Victory not Vengeance Dreamed 6195 days ago | | 800 words
Tuesday night I rounded out my 4-day weekend in Virginia Beach with a trip to the Norva to see VNV Nation perform. And perform they did! For that one evening I transcended this world into a place of thumpy beats, haunting melodies and stompy feel goodness.
As polar opposites to Nine Inch Nails, VNV is all positive and happy and I danced like a loon for nearly three hours. The opening act was And One, a German 3-piece though I swear the two flanking keyboardists/macbook operator’s hands did not move nearly enough to indicate they were playing anything on those keyboards.
The frontman was fantastic though, very fun and danced around in an Eddie Izzard meets John Cleese sort of way. He really gave me a strong Izzard vibe all the way around, and the puffy suit did much to further the image.
Some English language, some German language, it was very happy to listen to and I had a good time dancing along to the beats, since I don’t speak German and the English was lost on me through the beats.
Though they did play Personal Jesus which was interesting.
After a (thankfully) short intermission, where none of the stage was rearranged, VNV Nation came on.
I have to say, Ronan is a very funny guy. Very giggly and upbeat, made only more so by the Guiness and shots he and the band imbibed as the show went on, passed to them by appreciating fans.
My knowledge of the Nation (and my general Alzheimer’s like memory) doesn’t allow me to recall what songs were played, and in any sort of order. I do recall Beloved and Epicentre, two of my favorites. Testament, Nemesis (I think), Illusion and Descent were played from the new disc. Descent is a thoroughly haunting song, hitting me much in the same way NIN’s Hurt did when I first heard it live or Marilyn Manson’s Speed of Pain (the live version, from the Mechanical Animals tour).
It was unfortunate that during this song the mic started feeding back very badly which causes Ronan to stop and yell at the techs for a moment, before continuing. After that, the mic was fine for the rest of the night. Descent is quickly becoming my favorite track off the album.
The setup was minimal, three projectors going to drop-down screen behind them with minimal imagery going on behind the trio of musicians flanking Ronan. Just men and Macbooks.
Now time for some random observations.
- Mark Jackson is a mountain of a man. He did not need that platform he stood upon to drum. Also, one of the only standing drummers I’ve ever seen.
- The touring band is more of a ragtag bunch of guys than a well-oiled machine. The atmosphere was very jovial and fun. Like a bunch of friends just hanging out. They just happened to be playing to a very full Norva.
- Ronan promised to come back to Norfolk. Saying he dug the energy and the crowd and would correct the mistake of not playing there previously. (Maybe he says that everywhere, but he seemed genuine, and I’ a cynical, cynical bastard).
- Steve, Emma and I were the most “normal” kids at the show. I was curious to see what VNV would drag out of Norfolk. The answer. Goth kids, raver kids, a few metal heads, and some Mansonites (though minimal), and those of us just rocking NIN shirts and jeans.
- This was not a packed house in the least. Not like it was for Flogging Molly. But that was fine since it gave us plenty of room to move.
- And move we did! For nearly three hours I danced, grooved, jumped and thrashed. I danced like no one was watching because at shows I don’t care who sees me look like a moron thrashing about.
- I am still sore. Three days later. The floor at the Norva was not as forgiving as the seats at Nissan Pavilion where I saw NIN last summer and before that, with Saul Williams at the Richmond Coliseum.
- I need to listen to more VNV Nation. I’d nearly forgotten about the show I’d gotten tickets so long ago.
- Thank You Olivia! Who I credit entirely for introducing me to VNV Nation, Wumpscut, and a host of other fantastic music I had never been exposed to before.
- A more well-informed source tells me they also played Chrome, Standing, Legion, Homeward and Solitary.
- I think I was one of about 6 people who cheered at being staunchly anti-drug.
- I need to get out to more live shows. I need to stay better informed about who is playing where when. That being said, I am going to see Weird Al in Richmond May 1 and (for some reason) My Chemical Romance and Moe in Williamsburg the end of April.
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