Ignoring general work bullshit surrounding tickets, and the fact that because of it we also missed the first 3 bands on the bill (LMFAO, Parade and Labrinth no less), surviving a brief yet torrential rain storm, my mate and I settled in for the main attraction soon after arriving, in the shadow of the famous Alton Towers er . . . towers!
A one off concert in the grounds of one of the world’s most famous theme parks, The Black Eyed Peas hit the stage at 8.30pm to a rapturous response, before kicking in with a set jam packed with modern day pop hits, the likes of which have dominated radio air play all over the world in the last few years. They have morphed over time into not only the biggest pop band on the planet (sorry JLS), but one of the most genre switching bands of our time. Starting out with old school rapping when Will.I.Am, Apl.de.ap and Taboo ran the show alone, into straight up mainstream pop and R&B, when Fergie Ferg joined the lineup in 2003, into what they are now known for; club banging electro pop, with a huge mainstream slant.
The crowd simply go off for them from the moment Rock That Body kicks off. A massive singalong follows next as they dip into their game changing The E.N.D album for former number 1 single Meet Me Halfway. By the time Just Can’t Get Enough kicks into high gear, when that electro freakout “switch up” bit towards the end kicks in, there is no doubt that they are going to go down a storm. Will.I.Am shows off his incredible chops on a thunderous freestyle rap, and the set is interspersed with a DJ set from him (dropping MASSIVE hits in the process) and the obligatory solo spot for the boys (Joints & Jam) and Fergie (Big Girls Don’t Cry).
It is however the hits which get the biggest reaction. Don’t Stop The Party sounds immense, Pump It still cannot fail to raise a smile on your face (be it the track, or the furious booty shaking that accompanies it) and Where Is The Love? Is simply one of the finest pop songs of the last few years. The fact that an extended version is aired, whilst the band are lofted up high on rising platforms, while the collective crowd “put their hearts up” in the sky, only goes to prove the significance of this, the breakthrough track for The Black Eyed Peas from 2003.
That’s not to say that there are not a couple of low points to tonight’s show. Firstly there is the news that the band plan to take an extended hiatus before coming back, much like the long gap they took between recording Monkey Business and their genre changing The E.N.D record. Naturally, that is not met with the best of reactions from their diehard fans, but it is one that should have been expected. Will.I.Am is busy mentoring and managing Cheryl Cole, alongside numerous other projects, and teases a potential project with band mate Apl throughout the show, and Fergie will of course want to do another solo record.
Alongside that bit of bad news is some curious sound during Boom Boom Pow which nullified the threat of one of their biggest and best songs, and from a personally stand point, I was pretty cheesed to see the immense first drop to Don’t Phunk With My Heart removed, obviously for a PG audience.
That being said though, you cannot deny their ability, and their pure talent. Fergie has an astonishing vocal at times, and Will.I.Am effortlessly plays the ringleader, constantly oozing charisma in the process.
After the non-starter of Boom Boom Pow though, it is left to The Time (Dirty Bit) and I Gotta Feeling, two massive tracks, to close the night, and, it seems, close the chapter on the book of The Black Eyed Peas for now.
They will be back though, and it won’t take them long to reclaim their pop crown when they do.
In spite of all the farce that surrounded the attendance, it was well worth the trek out into the back of beyond, for a really enjoyable and hit packed set. It's certainly better than going on the bloody rides!!
Setlist - Rock That Body / Meet Me Halfway / Just Can't Get Enough / Will.I.Am Freestyle / Don't Phunk with My Heart / My Humps snippet / Shut Up / Don't Stop The Party / Imma Be / Joints & Jam / Big Girls Don't Cry / Will.I.Am DJ set / Pump It / Where Is The Love? / Boom Boom Pow / The Time (Dirty Bit) / I Gotta Feeling
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