Slowdive: Boston, 25 September 2023
Boston is a “cerebral” audience when it comes to live music and indie bands. I was reminded of this at the recent Slowdive show there at the House of Blues on September 25, 2023.
As someone who started going to shows in Boston in the 1990s, but has since been to shows throughout Europe, I had forgotten this New England frostiness. I was a bit surprised to discover that it still lingered. Limited movement, standing with arms crossed, appearing to be thinking about the music rather than displaying any physical reaction to it is what I mean by “cerebral” or “frosty”. It’s not to say there is something wrong with this, but it’s different than shows in European countries. The biggest difference to me is that American men don’t dance at shows. lol. Maybe it gets too warm dancing with a fleece vest and baseball cap?
Audiences everywhere are similar but different. This probably sounds trivial and tangential because you’re here for Slowdive, right? Well, we’ll get there, I promise, but not before a couple of old men and something about my cousin.
On this occasion I am joined by my 20-something year-old cousin who was not familiar with Slowdive or support act Drab Majesty or the shoegaze style of music generally. I was curious what my cousin would think of it and impressed he was willing to give it a go. We are both Americans who have lived abroad for several years and are sensitive to and interested in cultural differences. There’s also this thing going on in music lately where young people (and TikTok) are credited for the revival of some bands or genres of music, so I think it’s interesting to consider how bands and live performances are “consumed” by local cultures or people of different ages.
Probably the first thing that confirmed our age difference was that I had already splashed out on a seated ticket, while he found a similar seat for a very good price at the last minute. One of the first things we both noted was that the audience looked very mixed, but skewed young. This was evident by scanning the fans lined up along Lansdowne Street waiting to get in to the venue. However, once inside we were both perplexed to be sat between two older gentlemen - like a lot older than me and I’m nearly 50!
The Boston Slowdive show starts with two easy-on-the-ears songs from the band’s latest album everything is alive, “shanty” and “prayer remembered”. “Star Roving” from their 2017 album is next, played with a slightly different arrangement.
Things start to get loud with “Catch the Breeze” and a ‘holy shit’ wave of noise hits where all band members appear to be completely immersed in their creative zones to produce it. The wave subsides and someone in the audience screams, “I LOVE YOU!” to which Rachel responds, “thank you”.
Slowdive continued with “Crazy for You” and “Souvlaki Space Station”. Simon goes all out on the drums here and the legs of the older gentlemen on either side of us are moving like crazy. I wondered if they were drummers, but the coordination suggested otherwise as they both danced in their seats. Meanwhile, there didn’t appear to be much movement of the audience down near the stage - other than the bouncer at the side who had a cool and controlled bob going. After the minute-long crashing finale of “Souvlaki Space Station” the band recomposed itself and played the dream pop track of summer 2023, “kisses”.
Two more tracks from the 2017 album follow, “Sugar for the Pill” and “Slomo”. Then, out of the middle of nowhere, older gentlemen to the left screams, “THIS IS THE BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE!”
Yes, damn it! Shake the Beantown frosties and let it go Mr. Older Gentleman!
Not only do I totally believe him, I realize how many ‘best nights’ I’ve had listening to and sharing live music with people. Witnessing this man’s joy in turn kind of overwhelmed me with joy and gratitude for this performance in a city I hadn’t been to in quite awhile and being able to share it with my cousin, a new fan in the making.
The show continued with “Alison” and then the cerebral Boston crowd finally loosened a bit with “When the Sun Hits” only to retract again with “Golden Hair” and its glorious shimmer of noise.
An encore included three songs: “the slab” which put Nick at the keyboard, a slowed down version of “Dagger” with discreet backing from bass and cymbals and finally “40 Days” with a ‘rawk’ edge.
Having danced in their seats all night, each of the older gentlemen depart during the encore before I could ask either of them anything. Note to self: don't wait too long to express interest in people.
So what did my younger cousin make of it? Did he like how it sounded? What did he think of the audience?
Well, yes and no and wow, what a weird audience!
“I didn’t care for the really noisy parts. It was like people clapping with sirens and then it stops and there’s just some light applause that makes the song seem underwhelming. Not all of it is like that though.”
I can understand and appreciate what he’s describing. I also blame the underwhelming applause on the cerebral Bostonians. The ‘clapping with sirens’ description is amusing given my cousin plays the bagpipes. Bagpipes to my ear always sound like, well, never mind, lol.
Unfortunate was the low level of interaction with the audience:
“That was a little disappointing. The woman in Slowdive seemed cold.”
I assured him that Rachel is usually beaming with a warm smile to the audience, but yes, the lack of verbal interaction with the audience would seem particularly unfortunate for an opening band if it wants to pick up new fans. Maybe I am just being an old in thinking this is important though? The evening’s openers Drab Majesty went over pretty well with my cousin, but someone did ask us if we knew who they were.
My cousin provided a more formal analysis of it all:
"The House Of Blues, a name which fittingly connotates this night’s audience. Fans who share nothing in common; from age to vestimentaire styles and appearances. Yet the audience shares two similarities: 1) a love for Slowdive and 2) a somber and reserved enjoyment of the show… a “Blue” audience. Are they all sad and contemplating life? Or just too “New Englandah” to express their joy."
:)
Additional commentary about the venue because I see it part and parcel of the live music experience that we pay dear money for and which also impacts the livelihood of bands. The House of Blues was a bit of downer of a corporate music experience. Too big to be relaxed, too small for the level of security they had on force. Sadly there was no access to band merch during the show unless you had a ticket for the floor where it was set up. When merch forms part of the bread and butter for bands, I think this is pretty shitty of the venue to effectively limit the sale of it. Also, a wristband was required to drink alcohol. That’s fine except that nobody offered the option at any point in the security procedure, which resulted in rejection upon ordering a beer at the bar. Of course you can live one evening (or many) without a beer, but when offering proof of age to the bartender, you sadly realize that staff are not allowed to think or make decisions outside of a limited range: “Oh, no. I can’t check your ID, only security can do that.” Okay, House of Blues, your lost sale. Probably no big deal because you’ll make it up with the 15 and 17 dollar “Catch the Breeze” and “Crazy for You” house cocktails, right? Or were you offering a cut of the cocktail profit to the band?
Ppfft. Anyways…
Overall, a good show and a nice time for reasons that I hadn’t anticipated: experiencing a show with someone who is unfamiliar with the band, hearing what a new listener thinks about the music and witnessing someone break out of the reserved, cerebral Beantown frosties! There were also pre-show enchiladas and margaritas that set me up well. Ha! Thank you El Centro South End!
I am sure Slowdive will put on more great shows for this tour and hopefully pull out a few surprises. THEY ARE ALWAYS SOUNDING GOOD! AND THE NEW ALBUM IS SWOON! PLUS THE NEW THREE QUARTER SKIES FROM SIMON SCOTT!
I look forward to the Slowdive shows in London and Amsterdam - see you there?
A side note that doesn’t have to do with older gentlemen, the Boston frosties or Slowdive:
“From the Live Free or Die state to the Big Apple and over to the Low Lands” was what my social media profiles used to say. It was an oblique way of letting people know I grew up in small town USA, lived in big city USA and then moved to a European country. This was not about bragging; it was an attempt to explain that I don’t have both feet on the ground in any one culture. And by that I mean, I am just not up on the latest minutiae of popular culture, including music, in any one place. I think that can be a humbling and good thing if you approach things with curiosity and willingness to observe. It’s amazing what you can learn from others and things that seem similar but are actually different.