Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Slowdive Played Terminal 5 with Low, 10/25/14. Check out Allyson Dwyer's Review at SIMGE.

My view of Slowdive for most of their show at Terminal 5

Oh, Terminal 5

It's kind of a thing to bash the suckitude that is seeing a show at Terminal 5. I've had some not horrible experiences there in the past: The New Pornographers, OFF! / Fucked Up / Dinosaur Jr. (playing Bug), and Real Estate / Girls.  I even watched the New Pornos from the floor. I saw both of the latter two from the railing along the balcony; and, while I got really claustrophobic and feared for my life on the way out, I didn't have that many complaints.

I've also had some horrendous experiences there: The Shins / St. Lucia and The Walkmen / Dum Dum Girls / Daughter. Both of those involved obstructed views (by both the pillars that dot the space and the pillar-sized humans that seemed to find me at every turn), loud talkers, and people just not really interested in what was happening onstage. My experience seeing Slowdive / Low on Saturday night definitely fell into the horrendous camp.

I really like Slowdive; but, like all of the shoegaze bands that are not My Bloody Valentine, they're kind of not My Bloody Valentine for me. One thing in Terminal 5's favor on Saturday, though, was that Slowdive sounded absolutely great (Well, that and the absolutely immaculate bathrooms). I tried a couple of times to do that close my eyes and let the music wash over me thing, but my level of discomfort just made it impossible. I'm not quite sure how I would have felt if I were as much of a fan of Slowdive as I am of My Bloody Valentine.

Well you can get a fantastic perspective on that from Speak Into My Good Eye's Allyson Dwyer, a true Slowdive fanatic who attended the show with me:

In Terminal 5, surrounded by 3,000 people, a concert never felt less communal, less real, than this one. My view of the band began more towards the front of the crowd, Rachel Goswell’s voice an actual presence calling out above me. I battled to even hear her as people talked to each other, a couple making out took over my space, and people fidgeted to spots as others left. I struggled to see anything above my head as attendees raised a wall of phones high in the air.

Take a look at the rest of her review to understand why going to Terminal 5 may just be the worst way to see your favorite band and why she (and I) will, most likely, never go back there. Asbury you've spoiled us.

2 comments :

  1. Oy. Terminal 5 is a terrible venue for live music. Something about the cavernous space, including the height of the ceiling (it's gotta be 100 feet?) makes you feel so far removed from the energy of the performers, no matter how close to the stage you can manage to get. I'm kinda dreading seeing Interpol there next month... love the band, hate the venue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't even try for Interpol (or Sleater-Kinney) tix. Maybe I'll try Stubhub for Philly.

      Delete