Genesis

VNV was every bit as satisfying as I hoped for. Nation however left a lot to be desired. We got to the club very early almost an hour before the opening duo Coder23. The main area was closed off until about a half hour before 9. As soon as the curtain opened we made our way towards the stage. They played normal club music as the bands finished setting up, and we didn't even notice we were right beside the main speaker until Coder opened. Coder23 is described as tech-house duo from Europe. Although I'm completely new to their music I found their show enjoyable and very remiscent of tracks on the Trance Station on DI. Both DJ's kept the beats steady on their powermac notebooks, while a large screen in front looped eerie computer animations which added to the feel of their sound.

It had to be 11 or after before VNV came on. Ronan, who I alway visualized as a very solemn and dark vocalist could not have been more the opposite. With energy he circled about the stage easily gaining control of the eager crowd. The mainly goth dressed audience responded echoing lyrics of the popular songs. Dancing was suprisingly to a minimum, most likely due to the lack of room near the stage. Mark played the "electro-drums" like a tribesman playing whack a mole. His long limbs stretched out to empasize beats as he stood towering in the center of the stage.

My biggest complaint was that the huge speaker we stood in front ( of course totally our fault, and I wouldn't do this again ) seemed to drown out the the melody on most tracks. The beats even over-powered Ronan's singing and songs that I usually knew all the words I got lost and could barely recognize. It sucks we missed Limelight the night before in New York. If I had known VNV was playing Limelight I would have definitely tried to make it. Dark Trance in a Gothic Cathedral would be a truely divine experience.

Over all I was glad we went. Somehow I manged to guide the car back to Harrisburg and get to sleep by 4am. I even convinced Carol to go to another concert in 2005 after release of the Matter and Form album.