MBV - roll call for Richmond show, Thurs. 7/30

[Mobius]

Ahhhhh, that was so great!

Got to Richmond later than I hoped and after a burger and a couple of Macallan's 12 at Gibson's I got into the National at 7:45, got a legend beer and found a good spot midway back of the floor, center, and waited and waited. . . I almost never do that, but it was a solid real estate investment . . . the opener was fine background music as I relived in my head the different times i listened to MBV over the years, tried to remember where I bought Loveless, Isn't Anythiing, the Glider ep, that other ep, how much I paid etc., etc., etc., until finally it started

I took my earplugs out early in the first song and didn't put them back in until the Realise noisefest. .  . didn't seem dangeroulsy loud to me and the only really jarring thing were those intermittant bass earthquakes shaking the foundation of the songs, the venue and your body . . . and the clarity of the drums and trying to hear all the nuances of the mix were too much to miss given the apparent lack of danger

One thing that often gets overlooked w/ MBV is how f*cking great Colm O'Coisig is on drums . . .clean nuclear fills driving many songs . . . driving the waves of sound, or is it riding the waves of sound . . . or more subtley providing structure

Certainly Kevin was inaudible at times, but mostly he and Bilinda could be heard . . . and anyway, the vocals floating in and out is to be expected/hoped for

When the band locked in, and Bilinda coooed over the mix, or traded vocals with Kevin . . . time disappeared and it was the greatest

The Realise 'holocaust' was cool, but had been so built up in my mind prior that the shock and awe element was diminished . . . but it was interesting just getting lost in it and trying to discern the texture of it and it struck me how particularly clear and powerful the song sounded when they dropped back into the regular verse.

[azaghal1981]

Longshot I know but what was the song they played over the PA before the Pentagram song between sets? The melody has been stuck in my head for three days but I can't place it. It was sort of an upbeat psychedelic pop song.

[Christine Moritz]

I am finally catching up with forum stuff after being offline for most of Friday-Saturday-Sunday...

I didn't meet any boardies however I did run into Christine but I didn't introduce myself.  Christine you asked me while I was in line if this was the line for will call tickets.  Didn't realize it was you at first but then saw the shirt and thought thats her.  I wanted to ask you about the ones and the twos   

Too bad you didn't introduce yourself!

I really enjoyed the show.  Will post more detailed thoughts later...

[Christine Moritz]

My thoughts on the show:

I really enjoyed it.  My memory of the MBV show I attended in spring 1992 is somewhat hazy after 17.5 years, but I was really blown away by that show and was worried a bit that this one might suffer in comparison.

Like Slappy and Mobius, I was impressed with the rhythm section of Debbie and Colm (especially Colm).  They really seemed to be the core of the live show -- full of energy, very kinetic, interesting to watch.

I regret to say that I thought Bilinda Butcher was almost completely lacking in stage presence -- I love her voice, but she didn't seem to manifest any energy or emotion either while singing or playing guitar.  (I'm not sure if this was also the case during the 1992 show or if maybe I was too far away to tell either way.)  Kevin Shields, on the other hand, did seem to be into what he was doing.  So that was good.

I didn't think the sound in the venue was perfect, but I was so far up in the front (the second or third "row" of people) that it might have sounded different to me than to someone further back, more within the range of one or both banks of speakers.  Bilinda's vocals were audible, but Kevin's were so low that someone near me kept yelling "Turn on your mic!"  I got the impression that the balance in the monitors onstage was different than the balance in the house sound.

I also thought that the bass was excessive, but that might've been what MBV was aiming for.

I loved the show overall, and I knew what was coming with the "holocaust" section of "You Made Me Realise"... but it did seem unnecessary and self-indulgent, especially given how short the show was.  They could've used that time to play 2-3 other songs!  I didn't find it "loud" per se (I was wearing earplugs the whole time), but the force of that sheer wall of sound made me feel somehow constricted in the throat, like I was going to choke or something.  I was just waiting for it to be over.

Debbie and Colm are a tight rhythm section that make them shine live.

One thing that often gets overlooked w/ MBV is how f*cking great Colm O'Coisig is on drums . . .clean nuclear fills driving many songs . . . driving the waves of sound, or is it riding the waves of sound . . . or more subtley providing structure

Certainly Kevin was inaudible at times, but mostly he and Bilinda could be heard . . . and anyway, the vocals floating in and out is to be expected/hoped for

When the band locked in, and Bilinda coooed over the mix, or traded vocals with Kevin . . . time disappeared and it was the greatest

I'm sure I'll get beat up for this, but I actually thought the sound was pretty so-so, or worse. Having never seen MBV live, I was basically hoping for something better than a wall of sound. The bass was way too powerful in the mix, when she was complaining about it on stage, i was complaining about it on the floor. I really didn't expect to hear any vocals, but I found it hilarious that they still kept trying to sing. And the "holocaust" section during Realize to me was simply self-indulgent and unnecessary.

[Vas Deferens]

Debbie is a joy to watch! 

[betao]

Debbie was a total badass. Hell, they all were.

The show itself was amazing. Loud and everything - I thought the sound was fine, but then again, I'm not a sound wiz or anything. But I thought the sound, especially during the holocaust, was cool. And, speaking of the holocaust, holy poo on a stick. That was the most intense noise I've ever experienced (sorry aphex twin, you're coachella set is now 2nd).

My only complaint is that Kevin's vocals weren't loud enough. Yes yes yes, I know - the vocals aren't really the highlight of shoegaze. On Loveless, you really can't tell what Kevin or Bilinda are saying. But you can still hear them, and that is what I wanted to experience. I don't want to hear what they're saying, but I do want to hear their voices, even if the words are practically indecipherable. I think that's what makes it real shoegaze - you can hear the vocals but can't understand them. Hopefully that makes some sense.

Btw, I talked to the sound engineer after the show. He said they hit 130 decibels during Realise.

And from where I was, as soon as they turned on the lights after YMMR, you could see chips of paint falling from the ceiling.

Amazing.

[walkonby]

Btw, I talked to the sound engineer after the show. He said they hit 130 decibels during Realise.

And from where I was, as soon as they turned on the lights after YMMR, you could see chips of paint falling from the ceiling.

Amazing.

try telling yourself that five to ten years from now when "what . . . what?" becomes a common phrase.

[betao]

well I was prepared for this with earplugs, so my ears felt totally fine afterward. I didn't have the courage to take them out.

[Darth Ed]

I thought the show was awesome, one of those "dreams come true" concerts. I've been wanting to see MBV perform for 7-8 years now, and it didn't disappoint. Anyway, it was definitely worth the ~3 hour drive back and forth.

I listened to the whole concert with earplugs (my own, not the ones they gave out), and I experienced no hearing problems after the show. I didn't think it was too loud at all. I've been to some painfully loud shows over the years, and this wasn't one of them. Maybe it was because the loudness was mostly low frequency instead of high frequency.

I wouldn't say the sound was perfect by any means, however. It was a bit muddy from where I was (middle right, about a third of the way back from the stage). I would have liked more vocals in the mix, but it's MBV so that's just not to be expected.

"Realise" was amazing. It felt like I was taking a shower, only instead of water hitting me, it was sound and light. The air was electrified and the whole experience was intense. The air wrapped around me like a blanket and massaged me. I felt connected to everyone else in the audience. It was completely unlike anything I've ever experienced before. Just wow.

After the show, I saw Christine talking to some guy. I tried to say hi, but I was too shy to interrupt their conversation.

The drive home kind of sucked. Ran into road construction on 95 around exit 161 that delayed me about a half hour. I should've taken 301 home instead. I took 301 south to get to Richmond, and it was easy driving, though a few too many traffic lights in the more populated areas.

[walkonby]

man, either christine is a painfully beautiful slice of woman heaven . . . or there are sure a lot of shy guys on here.   

[Darth Ed]

Both, I'd say. But mostly I just don't like to interrupt people.

[teepo]

they were much softer in richmond than at kutchers. never thought i'd say this, but i am ever so thankful for city decibel limits. they sounded perfect imo.

[azaghal1981]

Roseland was definitely louder than Richmond, too.

[Christine Moritz]

After the show, I saw Christine talking to some guy. I tried to say hi, but I was too shy to interrupt their conversation.

Ahh... that was a friend of mine from Chapel Hill.  I didn't know he was going to the show, but he'd seen me mention it on Facebook and texted me when he was there, so we met up briefly afterward.

[Christine Moritz]

man, either christine is a painfully beautiful slice of woman heaven . . . or there are sure a lot of shy guys on here.   

Both, I'd say.

These posts have made my day.