I really didn’t know what to expect from the Black Eyed Peas gig on Saturday night. A friend enticed me along with a free ticket, so I thought, why the hell not. Even the allure of Cheryl Cole as support didn’t get me overly excited about the O2 gig. I’ve never been a BEP fan - I like some of their songs, but I don’t own an album and probably wouldn’t know any of their tracks beyond the big singles.
So, imagine my surprise to be completely blown away by an insanely hyper, visually incredible and musically brilliant night out…well, apart from the Cheryl Cole bit.
We arrived at the start of Cole’s set. The best we could muster was - “she wasn’t terrible“. The choreography was very poor, the dress change was weak and while a couple of her songs were fun, the live gig added very little to the radio listening experience. However, as soon as the Peas came on, she was reduced to insignificance. They erupted from the stage in a blaze of metal, sex and loud music.
BEP took over not only the stage, but the whole arena. Whether it was Taboo flying in a Tron bike (hell yeah!!) high above our heads or will.i.am rising from the crowd to wow us with his DJ set, they didn’t let us go for a single second. The hotness of Fergie, the vocal abilities of will.i.am, the amazing backing dancers (yes, they brought the robot back) and the shockingly skilled live band, hiding at the back of the stage - it was unbelievable.
Black Eyed Peas kicked off their The E.N.D. World Tour in style on Saturday night and while I wasn’t a fan before the gig, I certainly am now. They’re back over here for Oxegen in July can’t wait. I want more!!!
Setlist (courtesy of @SwearImNotPaul):
Let’s Get it Started
Rock That Body
Meet Me Halfway
Alive
Don’t Phunk With My Heart
Shut Up
Imma Be
My Humps
Missing You
Bebop
Rocking to the Beat
Fergalicious/Glamorous
Big Girls
Now Generation
Pump It
Where Is The Love?
Boom Boom Pow >
Showdown >
Party All the Time
—
Outta My Head
I Got a Feeling
I wonder if they are going to be on the TRON 2 soundtrack or if Disney will just sue them.
Twas a good gig and a good night all round.
Sounds good! I saw them 5 years ago in San Diego at the street scene festival. It was a disaster! They were an hour late, couldnt really hear them, they were slurring a lot and Fergie wet herself on stage! Mess!! Sounds like they have drastically improved! I left them to check out Garbage, Flogging Molly and The Killers instead!!
Yup, the photos of Fergie wetting herself rather damaged her hottness levels in my book!
Interesting that they’re so much fun live; they seem to be getting more and more sugarpop by the second. I Gotta Feeling is the biggest glut of glurge I’ve heard in years. Gawd be with the pre-Fergie days when these lads would be in Mixmag and the like!