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Slowdive played their "biggest show ever" at Terminal 5 with Low (pics, setlist)

photos by PSquared; words by Bill Pearis

Slowdive @ Terminal 5, 10/25/2014
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MT: How did you choose the songs you wanted to play on the reunion tour?

Rachel Goswell: We did like a Twitter and Facebook thing to see what people wanted to hear, and we’ve rehearsed a few more songs for the American tour that we haven’t played live before, so that’s really exciting. There’s kind of like the standard ones, it’s interesting over the summer playing songs like “40 Days.” Some of the members don’t really like playing it because they don’t think it sounds that good, but it always goes down really really well live. It’s kind of having to adjust your own feelings on certain songs sometimes and chopping the set around. You want everyone to enjoy it, obviously. It’s just kind of making sure the songs sound the best they can sound live, which is the most important thing for us. We’re really excited about the visual aspect of the shows that we’re going to do in North America because it’s all so exciting, the things being sorted out by our lighting guy. – [Music Times]

Slowdive spent their original ’90s run in relative obscurity but cast a long shadow, resulting in this year’s reformation seeing them tour much bigger places than they ever did 20 years ago. In fact, Saturday’s show at NYC’s Terminal 5, also part of CMJ, was their biggest headlining show in their history. (Not counting giant festival gigs like Primavera Sound.) The place was absolutely packed — five deep along the balconies — and the band’s oceanic sound fit T5’s cavernous nature perfectly. While not the most exciting band to watch live, they came with a dazzling light show and you could always just close your eyes and let the sound wash over you. It was also a trip to watch the sea of people on the floor bobbing their heads in unison throughout the show. For those who didn’t get enough (or didn’t get to go), singer Rachel Goswell told the crowd “See you next year” before leaving the stage. The band will begin working on a new album in early 2015. Meanwhile, pictures and setlist from T5 are in this post.

Low were perfect openers for this show, similar in mood and their sparse, echoey sound also fit really well with T5’s acoustics. Pictures from their set, and more from Slowdive, below…

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SETLIST: Slowdive @ Terminal 5, 10/25/2014
Slowdive
Avalyn
Catch the Breeze
Crazy for You
Machine Gun
Souvlaki Space Station
Blue Skied an’ Clear
Albatross
When the Sun Hits
She Calls
Dagger
Alison
Golden Hair (Syd Barrett)

Encore:
Rutti
40 Days