Chris from Southafrica doesnt only gives us an exclusive review of The Prodigy gig in Johannesburg 24th March 99, he also met Keith Flint 3 days later!! The Gig It all started at school with a good friend of mine, Michael. It was about the beginning of February. He is one grade lower than me, I am in Grade 9 (15 years old). He ran up to me during our break, and he said: "Hey Chris, have you heard? The Prodigy might be coming to South Africa with Faithless!!!" I simply could not believe it, I thought he was talking crap. But in my head, I was thinking... Could this be true? Anyway, one or two weeks later, they had an advertisement about The Prodigy on one of South Africa's best radio stations (Radio 5fm). I had lost it!!! This was a dream come true... The one and only Prodigy were coming to my country to perform live! The next day, I was the first out of my friends to get tickets for the show. The Prodigy were performing three nights in South Africa,on the 20th of March in Cape Town, on the 22nd in Durban, and on the 24th in Johannesburg. I stay in Johannesburg, so I went to the gig on the 24th which was my best friend's birthday aswell (Garth). So we had a very good reason to celebrate for him. Anyway... to cut the story short... the big day came. It was a Wednesday, and I went home after school with my good friend Garth... and I shaved my hair straight down the middle just like Keith. I put green and purple colours in my hair... The whole concert began at around 5:00pm, but The Prodigy would only be on stage at around 11:30pm. All my good friends and I arrived at the dome at around 5:30pm (About 10 of us). It was not so full so we got a good place infront of the stage. At that time, some stupid South African bands were playing some shit songs. Time went by... and the at around 10:00pm, Faithless came on stage... They were pretty good, I must admit it, but it still was not what I wanted!!! Faithless finished at around 11:00pm. And for half an hour, a shit South African DJ from Radio 5fm was playing some new crap rave songs. While he was playing... all I could see was a guy with a black leather jacket and dark brown hair standing on the side of the stage. Was it Liam? I looked carefully... and YES, it was him. He sat back very relaxed with a cigarette in his hand and he was just staring into the crowd. Obviously, me and my crazy friends had to get up on eachothers shoulders and show our middle finger to him... Liam just looked at us and had a huge smile on his face, we could see that he liked us. Anyway... the time was 11:35pm, and we were waiting for the true stage madness to perform... The next thing you know, all the lights in the dome were shut off, and all you could see was Liam pop out of nowhere and he walked towards his keyboards. He alone with no one else on stage began to play around with his equipment (maybe to test the sound). He played some tunes I have never heard before... After a short while, there was dead silence. Then, suddenly, the hardcore drum beat of Smack My Bitch Up broke the silence!!! Keith ran on the stage raging and jumping around with the crowd going MAD!!! I just sat there with amazement... My favourite band had been right there infront of me!!! Anyway, I can't remember exactly what songs were played at what time, all I know is that I have never jumped for 2 hours flat at a gig before! I just got all this energy from nowhere!!! For me, the best song of the evening was Their Law... I have never heard a person swear so many times in 1 sentence - it could only be Maxim :-) The music stopped for a while so Liam could take a break... and all you heard was Maxim saying: "Where the FUCK is Johannesburg?" Then, the crowd roared! It was lovely to hear people being controlled be Maxim. The funniest was Leeeroy though, he was so stoned, he was just dancing like a monkey all night! He was great aswell. The only thing that was different about Athens and Johannesburg is that we had Gizz Butt on the guitar. The thing that was the same is that all the members went off the stage... and when the crowd was shouting for more, they came back on and began to play Fuel My Fire, just like in Athens. After that, everyone knew it was over. Everyone began to slowly leave the dome, I just sat on the floor crying with my other good friends which are also huge Prodigy fans because we thought we would never see them again. The next thing you know, I met Keith a few days later and I had a full conversation with him... I did not know where I was at the time! Keith 's Birthday All I was at the gig was a normal person with no extra privileges. Anyway... a few days went by after the concert, and it was the 27 March (Keith's birthday). I have a Cypriot friend that owns a restaurant named "PAPPAS" in a shopping mall near my area. As I arrived at the restaurant to say a hello to my friend... the phone rang, and it was a person with an English accent, and he wanted to book a table for 3. Then my friend asked what the persons name was, and the person replied with "Keith Flint". My friend and I had gone crazy!!! Keith did not know where the restaurant was, so he asked if someone could come to his hotel and fetch him and the other people that were with him. I started running towards the hotel. As I arrived and pressed the button for the elevator, the elevator door opened... and the was KEITH FLINT, AN AMAZING GIRL, AND I THINK A MANAGER. I had lost it! The first thing I said loud infront of them was the word "FUCK". Keith began to laugh at me because I had cut my hair exactly like him for the gig. Anyway, to cut the story short... I walked Keith and the other two people to the restaurant, they were pleased that I had come all the way for them. Keith had no make-up, and no special outfits... he dressed like a normal human, I was impressed with him. The girl he was with was beautiful, I could not get my eyes off her breasts - hehehehe. On the way, I asked Keith a few questions... and I was laughing with his answers: I first wished him a happy birthday. He replied with: "Ahh, thank-you very much... how did you know it was my birthday today?" I answered him with: "I've been supporting you since the Experience album was released, surely I know when your birthday is." He just laughed and was impressed that I knew his birthday. After that, he started being much more friendlier to me because I think he realised that I was a serious fan. Anyway... I asked him more things... So where are the other three members? "Leeroy is drunk, Liam and Maxim are messing up the hotel room." What did you think of the crowd at the gig? "I thought they were fucking excellent! I did not know there were so many white people in South Africa." I replied: "Well, now you know." Then we arrived at the restaurant... and my friend went wild... Eventually we got autographs and pictures, but my film got messed up somewhere (I was so cross, and I still am). Thanks a lot to Chris for sending this in! [go home] www.nekosite.co.uk - copyright © 1998-2001 by neko - all rights reserved |
