Placebo, Deaf Havana @ Entertainment Centre Theatre, Adelaide 6/9/2017
Placebo hit Adelaide last night under trying circumstances with front man Brian Molko battling illness since arriving in Australia. With Perth cancelled as Molko was unwell the speculation was mounting whether the show would go on in Adelaide. Fortunately for the nearly sold out Theatre at the Entertainment Centre the band power through their set over the next one hundred minutes or so.
Opening act Deaf Havana are fantastic and proved worthy to be supporting Placebo. Wow! I was that impressed I bought the album and signed poster after the show. Deaf Havana have some great singles such as Fever, Trigger and Sing which were impressive. No doubt a return visit is on the cards next year… we hope!
The lights went down and on the big screen the video clip for Every You Every Me started playing too much delight of the most loyalist of Placebo fans. I can’t really remember ever seeing this film clip and was really good in building the atmosphere for the band’s arrival on stage. The video montage delving in to twenty years of Placebo was well packaged in to sixty seconds. In a shroud of darkness Placebo emerged to the opening chords of Pure Morning sending fans in to hyper drive. If it wasn’t documented that Molko was sick you would hardly know as he entertained Adelaide fans.
After Loud Like Love Molko made some opening remarks “Thanks for coming to our birthday party, I’ve been sick since we got to Australia and thank you to all the doctors who have helped get me back on my feet. Thank you for your patience and understanding.” They were the only words Molko spoke all night to ensure he got through the show and fair enough to. As far as birthday parties go this was pretty awesome.
With a career that spans twenty years it is a tough assignment cramming in all the best bits in to a hundred minutes but they did. So many great songs such as Jesus Son, Special Needs, Twenty Years and the tribute to David Bowie Without You I’m Nothing. The band were tight, sounded great, looked great and the production was top shelf. Every album got a look in and no doubt there will be much post-gig discussion about what songs were left out and what should have been played.
Plenty of singles featured prominently including 36 Degrees, Slave To The Wage, Special K, Song To Say Goodbye and ironic given the circumstances the set closer The Bitter End. Interestingly others shows have included two encores with the first featuring Teenage Angst, Nancy Boy and Infra-Red but not tonight. The band return for an encore featuring the awesome Kate Bush cover Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) to wrap up what was a really good show given the circumstances. Happy birthday Placebo! Get well Brian and come back soon!
Review by Rob Lyon
Catch Placebo on the remaining Australian dates…
20 YEARS OF PLACEBO AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES:
8th Sep 2017 – Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne
9th Sep 2017 – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
11th Sep 2017 – Brisbane Convention Centre
12th Sep 2017 – Newcastle Entertainment Centre
14th Sep 2017 – AIS Arena, Canberra
