Manic Street Preachers - Cardiff Castle

Now this is something I have been looking forward to for months!

For reasons I simply can't explain I have never seen the Manics live! I remember seeing them on Top of the Pops as a kid playing "You Love Us" and thinking .. I like this. I went out and bought Generation Terrorists, and from the first listen you knew this band was always going to be a bit special. "Motorcycle Emptiness" is one of my all time favourite songs, definitely top five!

Tonight was the final playing of The Holy Bible, their third album, in its entirety. It was a brave decision. It is without doubt their darkest hour. Written by and large by Richie Edwards, their troubled guitarist, who disappeared shortly after the albums release, and was presumed dead a few years back now.

You could feel the crowd getting fidgety towards the end of the run though. Nicky Wire summed it up perfectly on stage saying that they felt incredibly vulnerable up on the massive stage in front of 10,000 fans, just the three of them, playing a very dark album. There was a real nervous edge to the performance. I thought it was spellbinding. It is one of my favourite, if not favourite Manic albums. The bass line of Archives Of Pain one of my real first musical wow moments!

The sound was a bit ropey at times due to the swirling wind, that was also bitterly cold, but as the sun set over Cardiff Castle, which was providing a spectacular backdrop to tonight's proceedings, I think the vast majority of the crowd knew that that was something special.

There was a ten minute break and then they returned to the stage with a set of classics and rarities. There really was something for everyone. My throat by now felt like I had swallowed a broken bottle. But I wasn't going to let that get me down. There was a certain amount of pogo-ing to be done to "You stole the sun from my heart" and some serious singing to be done before the end.

And what a crescendo it was to be!

James Dean Fxxking Bradfield started playing "Mae Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" and the crowd took it from there, it was hairs on the back of your neck bristling stuff. This went straight into the aforementioned "You Love Us"

My voice completely give in!

An unforgettable night was brought to a close with "A Design For Life" and some fireworks and Bradfield smashing his guitar to pieces on stage!

That is how you finish a rock concert.

It was great to meet up with my brother, sis-in-law and Jamie and Amanda from twitter. Yes we froze our wotnots off in the end. I was completely exhausted driving home. But it was worth every second and every year of the wait of finally seeing them!

The set list for you!

The Holy Bible
        Yes
        Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart
        Of Walking Abortion
        She Is Suffering
        Archives of Pain
        Revol
        4st 7lb
        Mausoleum
        Faster
        This Is Yesterday
        Die in the Summertime
        The Intense Humming of Evil
        P.C.P.

        Greatest Hits & Rarities

        The Everlasting
        (semi-acoustic with string quartet)
        Motorcycle Emptiness
        Walk Me to the Bridge
        Condemned to Rock 'n' Roll
        If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
        Sex, Power, Love and Money
        Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
        Removables
        You Stole the Sun From My Heart
        Golden Platitudes
        You Love Us
        (Welsh National Anthem Intro)
        A Design for Life
        (Fireworks, instruments destroyed)

I've added a couple more photos from the day/night!