Fans rave about Moby
But disappointed with concert organisation
DJ and musician Moby electrified thousands of Maltese fans on Sunday as they gathered in Gianpula's fields on a breezy summer night.
During the gig, Moby paid tribute to US President Barack Obama, music legend Johnny Cash and the cloudless Maltese sky, but steered clear of mentioning the recently deceased King of Pop Michael Jackson.
The singer-songwriter, who is known for being politically outspoken, instead took the opportunity to berate former US President George Bush, describing him as "the worst president ever". He then performed his song Lift Me Up, which is a critique of the Bush years.
Performing with his full band, Moby belted out all his famous hits including Go, We Are All Made of Stars, Porcelain, Natural Blues and Raining Again. He also paid tribute to "original ravers" like himself who he said used to stay up dancing till six and seven in the morning.
Adoring fans sang and danced the night away to his melodic tunes and melancholic lyrics. But despite their delight in the uplifting music, many complained that the organisation left a lot to be desired.
The biggest problems were with parking, impossible traffic, long queues, and a shortage of bars and beer. Those who had VIP tickets also complained about being restricted to one VIP area of the four available. Efforts to contact the organisers, Cream, proved futile.
On his website, where he keeps a journal, Moby described Malta as an amazing place that was "very rocky and hard".
He also asked if this was the place where Napoleon was exiled, mistaking it for Elba, a small Italian island off the Tuscany coast.
In another post he explained he had learnt about Michael Jackson's death after performing in Croatia.
"So young. What a complete and utter shame," he wrote.
The 44-year-old star whose career spans almost two decades released his first record in 1990 and managed eight Top 40 singles in the UK during the 1990s.
Sunday's event also featured a performance by world music band Tribali, who kicked off the evening, and Canadian deejay Deadmau5, who performed after Moby.
cperegin@timesofmalta.com