My Bloody Valentine - Live at Roseland - Monday the 22nd of September, 2008
-
Artist:
-
Album:
-
Track:
So much has already been written about the after-16-year reunion of this, the greatest shoegazer band of all time. What is then that I could possibly add?
Well, one thing (and its really the only thing in my book) - I can add are my own unique impressions and experience on it all.
Anyone familiar with this current tour knows the deal by now. Band makes never-matched, unparalleled album "Loveless" in 1991. Band eventually dissolves under a cloud of label bankruptcy (and claims of another type of smokeable "cloud"). Band goes on "hiatus" for - oh, I dunno - say 17 years or so.
But that's all history. They're back together now. They've just dazzled audiences in upstate New York, New York City (two unbelievalbe, amazing shows) and now I see Canada too. They move on to the midwest and then the left coast.
As for the show I attended - their first show back in NYC (in those aforementioned 16-17 years) - it was everything I could hope it to be.
It was all there. The pitch bends; the guitar distortions - all folding into each other and cresting in warm, diaphanous layers. Dense drones and formidable crescendos. Vocalists Kevin Shields and Belinda Butcher melding their voices into each other with twisted murmers and hissing spaces. It was all perfectly executed. Dreamy, heartbreaking hooks that are warped and melded into a white-noise wall of sound, and overdriven amplifiers to the max.
I was just a bit surprised to see that the dreamy Belinda Butcher had cut her long hair short - but getting past that initial shock, I couldn't help but notice how well she had held up over the years. In fact, she is just as hot as ever - if by "hot" - it is someone (on appearance and stage presence) is so outwardly shy and reticent - which of course makes her perfect for this band.
Here is the opening song of the night:
"I Only Said"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-jUmO484-0
Kevin Shields was, naturally, his brilliant self. It has been reported that the band spent approximately two hundred thousand British Pounds (roughly $366,000 US dollars) on equipment for the tour. It showed, as the view on the stage showed a force of 15 precariously stacked amplifiers and shiny new guitars on stands. Kevin was also quoted as saying he has hundreds of effects pedals, but only used 30 onstage.
The second song of the night:
"When You Sleep".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBlE5SUcn1c
Belinda took frequent water breaks between songs.
Third song played:
"You Never Should"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=novR1v_Uq3g
Bassist Debbie Googe and Drummer Colm O'Ciosoig were a ferocious, thundering rhythm section. I was most impressed with the way Debbie would just physically punish her bass - pounding it with her fist - while Colm (who has to have the coolest name in rock) was a complete tasmanian devil on the kit. These two never let you forget that despite all the ethereal-to-distortion stuff going on out front - that this is in fact very much a rock band.
Fourth song:
"When You Wake (You're Still In A Dream)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6guKD8wV0Y
Fifth song:
"Cigarette In Your Bed"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzHl9XAN-lY
The light show that accompanied each and every song was at times completely blinding. Flashing red strobes that just pummelled your senses during the dramatic and forceful moments of the song - which would alternate with a dark and quiet backdrop during the moments Belinda or Kevin would sing verses.
Sixth song:
"Come In Alone"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLV7rnsiH94
Belinda and Kevin changed their guitars on nearly every song. Belinda worked a red, blue and sparkly white hollow-body mustang throughout the night. It was without a doubt one of the most heavenly, mind-bending concerts I've experienced in quite some time. What amazed me was how effortless it all appeared to the two guitarists, and yet the sheer force and wave of sound they produced was stunning.
The seventh song: "Only Shallow" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0gkNecGST4 At this point I was openly singing out what I always thought were the words to this song - but mostly was just making sounds and trying to mimic whatever Belinda was doing. You could do that and no one around would even notice. Or hear you. The all enveloping sound completely crushing whatever was coming out of your own voicebox.
The eighth song: "Thorn" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4mlFNd_H4Y
A lot has already been written about how loud the band was as well - and although I don't own earplugs - I do make sure to have tissues with me to just dampen the decibels just enough so that no permanent hearing loss is sustained. Just the week before I was at an A Place To Bury Strangers show (who held the title of "loudest band in NY") and I was adequately muffled for that. I didn't think My Bloody Valentine were any louder than that show - and based on my physical position in the audience (pretty much center and about 5-7 standing rows back) thought the overall volume was what it should be.
Getting this set list took some work.
The rest of the show:
Ninth song: "Nothing Much To Lose" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuybZ9YhVD4
Tenth song: "To Here Knows When" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AviVKh7HjRQ (what Brian Eno called the vaguest pop song he ever heard)
Eleventh song: "Slow" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFtLVRPI_S0
(My fave song off of the You Made Me Realise sessions - it slithers like a snake. Lyrically, their most sexually suggestive song?)
Twelveth song: "Soon" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTedEKFU1bQ
For me - the highlight of the night. Already one of my all-time fave songs of theirs - ever since I bought the 4 song "Glider" EP when it came out in the early 90's. And it has been in semi-regular rotation on my evolving-with-the-times listening devices. The place went crazy on this one. Everyone was just dancing and hopping up and down. I was singing along with every muffled almost-lyric. This one really gets to me. I imagined that Belinda saw me singing along with her - and she gave me a secret, knowing smile. It was that blissful concert moment you hope will happen. When your whole body chills and vibrates. It is the pure essense of why I love this kind of music.
Thirteenth song: "Feed Me With Your Kiss"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZJMgiiAO_0
One of those truly classic boy-girl vocal tradeoff songs. What makes this is Debbie's violent bass pounding and Colm's equally downbeat punctuating drumming.
Fourteenth song:
"You Made Me Realise"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-Kg6fEEiFw
Here just the "song" part - a mere minute-and-a-half before the "sonic holocaust". Having gotten ahold of a copy of the bands debut show in London this past June 13th - I knew what was coming. What to expect. It was poinless for me to try and record it, and frankly I wasn't sure if I would be able to stay through the whole thing. Plus, I knew others would probably capture it better. Go out and find it on the internet if you truly must hear it. But hearing a recorded version of it bears little resemblance to actually experiencing it. Yes, I stayed through the whole thing. On this night it was actually cut short a bit (due to a soundsystem that was clearly straining under the sonic weight of it all). But, for the 14 minutes it went on - I felt its waves bathe all over me. Of course I had my earplugs reinforced by this point. You physically felt this sound. It drove you backwards and wraped itself all around you. I expected people to leave (and hoped they would so I could move up closer) - but no one did. At least no one in front of me did (much to my disappointment). Instead, everyone put their hands up in the air. Yes, we were all "feeling" the soundwaves with our hands. During the 14 minute onslaught, I looked around at people. I looked up in the balcony and saw famous "celebrities" there. Local NY rock icons. I studied their faces. Wanted to see how they were reacting to it. As I looked back periodically - some were gone. They moved away. Couldn't take it I suppose. Others moved into their position. It was truly a "mind blowing" experience, and all I could ever have hoped for.
Back on earth, the merch stalls were doing a brisk business.
Supporting the band on this night was Kevin Shield's brothers band
- The Wounded Knees.
Jimi Shields played an acoustic guitar, run through so many effects it no longer sounded "acoustic".
Apparently they are friends with legendary Dinosaur Jr frontman
J Mascis
J Played with them!
Listen to the master riff with them here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAuit4nfnko
There was one other band on the bill - a french outfit named
Le Volume Courbe
They were pleasant and inoffensive.
My Bloody Valentine fullfilled all of my hopes and expectations, in this, one of the truly great concert experiences of the last decade.
Comments (28)
Hey Dave..
Been watching the vids you been uploading on YouTube. I knew this review was coming. Amazing after 17 years how well they stood the test of time. Very cool stuff here. I am always impressed after reading your reviews because you always have very different and interesting things to say about each band. Thanks for sharing!
That is a seriously detailed review. Man, what a concert experience! If they ever come around here, I'm sure to take some earplugs. Sounds fantastic!
Kori - yeah, I know you were aware of my "YouTube build" ;-) Thanks for recognizing my unique perspective on things.
contra - where exactly is "around here"? Oh, and without a doubt, earplugs are a must.
Here is a fantastic article on the details of how they make their sound. Too bad Robin Danar isn't around, as a professional sound guy like him would surely appreciate this:
http://www.audioprointernational.com/features/53/Lose-yourself-in-sound
I'm only feeling waves of envy and jealousy washing over me. Oh, to have seen them live! and that is an excellent set, some great B-sides right along with the "hits".
Now if they can just manage to not go away for another 17 years, I might get a shot at seeing them.
Thanks for the review! :)
Thanks Dale! I knew a "shoegaze affianado" such as yourself would dig it.
Just go find "the holocaust" on YouTube (there are bits of it out there) and let those waves wash all over you.
i'm not surprised you were able to walk away with the set list from this show! wow!!
Ha! It figures you would catch that, bf.
I have to say there's a whole story there as well!
Good job grabbing the setlist! Only one I ever scored was from a David Byrne show..nice having a tiny little slice of history :-)
I actually wanted a piece of that jet plane engine Kevin was pushing out the speakers . . .
a story deserving of its own post, DC?
Nah, it fits here nicely.
Its just that there was this big gap between the stage and where the fans were allowed. They actually had this 5 foot high metal cage apparatus between. So, inside of there is where photographers and anyone else with a pass could move about. When the road crew came out on stage to start packing up - a group of us where trying to get their attention to give us the set lists. You can't tell by the picture I posted there, but it was a huge piece of paper. Biggest one I've seen yet.
So after a number of us shouted at teh road crew to get their attention (to no avail, they couldn't hear us - I guess *their* ears were blown out too from the "holocaust" - or maybe they still had their ear plugs in) - I got the attention of one of guys with a pass who happed to amble on by right in front of us. He then got the attention of the road crew - who were kind enough to lift Kevin's set list off the floor and flip it to us. When I tell you it looked like a pack of dogs scrambling after a bone - I am not exaggerating!
so you were the hungriest dog of the pack! bravo!
what a review! FABulous! thx...
You know what they say, bf - every dog has its day ;-)
TY, mollifire!
Excellent, detailed review(an obsessive-compusive fan's dream post, lol). Seeing them tonight in San Francisco! Been looking forward to this forever. I actually didn't get into the band until '92 after reading a bunch of musician's top ten albums of '91 in a music mag & saw 'Loveless' listed by several of my fave artists, one of which was Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. Once I got the album, it took me awhile to get into it, the sound was so different from the other shoegazer bands I was into at the time like Lush, Catherine Wheel, Curve & Chapterhouse. But once I 'got' it I was hooked!
Excellent, detailed review!! Wish I could have gone....
Augusts1 - I definitely want to hear your thoughts on the show you attend. Yeah, I dug Curve, Chapterhouse, Catherine Wheel and Slowdive too - but for me it all started with MBV.
jaggerandrea - thanks for the kind words!
wow - dug the pics too - the lighting hitting the camera, the grain coming out, dovetailed perfectly with the words here - i could feel the heat in the room, the low end moving through my body, and the sheer humidity coming off the swaying crowd. Thanks for another awesome post from the front.
Cheers!
Van
Dude - that's downright poetic, van.
It's actually all the dry ice smoke coming off the stage that effects those photos like that. Usually I hate what it does to my pics, but you're right - for this music - its perfect.
OK to concentrate on the writing, I love the first part: The pitch bends; the guitar distortions - all folding into each other and cresting in warm, diaphanous layers. Dense drones and formidable crescendos.
dunno what ethereal-to-distortions means (altho ethereal is one of my favorite words) but asides from that I dig it.
Oh, pixie - you flatter me ;-)
I must have had My Bloody Valentine mixed up with some other band. I'm not sure who, but I thought this was a screamo band and that's what I was expecting to hear. I am not familiar with this band at all other than the name. I wish I knew who I was thinking about... crap.
"sonic holocaust" -- yeah that what it felt like on the second night to. good way of putting it, too bad not yours. i gotta say your review of the show was WAY better than what I put up, although i didnt think that the vocals on either shields or the chick were turned up enough...so that $300,000 wasn't spent that well. ;) but overall i was really happy with the show, as it seems you were.
the pixs also remind me of impressionist shots....like their photographic takes on seurat and monet's painting styles.
sorry for the misspellings...wrote that quick.
Doomsy - you must be thinking of Bullet for my Valetine ;-)
Hey Chuck R - thanks for the commentary. If you read that "techie" article I linked here - you will see the soundman has to jump through hoops to get Kevin and Bilinda's vocals up high enough in the mix.
Thanks for the "impressionist paintings" commentary on my pics. That would be (as Brian Eno called it) a "happy accident".
Yeah... that's the ticket.
Such an awesome post Dave. I mean really, one could easily lose an hour listening & watching. MBV is another band that seems to be an acquired taste, But its awfully addictive.
And yo, the comments are informative, witty & sharp.
The MOG rules!
This band represents a hole in my musical education. I never really knew much about them. The vids sound OK, but they are so distorted I can't say that I like it.