‘We love coming to Manchester. Party f*****g people’

The Prodigy stopped in Manchester on Thursday evening as part of their 10-date arena tour

The Prodigy delivered an epic performance when they headlined Manchester’s Co-op Live and fans don’t have to wait too long until they return to the city.

Co-op Live, packed to the brim, had the feel of a festival headline stage on Thursday evening. Dance pioneers The Prodigy, formed in 1990, impressively swept through their greatest of hits at a big rave inside the arena.

Following support from Carl Cox, Maxim and Liam Howlett took to the stage with early airings of Omen and Voodoo People setting the tone. This Manchester gig marked their second night of a 10-date tour which opened earlier this week in Glasgow.

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Thursday’s festivities marked a wonderful form of kinetic chaos. Early on, Maxim addressed the rambunctious Co-op crowd with a call to ‘all my party people here tonight’. Unsurprisingly, this was met by rousing cheers from the thousands of people crammed into the Co-op Live.

Accompanying the beats came a series of impressive visuals, including touchingly creating a silhouette of the late, great Keith Flint, who we sadly lost in 2019, for Firestarter which will always be synonymously paired with the enigmatic much-loved performer.

There was a pulsating flow to the frivolities. A sea of lasers firing into the sky, joined by two giant phasers on-stage, as Maxim and Howlett took Manchester through their unmistakable hit tracks.

Lots of lads had their shirts off, and friends ascended on to shoulders, for No Good. Those able to, were also stood on their feet, in the two tiers above the stage, throughout the captivating proceedings.

Famously, Manchester loves dance music and the city was eager to express that fondness. Maxim declared: “All my party people in Manchester. Tonight is the f**king night.”

Later bellowing: “All my people in Manchester make some f**king noise!” Curiously, despite the scale, the Co-op show could be considered something of an intimate affair, in context, with The Prodigy set to return to Manchester later this year when they headline one of their four Warrior Dance shows with a night in Wythenshawe Park.

Although, it is fair to say, their Co-op event felt much more than a dress rehearsal. It having the sense, and atmosphere, of a bill-topping festival extravaganza.

Maxim, Howlett and their talented supporting crew ended proceedings with a five-song encore. Anthem Breathe beginning the bonus time with the euphoric Out of Space bringing the electronic gathering to a close.

Maxim screaming: “We love coming to Manchester. Party f**king people.” Thankfully, it is not all that long until one and all will be reunited in the city.

Setlist

• Omen
• Voodoo People
• Poison
• Climbatize/Everybody in the Place
• Light Up the Sky
• Claustrophobic Sting / Firestarter
• Roadblox
• The Day Is My Enemy
• No Good
• Invaders Must Die
• Thunder
• Get Your Fight On
• Their Law
• Smack My B***h Up

Encore

• Breathe
• Take Me to the Hospital
• Diesel Power
• We Live Forever
• Out of Space