I joked with some other folks in line about the event staff carding people at the door: Would anyone attending a Slowdive show in 2024 be under 40? I had momentarily forgotten that the kids on TikTok have in recent years made shoegaze far bigger than it’s ever been, and not only had the kids come out to pack this show, but they’d arrived early. I got there shortly after the start of Quannic’s opening set and couldn’t get past the coat check. Luckily, after they finished up, I was able to draft off a very tall man carving his way toward the stage, and I was able to see and hear Slowdive at an acceptable distance.
Last month’s Soul Coughing reunion show was my first visit to the cavernous Franklin Music Hall (née Electric Factory) in 20 years, and the place is exactly as I remembered it, which is to say pretty crummy. But despite the venue’s best efforts, Slowdive sounded great!