A few quick thoughts on the VNV Nation concert:
The show overall was actually quite great. The proceedings started off with the opening band, a German group i've never heard of called STRAFTANZ. They were really quite excellent. It's only two people, a short bald nerdy looking fellow who is responsible for the music and works mostly from a laptop. he was quite comedic most of the time, and a much taller gruff looking vocalist. They were both full of energy and REALLY got the crowd going. By just the second song in the audience was pumped and I was really into them. At one point the guy even picked up a stuffed unicorn and started waving it around saying ALL HAIL THE UNICORN! After everything I bought their album and was able to get them to sign it. The nerdy fellow was still acting a crazy person with everyone, jumping into every body's pictures. They were really a trip, and one of the most enjoyable opening bands I've ever seen.
Then came VNV Nation. This is the third time I see them, and I'd say this is the most focused I've ever seen them play. The set list was easily the best. Ronan Harris was his usual jumpy self, and of course he manages to talk as much shit as possible in between, and very often DURING, songs. Though not as much as he usually does. The most amusing part of the show was watching Harris get more and more furious with whatever asshole was running the lights. He was doing a piss poor job of the lights, as he kept missing each and every cue, See the lights follow a pattern with the songs. They flicker and go along with beats and what not. He simply missed nearly all of his cues, so the lights were not at all matching the beats to the songs. Harris got more visibly furious with every missed cue. It was hilarious watching Harris look towards the guy with a scowl on his face, as if he wanted to throw the microphone at his head. More than once I thought he was going to run off the stage and strangle the guy. By the halfway part of the show Harris was actually yelling at the guy to quit eating shit, and was bitching to everyone around him. Most the audience didn't seem to notice, and those that did, like myself, didn't;t really care too much. I was just having a ball watching Harris tell the guy off every other minute. By the time the band finished its first set list before the encore, Harris pretty much sprinted off the stage to go rip the guy an asshole. Naturally, the songs played during the encore were the only ones in which the lights finally synched dup with the songs. So aside the great music, that bit of theatrics made for some hilarious amusement. And it also kept Harris from talking too much time wasting shit in between songs.
So it was a fun time. Made all the better that I kept giving a special someone a play by play of the proceedings. And while not there physically with me, she was with me in spirit, and that fact alone put me in a far better mood than I'd normally be. Just the fact she's with me at all has me walking on clouds. It's a feeling that's new to me, but one I'm genuinely enjoying the hell out of :D
