MY BLOODY VALENTINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, this is a rant about music... not politics. Not even a rant. A recollection of the most amazing show I've ever been to.

The place was Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan. The act was My Bloody Valentine, playing their second U.S. gig in over 16 years. The long-dormant band had been long mythologized by the indie & mainstream rock press, and I honestly thought that the chances of a reunion were small for a while. Mastermind Kevin Shields did involve himself in music projects, namely working on the soundtracks to Sofia Coppola films Lost In Translation and Marie Antoinette, and a disc with Patti Smith, which brought some publicity to the reclusive Shields, and made us My Bloody Valentine fans rejoice to know that he was still alive, and messing with his tremolo pedals. Finally, this spring, it was announced that My Bloody Valentine would be going on tour. I maxed out my credit card to get tickets, so I can guarantee me and my girlfriend, fans of the band for the last 5 years, and who had been wishing they would reunite, could secure a place there in case the show sold out (which it did).

It was worth it.

The opening bands weren't that great, although the second band, Wounded Knees, did bring out J. Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. for a song, which was pretty good, considering due to financial problems, I had to miss out on a Dinosaur Jr. show at Toad's Place last week. Pretty much the opening bands were like third-rate, British Drop Nineteens, who, in turn, were Bostonian third-rate My Bloody Valentines (but they were good).

Then My Bloody Valentine took the stage around 10, and... wow. They opened with "I Only Said," and they were in top form, almost better sounding live, than on record. And LOUD!!!! Bilinda Butcher still looks gorgeous after all this time. Colm Ó Cíosóig's drumming was ferocious, and perfectly contrasted with the onslaught of guitar effects. Bassist Debbie Googe was very energetic. Kevin Shields stood like a statue, like some sort of sorcerer, and just intoxicated the sold-out crowd by his enigmatic presence, and his deafening, yet ethereal playing. The band just tore through their most notable songs ("Only Shallow," "When You Sleep," "Soon," "When You Wake (You're Still In A Dream)," etc.) It was like heaven. A complete aural orgasm. They hardly said a word to the audience, but they didn't have to. They just let the music speak to them, and the audience felt it. During the 15-minute feedback holocaust during "You Made Me Realise," many people (including myself), just held their hands in the air, as if it was some sort of seance or divine intervention. In many ways it was just that; many people's souls were enriched by My Bloody Valentine's music for the past 20+ years, with new converts who were born after 1991's Loveless, and somehow the band knew that those people needed them to come back and save them. I felt rejuvenated that night, and enthralled. All I want to do now is follow them for the rest of their tour, and after the show I was in such a state of bliss that I know for the fact that the comedown back to reality will be very dysphoric.

Thank God for Youtube! Here's some videos, so in case you missed it, you can kind of capture the magic for yourself.



"Soon"



By far, the most AMAZING thing ever


Sorry if this review sucks. But it's hard to find words for shows such as these.