My Bloody Valentine Richmond, V.A. July 30th 2009

My friend Matthew and I decide to drive to Richmond, V.A., which is about 10.5 hrs. hrs. away from Gainesville at about 3a.m. Wednesday night. The show was on Thursday night and we didn't want to be late, so we jumped in his car and hit the road. 

Matthew drove first drinking a giant Red Bull to stay awake and I drove second with a Starbucks Doubleshot to keep me awake. He made it 2 hrs. and so did I, leaving us in South Carolina somewhere off 95. 

We slept from about 7 until 10:45, with checkout at 11. To get rid of some boredom, we smoked a little in the car and listened to the new Lee Fields record. My World has never sounded so good.

We arrived in Richmond around 7 with plenty of time to kill.  We grab a few a beers and check the crowd out. It's a mixed crowd of older people, goths, hippies, and hipsters. I guess we're somewhere in between. Close in the back we find a spot that we both agree is safe for our hearing and viewing pleasure. As we go to smoke outside, we ask this geeky indie/hippie kid to watch our spot. DUMB MOVE! When we returned that little fucker wouldn't give our spot back. We could have beat the shit out of that kid, but we're too nice for that. 

As soon as the band starts I have my earplugs in waiting for shuttering noise to burst my head open. I slowly take my shitty cheap earplugs out to test the volume. It's fine. I put the earplugs back in just in case of a sudden burst of noise erupts and I burst something. 

The whole set was quiet amazing with pink and blur lights with a giant screen in the back projecting exactly what you would think MBV would project (check the photos up top for more details). It wasn't until "You Made Me Realise" that the swirling Hurricane Katrina of sound would come and send people to the exit. For 15 straight minutes all I heard was the loudest screeching, I've ever experienced. It was as if I was falling from the highest part of the atmosphere and I could see and feel all the amazing sensations with flashes of white, blue, pink and green without dying or catching on fire. I did feel I might throw up at a point but that's it. Just at the breaking point where I was questioning whether this would ever end, the song snapped back into place and their set was over. No encore, no bows. Go the fuck home. How would you encore that?

After that we drove to DC in an hour and a half with very little words and no music. My body was still filling the effects of the music and so was my brian. I just wanted silence. 

Setlist:

I Only Said 
When You Sleep
You Never Should 
(When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream 
Cigarette In Your Bed 
Come In Alone 
Only Shallow 
Thorn 
Nothing Much To Lose 
To Here Knows When 
Slow 
Soon 
Feed Me With Your Kiss 
You Made Me Realise

S

At about 45 sec. is when the madness starts and my brain starts to shut down or fry a little.

etlist:
1. I Only Said 
2. When You Sleep 
3. You Never Should
4. (When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream
5. Cigarette In Your Bed
6. Come In Alone
7. Only Shallow
8. Thorn
9. Nothing Much To Lose
10. To Here Knows When
11. Slow
12. Soon
13. Feed Me With Your Kiss
14. You Made Me Realise-15 minute Holocaust

Setlist:
1. I Only Said 
2. When You Sleep 
3. You Never Should
4. (When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream
5. Cigarette In Your Bed
6. Come In Alone
7. Only Shallow
8. Thorn
9. Nothing Much To Lose
10. To Here Knows When
11. Slow
12. Soon
13. Feed Me With Your Kiss
14. You Made Me Realise-15 minute Holocaust.