Venting or Analysis
My Bloody Valentine. Had it really been 16 years since I saw them last at the Palace in LA? At least I think it was the Palace; honestly I don't really remember where the show was (I'm pretty sure it was the Palace), but the show was transcendent.
So I, like many, decided to go see My Bloody Valentine at the Concourse yesterday. I have a rule about reunion shows, but it was My Bloody Valentine and my rules are always subject to the Gemini truth. I initially thought about seeing them in Glasgow, despite the fact that the U.S. Dollar is worthless, but the work schedule was not certainly not working at all for that, so I was relieved that they were playing San Francisco; at least until I found out which venue.
I have been to the Concourse for Deco events. From a strictly logistical standpoint, this show was an absolute disaster as far as how to execute an event. Many people have opined about this and, frankly, I am not going to rehash that. Essentially, it was an MBV show as I have seen three times previously. It was two people playing guitar, standing at opposite ends of the stage, occasionally singing in muted vocals; a drummer you only notice if you are paying attention and a lesbian playing bass in a style that is condusive to playing live rather than in a studio for recording purposes. Did I mention it was loud, because it will be, since I have seen a lot of shows and unequivocally the loudest are usually "shoegazer" bands. The loudest band I have ever seen play is MBV.
So, the sound mix was awful. It was also pretty much the same show I saw in 1992 almost to the playlist (okay, they changed the order). At the same time, I actually got to hear a song that should be played in an airplane hangar that actually got played in a venue that really is, for all practical purposes, an airplane hangar, especially when it is being played at a decibel level higher than that of a jet engine. Honestly, it was the only thing was went right and was appropriate about this particular event.
The actual review should just say the following:
I got to see MBV again. Woo hoo! The promoters/event planners should be tortured and thereafter summarily executed. Woo hoo! I was assaulted with sound and I felt it. That was my only expectation. In more ways than I wanted, I was absolutely correct in my expectations.
So I, like many, decided to go see My Bloody Valentine at the Concourse yesterday. I have a rule about reunion shows, but it was My Bloody Valentine and my rules are always subject to the Gemini truth. I initially thought about seeing them in Glasgow, despite the fact that the U.S. Dollar is worthless, but the work schedule was not certainly not working at all for that, so I was relieved that they were playing San Francisco; at least until I found out which venue.
I have been to the Concourse for Deco events. From a strictly logistical standpoint, this show was an absolute disaster as far as how to execute an event. Many people have opined about this and, frankly, I am not going to rehash that. Essentially, it was an MBV show as I have seen three times previously. It was two people playing guitar, standing at opposite ends of the stage, occasionally singing in muted vocals; a drummer you only notice if you are paying attention and a lesbian playing bass in a style that is condusive to playing live rather than in a studio for recording purposes. Did I mention it was loud, because it will be, since I have seen a lot of shows and unequivocally the loudest are usually "shoegazer" bands. The loudest band I have ever seen play is MBV.
So, the sound mix was awful. It was also pretty much the same show I saw in 1992 almost to the playlist (okay, they changed the order). At the same time, I actually got to hear a song that should be played in an airplane hangar that actually got played in a venue that really is, for all practical purposes, an airplane hangar, especially when it is being played at a decibel level higher than that of a jet engine. Honestly, it was the only thing was went right and was appropriate about this particular event.
The actual review should just say the following:
I got to see MBV again. Woo hoo! The promoters/event planners should be tortured and thereafter summarily executed. Woo hoo! I was assaulted with sound and I felt it. That was my only expectation. In more ways than I wanted, I was absolutely correct in my expectations.