My Bloody Valentine @ Roseland, NYC

September 25, 2008 by Patrick  Send to a Friend

ALL photos: Alyssa Lesser
see full set here

The first time I heard “Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside), ” I was 19 years old and just starting to explore the more interesting indie guitar groups. What struck me about My Bloody Valentine was how immediately accessible their songs were. Unlike Sonic Youth, I didn’t have to spend a few years digesting the work of avant-garde composers to get a full understanding of the music. As soon as I heard the beautiful sound of a Fender Jazzmaster being played with heavy tremolo and reverse delay, I was hooked.

Over the next few years, I tried to get a hold of as much of MBV’s work as possible. And as much as I enjoyed their full-length albums, I was mesmerized by their EPs. “Ecstasy”, “Glider”, and “You Made Me Realize”, all gave me a much better idea of the group’s progression over time. But the thing that struck me was how unbelievably aggressive they sounded. Even if you weren’t into guitars or effects pedals, you could still relate to the fact that they could play loud and hard.

After witnessing triumphant victory laps by Gang of Four and the Pixies, I felt as though it was only a matter of time before My Bloody Valentine reformed. And when tickets went on sale for two shows at New York’s Roseland Ballroom, I jumped on the opportunity to go home and finally see them live. Never mind the fact that I was pretty broke at the time.

Anticipation was riding high for the New York shows. The European performances had received almost unanimous praise from the music press. And my friend who’d seen them in Manchester couldn’t stop raving about the performance. So it wasn’t very surprising to see a line stretching down 52nd street at 5:55pm. (At the very front of the queue were a few acquaintances from University of Maryland who’d been there since 1pm). After grabbing a quick dinner with my brother, I quietly slipped into the front of the line and took up conversation with the singer of Ringo Deathstarr.

At 7pm, the doors were opened, but the rather brutish security guards thwarted any attempt at a rush. As I walked into the main ballroom, my jaw dropped. Neatly aligned on the stage was no less than $366,000 dollars worth of equipment. 12 guitar amplifiers (4 amps for Belinda Butcher, 2 bass cabinets for Debbie Googe and 6 amps for Kevin Shields). Lined up behind the amps were countless Fender Jazzmasters, Jaguars, and a few other oddities. Most interestingly, two large sheets of Plexiglas separated Debbie’s bass cab and Colm ‘Ciosoig’s drums from the powerful signals that would later be emitted from bandmates’ guitar amps. It was a rather stunning sight to see.

But before the main event, we had to sit through two of the most nondescript opening bands of all time. Le Volume Courbe, suffered from a rather horrendous house mix and effectively served as background music to a schmoozefest;I chatted with two close friends from high school, and ran into several people who’d moved from DC. The Wounded Knees had but one saving grace, and that was J. Mascis joining them for a lengthy Celtic-influenced guitar jam at the very end of their set. But the Dinsoaur Jr frontman’s arrival was rather anti-climactic, as he was pacing around the stage earlier in the evening. While I give kudos to both bands for their efforts, I highly doubt that either group will ever play to a crowd that large ever again.

Around 10pm the band walked onto the stage and launched into “I Only Said.” Surprisingly, My Bloody Valentine were very solid performers. Watching Kevin Shields play his Jazzmasters and Jaguars is much like watching a master painter at work; you can’t help but watch in awe. Belinda’s soft voice and preference for sparkly Fender Mustangs and Jaguars reminded us why she’s every indie boy’s wet dream. And Debbie and Colm’s frantic and aggressive style showcased the band’s oft-overlooked punk tendencies.
The set was heavy on material from “Isn’t Anything”, “Loveless” and the “You Made Me Realize” EP. Much to my chagrin, there was nothing from “Glider” or “Tremolo.” But watching the band painstakingly re-create the sounds of their masterpieces was a captivating sight. And while the band was incredibly loud, the sound was still dynamic, thanks the use of signal splitting and graphic equalizers. In a brief New York Times interview that ran on Tuesday morning, Shields noted that the band could finally afford to recreate the sounds accurately. Therefore, having 12 amplifiers on stage was not a sign of self-indulgence, but one of great care.

At 11:09 PM, the moment we were all waiting for finally arrived; the massive wall of noise in the middle of “You Made Me Realize.” On the original EP, this blast of feedback lasts almost a minute. On Monday night, it lasted about 15. To describe the sound accurately, it was heavily distorted bass and guitar going through delay, embellished with washes of cymbals. In layman’s terms, it was like standing in front of a jet engine preparing for takeoff. I’m not sure why any of us willfully subjected ourselves to such harm, but it was certainly an adrenaline rush. I had a tremendous lump in my throat at one point and felt somewhat disoriented. A handful of people gave up and walked out, but most of us stayed put. Comically, the PA system peaked twice, somewhat diminishing the experience, but the average listener probably didn’t notice the slight dip in volume. At 11:24 PM, the band launched back into the last portion of the song and walked off-stage. There was no encore.

In some ways, seeing My Bloody Valentine on Monday night may’ve better than seeing them in the early 90s. They had the money and the equipment to make their songs work live, the shows were sold out and their legacy is firmly in place. But earlier that afternoon, I spoke to a guy who’d seen them back in 1991 at City Gardens in Trenton, NJ. I couldn’t help but wonder if he thought his experience was more authentic because he caught them before the legend took over. And it made me think. What if some band I used to love (sigh, Q and not U) gets back together in 16 years? What will I say to all the hip 20 somethings who are anxiously waiting to see the reunion shows?

Will I even care?

(Set list courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan)

1. I Only Said
2. When You Sleep
3. You Never Should
4. When You Wake
5. Cigarette In Your Bed
6. Only Shallow
7. Thorn
8. Nothing Much To Lose
9. To Here Knows When
10. Slow
11. Soon
12. Feed Me With Your Kiss
13. You Made Me Realize

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