the oh so quiet show

I got to Bowery Ballroom way too early because…because. I didn’t have much else to do and I didn’t see the point of staying in my dorm. Other people were there trying to get tickets to the sold out show and happily, they did. So all those people willing to pay craploads of money for tickets on eBay should’ve just gone early. A nice thing about going early was hearing Doves practice a few songs. Sure, I was outside in the cold but it was all good.

The show was great, not that you’d expect anything else. I saw them a few years ago at Hammerstein Ballroom and they were great there but at Bowery I was able to get way too close to Jez. Hooray…I think? They started with Pounding, one of my favorite songs, and ended with There Goes the Fear, another one of my favorite songs. In between they played songs from all their albums. Someone probably has a setlist (I didn’t wait around to actually get one off the stage) but off the top of my head I remember Black & White Town, Satellites, Here It Comes, Ambition, Words, NY, The Cedar Room, Sea Song, and maybe One of These Days, Snowden, and Almost Forgot Myself. And probably other stuff.

I didn’t have a very good view of Andy but he was awesome. Okay, EVERYONE was awesome but he looked insanely happy and played the drums with such …ferocity at some points. But in a happy way. Intense drum playing makes me happy. Jez was constantly stepping on a gazillion pedals. I spent most of the time looking at Jimi because that didn’t involve craning my head; with the blue lights I kept thinking of smurfs…god, something’s wrong with me.

The only thing that disturbed me about the show was how loud it was. It’s not like I’ve never been to a concert before but while wearing my recently purchased EarLoves (via Josh Rubin) I thought, “Holy crap, this is loud.” I got sick of my ears ringing for a day after seeing a concert so yes, I turned to EAR PLUGS. But Earloves are quite nice compared to regular earplugs and seeing as my hearing is fine and the concert still sounded great despite having plastic junk in my ears, I’d recommend them.

Doves are coming back to NYC in May for two nights at Webster Hall with mercury Rev so if you didn’t see them yesterday you have some more chances.

Thanks to lifelong friend Jen accompanying me to the show (after my only Doves-fan friend was unable to make it and everyone else is just pooty, bwahaha) and to one of my classmates for being there. I’d never know there were exceptionally cool people in my writing class.

More reviews on the show at melody nelson, one louder (and more one louder), mega mega mega, peephole in my brain, this twilight garden, and brooklyn vegan. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many bloggers report on one show that I had actually been to before. Yikes. I’ve been going to the Bowery Ballroom a lot this year and I was wondering why I hadn’t gone before (like the first time Doves played there) and I realized I wasn’t old enough. Age limits are poop. But I did see Doves twice before so I don’t think I’ll have to go to the Webster Hall shows.