MBV in Chicago from a few days ago

[alan_cohaul]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GEwjsIfU7lo

Amazing! The light show is insane, and I heard that it was crazy loud.....like an all out assault on the senses.

I was listening to "Loveless" again for the umpteenth time, and I think that "Blown A Wish" really makes that album in the second half. The chords that they use on the album are often pretty unique....it's not the usual chords that most bands do, it's like they purposely went for the most ringing, beautiful ones that they could go for.

[dselevan2]

I was thinking about going tonight, it didn't sell out, maybe tomorrow, drive to Santa Monica...It's about 30 minutes.

[TheWarmth]

I was at the Chicago gig. Sounded great to me, aside from the fact that the vocals were a little buried, but I suppose I expected that. For whatever reason, I didn't think they'd be so rock and roll.

[simonkeeping]

The gig at the Roundhouse in London was brutal. So loud you could feel it, the music surrounded you and was actually physically beating you in the head and chest. An amazing experience. If you put your fingers in your ears it was like a totally different gig. Vocals really clear and guitars alot less, how can I put this? Violent. I guess it was the same kind of sound with the earplugs. I wanted the pain though.

[dselevan2]

Believe it or not, Spiritualized used to be loud like that.

[Chris Barrus]

I was thinking about going tonight, it didn't sell out, maybe tomorrow, drive to Santa Monica...It's about 30 minutes.

Say hi if you end up going. I'll be there...

[dselevan2]

I ended up going-missed your note.
Wasn't as good as it was built up to be. My ears are ringing but I didn't need ear plugs.
The sound was kind of weird, I couldn't really hear the songs very well.
Spectrum were on the money, the new guitarist with the Jason Spaceman haircut did the solo on
when tomorrow hits perfectly. Best spectrum show I've seen.
Great salads after the show.
d

[Chris Barrus]

I ended up going-missed your note.
Wasn't as good as it was built up to be. My ears are ringing but I didn't need ear plugs.
The sound was kind of weird, I couldn't really hear the songs very well.
Spectrum were on the money, the new guitarist with the Jason Spaceman haircut did the solo on
when tomorrow hits perfectly. Best spectrum show I've seen.
Great salads after the show.
d

I've never seen MBV before, and this show was incredibly profound. I talked with a couple people who went to both the Wednesday and Thursday shows and everyone agreed that the sound on Thursday was significantly better.

In some respects this show (especially the combo of Spectrum & MBV together) is a resetting of the clock - both bands being the Year Zero for so many others that followed in their wake. However, I can't help but notice just how many bands who list MBV and Spacemen 3 in their MySpace profiles completely miss the point - as if all you need for shoegaze glory is 250kg of off-the-rack effects pedals, some designer amps, and enough time for a smoke break while everything feedsback. Sure, Shields has the most complex rig I've ever seen on stage anywhere, but it's completely purposeful and not overkill at all for what he's trying to accomplish. Say what you want about the irritations of autistic intensity, but when you finally get the payoff... Holy freaking goddamn shit.

"You Made Me Realize" is difficult for me to articulate in words... I've seen an Apollo Saturn V launch. I've seen the Swans. I've seen Survival Research Lab performances. I once got to see a SR-71 flyby on full afterburner - that gets pretty close to YMMR's total frequency response. Still, there's a lot more going on than just endless sheets of white noise. It's a structured event with ebbs and flows, an endless acceleration of Shepard Tones (check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_tone), and enough VLF to affect every whale and nuclear submarine on the planet. It's entirely possible that this was all auditory illusions going on in my head.

ATTENTION ANY OTHER BAND WHO'S THINKING OF REUNITING...
The bar has been set pretty goddamn high here. I can't think of any other band who's taken sixteen years off and have come back sounding as vital as the day they left. The Pixies weren't close. Pink Floyd tried after ten years, but they needed twelve people on stage and still missed it. I loved the Verve reunion, but a good part of that was seeing McCabe again. MBV sounds like a phenomenally great current band that's getting ready to work on their next album. I hope they do it.

[Chris Barrus]

After seeing Spectrum in a larger hall with a decent sound system I now appreciate how Sonic makes those minute changes on amps in the middle of the songs. I've always suspected that the most important effect pedal in Spacemen 3 are the volume and tone controls on the amp and it's great to be able to hear that.

Guess there's something to that Whizzer box that Neil Young uses.

[noOne]

i went to both the Chicago show and the Thursday Santa Monica show. (i've been in L.A. since Wednesday) and i can honestly say i liked the Chicago Show a bit more and it was much louder, though the vocals at The Santa Monica show stood out a whole lot more... which was a pleasant surprise. plus Spectrum were great.

my friend went both days and he said the Thursday show was a little better for MBV and that Spectrum played a hell of lot better on Thursday than they sounded on Wednesday. everyone i went with totally loved the show, which i'm very pleased about being that only 2 of us were really big fans. tickets for the Santa Monica show with all the fees were significantly more expensive than the show back home in Chicago, so i'm glad that none of my friends thought the show was a waste of time and money.

one more thing.
they did the holocaust for approximately 18 minutes in Santa Monica... 23 minutes in Chicago.

cheers!

[alan_cohaul]

I ended up going-missed your note.
Wasn't as good as it was built up to be. My ears are ringing but I didn't need ear plugs.
The sound was kind of weird, I couldn't really hear the songs very well.
Spectrum were on the money, the new guitarist with the Jason Spaceman haircut did the solo on
when tomorrow hits perfectly. Best spectrum show I've seen.
Great salads after the show.
d

I've never seen MBV before, and this show was incredibly profound. I talked with a couple people who went to both the Wednesday and Thursday shows and everyone agreed that the sound on Thursday was significantly better.

In some respects this show (especially the combo of Spectrum & MBV together) is a resetting of the clock - both bands being the Year Zero for so many others that followed in their wake. However, I can't help but notice just how many bands who list MBV and Spacemen 3 in their MySpace profiles completely miss the point - as if all you need for shoegaze glory is 250kg of off-the-rack effects pedals, some designer amps, and enough time for a smoke break while everything feedsback. Sure, Shields has the most complex rig I've ever seen on stage anywhere, but it's completely purposeful and not overkill at all for what he's trying to accomplish. Say what you want about the irritations of autistic intensity, but when you finally get the payoff... Holy freaking goddamn shit.

"You Made Me Realize" is difficult for me to articulate in words... I've seen an Apollo Saturn V launch. I've seen the Swans. I've seen Survival Research Lab performances. I once got to see a SR-71 flyby on full afterburner - that gets pretty close to YMMR's total frequency response. Still, there's a lot more going on than just endless sheets of white noise. It's a structured event with ebbs and flows, an endless acceleration of Shepard Tones (check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_tone), and enough VLF to affect every whale and nuclear submarine on the planet. It's entirely possible that this was all auditory illusions going on in my head.

ATTENTION ANY OTHER BAND WHO'S THINKING OF REUNITING...
The bar has been set pretty goddamn high here. I can't think of any other band who's taken sixteen years off and have come back sounding as vital as the day they left. The Pixies weren't close. Pink Floyd tried after ten years, but they needed twelve people on stage and still missed it. I loved the Verve reunion, but a good part of that was seeing McCabe again. MBV sounds like a phenomenally great current band that's getting ready to work on their next album. I hope they do it.

Great post!

[dselevan2]

No one puts things into context like Chris. He was a legend to me when I first got into Spiritualized/Spacemen 3. Thanks for posting!
All I can say is...
Dude, my ears are still ringing.
They put some weird hippy music on AFTER Spectrum's fantastic set, before which I used my ear plugs and too an Ambien.
Obviously I'm an idiot for not realizing how loud it was.
Everything sounds like TV Eye Rehearsal 1984 from How the Blues Should have turned out, that is the only music that helps my ears feel better.
What now? Advil? Ice? A shot of makers?
I do remember Spiritualized in 1995 made my ears ring for 3 days, so maybe it will go away tomorrow
Good month for music.

[shalloboi]

i recorded mbv in chicago if anyone wants to hear it. the sound at the aragon did leave something to be desired (i think the only reason it sounded good was because mbv has a top of the line sound system). it's a shame because they sounded really good- all of the songs were really energetic. i have it in flac and mp3 and wasn't planning on sharing it really unless anyone's interested in hearing it.

[dselevan2]

I'd like to hear it!
As soon as my ears stop ringing that is

[shalloboi]

flacs- http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JPXQA47T
mp3s (tagged)- http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BTPT23Y7

[dselevan2]

Thanks!
My hard disk is full so I'll take the mp3s.
I forgot how much we were dancing around to My Bloody Valentine last week until now, what fun!