Stub Stories #3

DINOSAUR JR. / MY BLOODY VALENTINE

1992. I was a big Dinosaur Jr. fan in the early 90's. This was probably my second or third time seeing them and my first seeing My Bloody Valentine. The show was at Memorial Hall on the campus of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. I can't remember who I went with to the show. Maybe Steve Judge. I don't know. I was at NC State at the time and I made the 30 minute drive to Chapel Hill to see the show. I may have seen louder shows since then but it was the loudest show I have ever attended. I don't remember much about Dinosaur Jr. except that they were loud and rocked but I had seen them in smaller venues I wasn't as satisfied. My Bloody Valentine was the opening band. I was a fan of the shoegazer genre coming out of the UK and though My Bloody Valentine wasn't my favorite shoegazer band I was excited to see them. They were louder than Dinosaur Jr.. There was a wonderful blast of sonic energy wrapping around me during every song. My most distinct memory of this show was near the end of My Bloody Valentine's set when they unleashed a 6 to 8 minute assault of noise. Just pure distorted sonic noise. It lasted longer than I felt was necessary because I remember getting a little tire of it 5 minutes into it and I was beginning to worry about damage to my hearing. I'm glad I got to see them because they never toured the US again. I hope to see both bands again this year because the original lineup of Dinosaur Jr is touring again and My Bloody Valentine are reuniting this year. It would be sonic wonderfulness to see them together again.