bl!
bright light ! gigs

mogwai @ pabellón de alta tecnología, ciudad de méxico, mexico 26/06/08


thanks to mike

setlist


thanks to toni

  • the precipice [youtube]
  • friend of the night
  • thank you space expert [youtube]
  • summer
  • scotland's shame [youtube]
  • cody
  • i'm jim morrison, i'm dead [youtube]
  • hunted by a freak
  • like herod
  • batcat
  • i love you, i'm going to blow up your school [youtube]
  • tracy
  • two rights make one wrong
  • we're no here

    support from austin tv.

    pabellón de alta tecnología


    thanks to mike


    photos

    photo by toni francois.
    http://www.tono.tv/wordpress/?p=508

    soundcheck video:
    http://www.tono.tv/wordpress/?p=510

    press conference photos:
    http://www.tono.tv/wordpress/?p=509


    reviews/comments

    from mike:

    let me tell you it was a fucking excellent concert. you have been reading some reviews and seen some pics but let me tell you that night it was a wonderful concert. the first on stage were austin tv, playing a short set, over 5 or 6 songs, a 40 minutes set, giving us a beautiful performance.

    the mogwai performance was in 2 parts for me, the second half being better. in the first half the band was more focused on their effects and instruments than on the performance itself and it was very noticeable, they only said a curt "gracias", or "thank you very much". when the second half was in progress, the band were more relaxed and more into the mood of the place and the crowd (very quiet, something weird in my country). when they played "hunted by a freak" the crowd was absolutly crazy and then started the intimate party.....and when "like herod" was played was the best moment for me.

    barry burns tour diary:
    http://www.lifeboxset.com/?p=830

    Next day we get up for the short flight to Mexico City and a day off. We get to the hotel and decide to just stay in all day and drink. I went down to get lunch in the hotel and I ordered a fish dish. What came was extremely funny. It was fish with what looked and smelled like melted strawberry ice cream sauce with Poblano chilis. I kept trying to look at the waiter to see if he was laughing when I put it in my mouth to see if the chef was playing a joke on the silly tourist. But no. It seems like people in Mexico City like to eat strawberry fish. Very amusing.

    I guess I should really go out and see some of the city but I am a lazy bastard and instead John, Ozzy (our guitar tech) and I just drink in John’s hotel room and listen to our iPod’s on the little iPod stereo that the hotel has provided in each room (a nice touch, but more about that later).

    It gets to dinner time and Hector takes us to another place which is called the “Golden Lion” or something like that and this takes us about an hour to get to. We tell him to order some meat but what arrives on the table is not really called “meat” in Scotland. It’s…….it’s basically……a fucking pig’s actual face and fuck knows what else. Maybe kidneys, liver. Oh man, you can see the hairs on it’s nose. God. I politely ask for some chicken tacos. John eats some “face” and then looks very, very sick. He doesn’t want to party tonight and decides to go home with the others. Ozzy and I go back to a party near Noiselab offices and meet very nice people who speak good English (in fact one of them used to live in an area of Glasgow where my wife and I used to live. It’s a small world).

    We stay up for a while then get too drunk and have to go to the hotel. I manage to brush my teeth while drunk. So, next day I fancy a quick swim so I phone reception…

    Me: Hi, do you speak English?
    Woman: Yis.
    Me: Where is the swimming pool in the hotel?
    Woman: Yis.
    Me: Hmmm. Okay, is there a pool in the hotel?
    Woman: White plees.
    Me: Ok thanks.
    Man: Hello, can I help?
    Me: Yeah, where is the swimming pool in the hotel?
    Man: You have a problem with your internet connection?
    Me: Hahaha! No. Er… is there a swimming pool here?
    Man: No, there is a business centre.
    Me: Oh, ok. (I wonder if I can go swimming in the business centre…) Thanks, bye!
    Man: Okay, bye.

    Now we have to go to soundcheck (which takes an hour to get to) and I think some of the band have stomach troubles because we’re not used to the water or something. My stomach is like Steel so I feel fine. The venue is quite big and looks nice. We do some interviews and photos with Mexican press and TV and then the soundcheck goes really well. It’s better than Guadalajara for sound. Afterwards, as always, Hector takes us for dinner. We all have stuff like enchilladas and soup. Nice Mexican food. Of course, the vegetarians have their cheese and beans. Poor bastards.

    We meet up with Austin TV who played with us the last time in M.C. And I remember they were dressed up as bunny rabbits and stuff. They were very good and I’m looking forward to seeing them play. I’m told by them that they dress up kinda like trees now because they recorded their last album in a forest, which sounds quite similar to what we did for our album “Come On Die Young” in upstate New York.

    We watch them play and the crowd really like them too. The drummer’s mask is absolutely awesome. More bands need to wear masks. Maybe if Mogwai had masks from the beginning then people might think we were handsome underneath… but we’re not. Never mind. Ugly Scottish creatures.

    So it’s our turn to play now. And it’s much better than the other night. We played most of the show really well and it’s nice to get back into it again. We probably should hae played an encore because the crowd were singing “Mogwai! Mogwai!” at the end but we are trying not to do them anymore. Now we just play a little longer instead.

    So, afterwards we meet some people who won a competition and they are all really nice folks. No one tried to kill us with dangerous knives, which was very kind. We had an early flight the next day and it’s all the way to Calgary in Canada so we decide to just have a few drinks and go to bed. Someone phones my hotel room at about 4 a.m. And I am scared. I just look at the phone, ringing, and I almost have a mental breakdown because I am so confused and tired. I just keep looking at it, thinking, “Please Please Please STOP MAKING THIS NOISE arghhhhhhhhh” and it finally does. And remember the iPod stereo in every hotel room? Well, some absolute dickhead and his girlfriend are in the room next door to mine, at 7:30 in the morning playing Madonna songs at full volume and singing along with it. I have to bang on the wall with my hand but this doesn’t work so I phone reception and a woman answers:

    Me: (Tired and annoyed) Do you speak English?
    Woman: Yis.
    Me: There are people playing very loud music in the next room. Please send someone up to tell them to stop.
    Woman: OK. Bye.

    20 minutes later when I realise that the woman did not understand a word I said. Still No One Comes. So I phone again. A man answers and he seems to understand so about a minute later I hear him knocking their door and the music quickly is turned down in volume, but not turned off. Why the hell are they playing music so loud at this time in the morning. I think, Cocaine? Maybe.

    Anyway, we all get into the bus and realise there are not enough seats for everyone so Ozzy has to sit on the floor. Then the driver says, “We forgot to bring the girl from Noiselab, we must go back” but Simon, our Tour Manager, just gets a bit annoyed and says, “Where will they sit??? We already have one person too many, tell them to take a cab!” We all start laughing. Crazy.

    So we get to the airport and do not look forward to flying for a long time, especially as we have to stop over in Houston (shithole) in the USA (shithole) and have to deal with their stupid immigration and customs even though we are only in Transit to Canada (not Shithole).

    It’s been a fun trip to Mexico and we hope we can play more places next time. I think Martin and Dominic had tummy troubles so they didn’t enjoy it as much as we did which is a shame but next time, I’m sure we’ll all be fine. And better at playing these songs!

    Ok, bye for now.

    a number of reviews (in spanish) linked from last.fm:
    http://www.last.fm/event/636342