I was absolutely thrilled to see Manic Street Preachers last night at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland. Having missed them in 2015 when they played D.C.'s 9:30 Club, I think this was the first real chance I had to see them without driving to another city. In 2009, they played a handful of dates but I didn't drive to Philadelphia for some reason. So, while they're busy promoting their amazing re-imagining of Know Your Enemy, out now, the Welsh trio seemed to be touring the U.S. almost for the hell of it this time around.
Alternating headlining duties on this tour, Suede went on first last night (November 18, 2022) in Silver Spring, Maryland. And while Suede were fantastic, they were promoting Autofiction. But, honestly if anyone said that those new songs were the highlights of their set, they'd be a liar. It was "The Drowners" and "Trash" that people were singing along with.
The Manics took the stage at 9:40 PM as planned and tore through a greatest hits set. While "You Stole the Sun from My Heart" and "From Despair to Where" were amazing, it was stuff like "International Blue", from 2018's Resistance is Futle, which took on a fiery new life last night. Free from the need to hype a current record, James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore, and Nicky Wire played with the sort of heart and easy sincerity that fans have long been accustomed to finding with this band in their best moments. While there was nothing from The Holy Bible except a half-hearted intro to "Faster" by James to appease shouts from the crowd, early tracks like "You Love Us" and "Motorcycle Emptiness" retained their anthemic force. And for long-time fans, it was absolutely thrilling to hear this stuff played live, and with such energy and enthusiasm.
(Special thanks to Patrick Jones)
[Photo: All pics and video by Glenn Griffith, 2022]
