the same album.
After the high, a bit more relaxed and globally known songs like In this world, In my heart, and We are all made of stars from the artist's 2002 album. The giant screens displayed images of stars, astronauts, planets, and psychedelic colors.
There was also time for football because Moby started his tour in Belgium, and he mentioned how the Belgian national football team defeated the United States - after Trump's controversial intervention with FIFA. "And now we are playing here, and Spain also won. In any case, I want to say that anything that humiliates Donald Trump is good because he is the worst president of the United States," he declared to the applause of the audience.
The last songs played at Plaza de España were Lift me up and Feeling so real. A final burst, with Moby acclaimed by thousands of fans who relived their happy? twenties.