I WAS THERE . . . The Prodigy @ Roseland Ballroom, 3.26.09

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Photo by Zach Dilgard

There are those who say that letting your baby listen to Beethoven will make them smarter, but what are the effects of bringing a baby to a Prodigy concert at a hall with a mind-numbingly loud sound system? I never pondered this scientific quandary until I went to Roseland Ballroom and saw a man with a baby strapped to his chest walk right into the venue unstopped. Yes, only in New York City could you see something so both horrifying and oddly funny at once. And yet they let him in and probably even stamped rave baby’s hand in case he wanted to go out for a goddamn smoke!

But I digress. I went to see The Prodigy, not the cute rave baby, and the show certainly was the high energy, high volume, greatest hits rave of electronic dance music that I expected to see. When The Prodigy first hit the airwaves with “Firestarter” at the height of the 90’s electronica boom, it was clear that they were experimental pioneers. They won fans over with incredible live performances and even headlined Lollapalooza.

They brought that same incredible live energy and sound to the show at Roseland Ballroom, with a set that included all of their hits and ended with the deeply romantic love ballad, “Smack My Bitch Up.” They kept the crowd bouncing until some were carried out exhausted, but what good is a dance party without a few ecstasy-induced crash and burns? At least rave baby was ok and seemed to love the show, even though his father was forcefully ejected from the ballroom after the show – because some genius finally realized the world is not ready for a rave baby raised on The Prodigy.

Adam J. Rodriguez

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