There aren’t many things in this life that not only live up to the hype, but exceed it. Even if you carefully manage your expectations, you are bound to be disappointed on some level. (Unless you’re a permanent cynic, in which case you don’t truly enjoy anything, except the occasional schadenfreude.) So I was prepared to leave the Palladium last night happy enough to finally check the box next to “My Bloody Valentine” but not much more than that — “Ah, that was great,” and then forget about it by the time my head cleared.
I was mistaken. If you think people make too much about the MBV live experience you 1) weren’t there and 2) probably don’t care much for them anyway. Because that, last night, was transcendent, a fusion of a melody and malady that was about the closest thing to climbing inside a song I’ve ever felt. And you definitely felt it: my clothes were shaking, my hair was vibrating, and, by the end, my legs felt like I’d been standing on this for about an hour. As for the set-closing noise symphony I mentioned previously, after the jump a few descriptions of same from FB Nation.
pulverizingly hypnotic
like large waves crashing over you, but without all the water and salt and sand and coconut-scented lotion
inside a jet engine (overused, but probably the most accurate)
And:
I would describe the end of the show as a mind searing assault, exercised with icy precision. I felt at times giddy and at times nauseous. The vertical lines on the screen, mixed with the noise and blinding blasts of light made me feel as if the stage had started to rise, or the floor had started to drop. I remember thinking that if I were a hit man and my target was at the show, I could easily shoot him and leave without anyone noticing.
I’m glad I put the ear plugs in.
And:
My impression. I went to take a leak about 5 minutes into the finale and the cinder block walls were what I can only describe as buzzing. This might be the final state before they melt. The curtains against the back wall were shaking and felt like they had an electrical current running through them. I couldn’t believe most of the crowd stayed through the whole thing. Hell, I can’t believe I did. I told myself going in I’d get the idea after about 5 minutes and then move on but I felt compelled to stay.
And finally:
like standing inside of a jet engine during takeoff.
and absolutely [redacted] amazing.
